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Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220100055
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$451,415.00
Summary
Impact of seaweed polyphenols on gut health: Gut microbiome modulation. This project aims to understand the true impact of seaweed polyphenols on the gut microbiome and develop methods to improve their bioavailability, bioaccessibility and bioactivities in the gut. The project's use of cutting-edge analytical tools helps to investigate the movement and absorption of phenolic compounds across the gut. This project expects to explore new knowledge in the area of marine-based functional foods and t ....Impact of seaweed polyphenols on gut health: Gut microbiome modulation. This project aims to understand the true impact of seaweed polyphenols on the gut microbiome and develop methods to improve their bioavailability, bioaccessibility and bioactivities in the gut. The project's use of cutting-edge analytical tools helps to investigate the movement and absorption of phenolic compounds across the gut. This project expects to explore new knowledge in the area of marine-based functional foods and their health benefits using an innovative interdisciplinary approach. The success of this project will ultimately provide a new pathway for the development of functional foods that will help to improve the health status of Australians by consuming healthy food ingredients.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100388
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$437,977.00
Summary
Ecological and phylogenomic insights into infectious diseases in animals. This project aims to address major knowledge gaps in our understanding of Clostridium difficile, a leading cause of severe gastrointestinal disease in animals. The project is expected to define the epidemiology of C. difficile infection in Australian horses, characterise the genetic and phenotypic traits of C. difficile strains causing equine disease and develop a new tool for enhanced genomic tracking of C. difficile in a ....Ecological and phylogenomic insights into infectious diseases in animals. This project aims to address major knowledge gaps in our understanding of Clostridium difficile, a leading cause of severe gastrointestinal disease in animals. The project is expected to define the epidemiology of C. difficile infection in Australian horses, characterise the genetic and phenotypic traits of C. difficile strains causing equine disease and develop a new tool for enhanced genomic tracking of C. difficile in animals. These outcomes will support strategies by the veterinary sector to improve the detection, prevention and control of C. difficile infections in animals, providing long-term socio-economic benefits arising from reduced incidence and mortality associated with C. difficile infections in Australian horses and livestock.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230100700
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$429,449.00
Summary
A novel bacterial secretion system for applications in nanobiotechnology. This project aims to characterise a new molecular machine, called the S-Pump. Molecular machines drive the complex biology in all cells and are an exciting area of translational research, with broad potential for industrial applications. This project expects to provide fundamental insights into how bacterial S-Pumps contribute to antimicrobial resistance and enhancing food production. Expected outcomes include new tools fo ....A novel bacterial secretion system for applications in nanobiotechnology. This project aims to characterise a new molecular machine, called the S-Pump. Molecular machines drive the complex biology in all cells and are an exciting area of translational research, with broad potential for industrial applications. This project expects to provide fundamental insights into how bacterial S-Pumps contribute to antimicrobial resistance and enhancing food production. Expected outcomes include new tools for molecular machine discovery and identification of ways to adapt molecular machines for biotechnological applications. This work should enhance Australia-UK ties through collaboration, provide benefits toward nanobiotechnology and economic benefits through more efficient food production.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE170100068
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$390,000.00
Summary
Bioinspired liposome-based smart sensors. This project aims to develop a liposome-based biosensor technology that mimics cell sensory systems. Selective detection of compounds is increasingly important for food, health and environmental monitoring. Biosensor development faces long-standing challenges such as response time, sensitivity, specificity, and multiplexing. On the other hand, cells can sense and discriminate multiple biomolecules in seconds with high sensitivity and specificity. This pr ....Bioinspired liposome-based smart sensors. This project aims to develop a liposome-based biosensor technology that mimics cell sensory systems. Selective detection of compounds is increasingly important for food, health and environmental monitoring. Biosensor development faces long-standing challenges such as response time, sensitivity, specificity, and multiplexing. On the other hand, cells can sense and discriminate multiple biomolecules in seconds with high sensitivity and specificity. This project aims to harness cells’ exquisite biological properties to improve current detection techniques. It will integrate liposome-based sensors with microfluidics to perform analytical tasks ranging from food safety to diagnostics.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100802
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$410,778.00
Summary
Enabling a circular economy for poultry via exploration of metabolism. This project aims to address the environmental and economic burden of food waste by enabling its utilisation as a feed for poultry. This project expects to generate new knowledge in poultry nutrition using a holistic approach exploring the nutritional, health, welfare, economic and environmental effects of food waste diets for poultry. The expected outcomes of this project include enabling food waste diets for poultry and a g ....Enabling a circular economy for poultry via exploration of metabolism. This project aims to address the environmental and economic burden of food waste by enabling its utilisation as a feed for poultry. This project expects to generate new knowledge in poultry nutrition using a holistic approach exploring the nutritional, health, welfare, economic and environmental effects of food waste diets for poultry. The expected outcomes of this project include enabling food waste diets for poultry and a greater understanding of basic nutrition including, carbohydrate and fat metabolism. This should provide significant environmental and economic benefits by utilising food waste that would otherwise go to landfill and improving our understanding of poultry nutrition, giving potential economic savings over $500 million.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100014
