Macrophage proteins: structure, function and e-science. The human genome was published five years ago, yet the functions of only a small fraction of the tens of thousands of encoded proteins are known. The development of smarter and faster methods for elucidating the structure and function of uncharacterised proteins is vital to a knowledge-based economy and a healthy society. The long-term benefits to the community will include fundamental new knowledge, generation of new pharmaceuticals and th ....Macrophage proteins: structure, function and e-science. The human genome was published five years ago, yet the functions of only a small fraction of the tens of thousands of encoded proteins are known. The development of smarter and faster methods for elucidating the structure and function of uncharacterised proteins is vital to a knowledge-based economy and a healthy society. The long-term benefits to the community will include fundamental new knowledge, generation of new pharmaceuticals and the development of new eScience approaches to streamline costs and efforts of research and to make science more accessible to the public.Read moreRead less
Imaging the foundation of the nervous system. This Project aims to understand the formation of the neural tube; a fundamental tissue structure that generates the brain and the spinal cord. Using interdisciplinary approaches and exploiting recent advances in transgenic and imaging technologies, the Project expects to reveal the complex interplay of molecular, cellular and mechanical processes that direct neural tissue formation and cell fate specification. Outcomes from the Project include knowle ....Imaging the foundation of the nervous system. This Project aims to understand the formation of the neural tube; a fundamental tissue structure that generates the brain and the spinal cord. Using interdisciplinary approaches and exploiting recent advances in transgenic and imaging technologies, the Project expects to reveal the complex interplay of molecular, cellular and mechanical processes that direct neural tissue formation and cell fate specification. Outcomes from the Project include knowledge of previously intractable developmental processes, training of future scientists and development of international collaborations. This should provide enhanced imaging capacity, a higher quality scientific workforce and position Australia at the forefront of developmental biology.
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Discovery and characterisation of novel lanthipeptide biopreservatives. The aim of this project is to advance fundamental knowledge of microbial metabolism and provide natural anti-microbial molecules to the Australian food industry. A quarter of the world’s food supply is lost because of microbiological spoilage. Some chemical preservatives have been developed to combat food spoilage organisms, however their chronic impact on human health is the subject of debate. Consumer demand for safe and n ....Discovery and characterisation of novel lanthipeptide biopreservatives. The aim of this project is to advance fundamental knowledge of microbial metabolism and provide natural anti-microbial molecules to the Australian food industry. A quarter of the world’s food supply is lost because of microbiological spoilage. Some chemical preservatives have been developed to combat food spoilage organisms, however their chronic impact on human health is the subject of debate. Consumer demand for safe and natural alternatives is growing. Paradoxically, microbially-produced bioactive peptides may be the key to combating food spoilage organisms and food-borne pathogens. To this end, the project intends to develop an innovative strategy for the discovery, biosynthesis and characterisation of novel anti-microbial lanthipeptides.Read moreRead less
Regulation of 3D Cell Migration by Microtubule-Dependent Processes. The overarching aim of this research is to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that cells use to move in 3D environments: a basic biological function essential to development and homeostasis. During these processes, cells interact with their surroundings where they translate biophysical forces into biochemical signals to adapt their shape to move. This requires distinct signalling, controlled in space and time, to regulate the cr ....Regulation of 3D Cell Migration by Microtubule-Dependent Processes. The overarching aim of this research is to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that cells use to move in 3D environments: a basic biological function essential to development and homeostasis. During these processes, cells interact with their surroundings where they translate biophysical forces into biochemical signals to adapt their shape to move. This requires distinct signalling, controlled in space and time, to regulate the crosstalk between organelles and the cytoskeleton. To date, the role of microtubules remains elusive. Using interdisciplinary approaches combining advanced imaging technology with novel cell biology methods, the project aims to uncover fundamental knowledge about how cells interact with their environment.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE150100161
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$540,000.00
Summary
A multi-omics platform for molecular evolution and developmental biology. A multi-omics platform for molecular evolution and developmental biology: The proposed multi-omics platform will provide the computational environment (consisting of data, computer hardware, software and workflows) required to undertake large scale 'omics based research projects within molecular evolution and developmental biology. The platform architecture is designed to accommodate the requirements of data intensive rese ....A multi-omics platform for molecular evolution and developmental biology. A multi-omics platform for molecular evolution and developmental biology: The proposed multi-omics platform will provide the computational environment (consisting of data, computer hardware, software and workflows) required to undertake large scale 'omics based research projects within molecular evolution and developmental biology. The platform architecture is designed to accommodate the requirements of data intensive research in a collaborative environment where datasets, tools and workflows can be shared. Bringing together complementary expertise in molecular evolution and developmental biology, the platform will provide the opportunity to perform integrative analysis across genomes, transcriptomes, proteomes, metabalomes and epigenomes, providing a unique collaborative analytical platform for Australian researchers.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0454170
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$187,341.00
Summary
Biacore3000-Expansion of Proteomics Facility. The sequencing of the human genome has led to redirection of effort towards the rapid characterisation of the products of genes, proteins. This project will establish state of the art facilities for protein identification and characterisation in the Hunter Region. The investigators are representative of several major research programs and are unified by their specific expertise in the fundamental molecular mechanisms underlying the control of cellula ....Biacore3000-Expansion of Proteomics Facility. The sequencing of the human genome has led to redirection of effort towards the rapid characterisation of the products of genes, proteins. This project will establish state of the art facilities for protein identification and characterisation in the Hunter Region. The investigators are representative of several major research programs and are unified by their specific expertise in the fundamental molecular mechanisms underlying the control of cellular processes in plants, animals and humans. Understanding these mechanisms will provide the basis for improved management of the environment and pathological conditions through identifying molecular targets for diagnosis, genetic manipulation or drug design.Read moreRead less
Molecular mechanisms of cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate (AMP) induced apoptosis. Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate (cAMP) is an important cellular chemical necessary for cell growth. However, de-regulated cAMP production in response to altered physiology can result in cellular death or apoptosis. This is attributed to the development of certain human diseases and this project aims to understand the molecular mechanism behind this process.
Elucidating the regulation of cell death by random mutagenesis of key apoptotic proteins. All organisms need to remove damaged or excessive cells. This cell death process is called apoptosis. Defects in apoptosis result in numerous diseases including cancer, and neurodegenerative and immune disorders. Determining how this process is regulated is of crucial importance for therapeutic intervention. We will utilise a powerful strategy to mutate proteins required for apoptosis so that they no longer ....Elucidating the regulation of cell death by random mutagenesis of key apoptotic proteins. All organisms need to remove damaged or excessive cells. This cell death process is called apoptosis. Defects in apoptosis result in numerous diseases including cancer, and neurodegenerative and immune disorders. Determining how this process is regulated is of crucial importance for therapeutic intervention. We will utilise a powerful strategy to mutate proteins required for apoptosis so that they no longer work, which will allow the identification of protein regions essential for cell death activity . This will lead to identification of potential drug targets to control apoptosis. Elucidating the mechanism of cell death will lead to the development of novel and improved therapies for diseases such as cancer and neurodegenerative disease.Read moreRead less
Determining the molecular regulation of blood vessel development and angiogenesis. Abnormal blood vessel growth is associated with diseases including cancer, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and chronic inflammation. This project focuses on understanding normal blood vessel growth in order to gather clues to help discover ways of preventing abnormal blood vessel growth during disease.
Investigation of the biology of insulin-like growth factor 1 and its derivatives for the development of new therapeutics. This project will investigate the biology of insulin-like growth factor 1, a key molecule in growth, development and, in particular, the wound healing process. Its success will lead to improved treatments for non-healing (chronic) wounds and, potentially, new anti-cancer treatments.