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$424,237.00
Summary
Causal relationship between taste and smell perception and eating behaviour. Around half of all Australians have a poor diet, which is a leading cause of many chronic conditions costing over $70 billion annually. This project aims to develop and apply novel statistical methods for determining the genetic basis of human taste and smell perception and its causal effects on eating behaviour. Expected outcomes include delivering new insights into such underlying individual differences for a wide ran ....Causal relationship between taste and smell perception and eating behaviour. Around half of all Australians have a poor diet, which is a leading cause of many chronic conditions costing over $70 billion annually. This project aims to develop and apply novel statistical methods for determining the genetic basis of human taste and smell perception and its causal effects on eating behaviour. Expected outcomes include delivering new insights into such underlying individual differences for a wide range of taste and olfactory traits; advanced analytical methods to assess causality; and a causal network of these sensory traits across over 100 consumable food items. From these outcomes, the benefits will be new strategies for improving food flavours and eating behaviours to enhance agri-food industry growth.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100959
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Unlocking The Agricultural Potential Of The Dark Genome. Sustaining competitive agricultural production in the face of climate change demands more resilient, diverse, and adaptable crop varieties. Studies on the genes of crop plants have had huge benefits for agriculture, but genes themselves make up only a tiny fraction of the genome. It has until recently been impossible to assemble the 'dark' space between genes. Using ultra-modern barley genomes, this project aims to harness information from ....Unlocking The Agricultural Potential Of The Dark Genome. Sustaining competitive agricultural production in the face of climate change demands more resilient, diverse, and adaptable crop varieties. Studies on the genes of crop plants have had huge benefits for agriculture, but genes themselves make up only a tiny fraction of the genome. It has until recently been impossible to assemble the 'dark' space between genes. Using ultra-modern barley genomes, this project aims to harness information from the dark genome to (i) discover new genes with agricultural importance, (ii) illuminate invisible genomic features that can slow down plant breeding programs, and (iii) identify opportunities to transfer useful new genes into the cultivated gene pool.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120100390
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Characterisation of collagenous lectins and their roles in ovine infectious diseases. Specific proteins involved in immunity against infections will be studied in sheep to enhance their immune response against specific infections, such as ovine Johne's disease and footrot. This may lead to selective breeding of sheep that are more resistant to disease, minimising production losses and use of medications.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230100377
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$423,659.00
Summary
Facilitating control of Queensland fruit fly and other insect pests. This project aims to address the need for a Queensland fruit fly male-only sterile release strain for the national Sterile Insect Technique program to control this devastating Australian horticulture pest. By combining two molecular technologies in a new strain that responds to temperature cues to trigger development of only male flies, this project expects to produce twice as many sterile males for release to mate with wild fe ....Facilitating control of Queensland fruit fly and other insect pests. This project aims to address the need for a Queensland fruit fly male-only sterile release strain for the national Sterile Insect Technique program to control this devastating Australian horticulture pest. By combining two molecular technologies in a new strain that responds to temperature cues to trigger development of only male flies, this project expects to produce twice as many sterile males for release to mate with wild females in fruit fly outbreak areas, preventing production of the next generation. Expected outcomes include significant reduction in production costs and increased efficiency of the national sterile release program, facilitating control of this damaging pest to protect Australia's billion dollar horticultural industry.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230101284
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$397,003.00
Summary
Insect-specific virus host restriction. Mosquito-borne viruses are a topic of intense research due to their complex biology, ecology and evolution, and their potential to produce unpredictable outbreaks of disease in both humans and animals. Insect-specific viruses (ISVs) are viruses that replicate solely in mosquito cell and are unable to infect vertebrate tissues. This project aims to assess the biodiversity of ISVs in the Australian mosquito population and identify key factors behind their re ....Insect-specific virus host restriction. Mosquito-borne viruses are a topic of intense research due to their complex biology, ecology and evolution, and their potential to produce unpredictable outbreaks of disease in both humans and animals. Insect-specific viruses (ISVs) are viruses that replicate solely in mosquito cell and are unable to infect vertebrate tissues. This project aims to assess the biodiversity of ISVs in the Australian mosquito population and identify key factors behind their restriction in vertebrates. The objectives of the studies proposed will answer clearly defined important biological questions about ISVs, while also delivering technological advances, novel reagents and potential commercial outcomes for the control and prevention of arboviral disease. Read moreRead less