Discovery and directed evolution of small molecule biosensors. This project aims to address the need for novel small molecule biosensing capability in diverse fields including food and wine production, environmental monitoring, biocatalysis, and diagnostics using a synthetic biology approach. The significance of this work is the development of new biosensors by a strong interdisciplinary team contributing bioinformatics to identify new biosensors, innovative protein engineering approaches, and c ....Discovery and directed evolution of small molecule biosensors. This project aims to address the need for novel small molecule biosensing capability in diverse fields including food and wine production, environmental monitoring, biocatalysis, and diagnostics using a synthetic biology approach. The significance of this work is the development of new biosensors by a strong interdisciplinary team contributing bioinformatics to identify new biosensors, innovative protein engineering approaches, and cutting-edge directed evolution methodologies. Intended outcomes include enhanced institutional capacity for interdisciplinary collaboration; discovery of fundamentally important bacterial sensors; and development of synthetic regulatory circuits enabling outgrowth of non-biological biocatalysis industries.Read moreRead less
Site-specific protein functionalisation at diselenides via photocatalysis . This project aims to develop a new photocatalytic reaction for the on demand functionalisation of proteins. The synthetic methodology will solve a major technological gap in the field by enabling efficient access to proteins with defined modifications at specific locations. Functionalised proteins generated in the project will underpin a detailed understanding of how specific modifications influence the structure and fun ....Site-specific protein functionalisation at diselenides via photocatalysis . This project aims to develop a new photocatalytic reaction for the on demand functionalisation of proteins. The synthetic methodology will solve a major technological gap in the field by enabling efficient access to proteins with defined modifications at specific locations. Functionalised proteins generated in the project will underpin a detailed understanding of how specific modifications influence the structure and function of several important proteins. The project will generate significant new knowledge in the fields of chemistry and biology and will foster interdisciplinary collaboration, nationally and internationally. The breakthrough technology also has the potential to benefit Australia’s biotechnology sector.Read moreRead less
Bio-inspired molecular electronics: from nanoscience to nanotechnology. This project aims to investigate electron transport in naturally occurring peptides, while exploiting their electronic properties to promote the design and development of functional bio-inspired molecular electronic devices. Molecular electronics is at the forefront of international interdisciplinary research, with its significance and necessity stemming from the inevitable physical limitations of existing silicon-based elec ....Bio-inspired molecular electronics: from nanoscience to nanotechnology. This project aims to investigate electron transport in naturally occurring peptides, while exploiting their electronic properties to promote the design and development of functional bio-inspired molecular electronic devices. Molecular electronics is at the forefront of international interdisciplinary research, with its significance and necessity stemming from the inevitable physical limitations of existing silicon-based electronics. This project aims to establish a foundation to advance fundamental knowledge in this area, which will lead to the design and development of functional bio-inspired molecular electronic devices.Read moreRead less
Investigating the evolution of innate and adaptive cellular immunity. This proposal aims to assess the impact of geographical and genetic isolation of the Australian Indigenous population on adaptive and innate immune systems. The project will use novel DNA sequencing approaches to generate the high resolution sequences of two genetic loci that regulate innate and adaptive immune responses, the major histocompatibility complex locus and the killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor locus. In an i ....Investigating the evolution of innate and adaptive cellular immunity. This proposal aims to assess the impact of geographical and genetic isolation of the Australian Indigenous population on adaptive and innate immune systems. The project will use novel DNA sequencing approaches to generate the high resolution sequences of two genetic loci that regulate innate and adaptive immune responses, the major histocompatibility complex locus and the killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor locus. In an initial screen, distinct variants and combinations of these genes were identified. This project aims to interrogate how variation in these critical genes impacts on the function of cytotoxic lymphocytes, providing insights into the evolutionary drivers of immune recognition mechanisms.Read moreRead less
Protein biosensors for detecting smoke exposure of grapes. Bush fires and controlled burns that take place in the vicinity of vineyards can lead to grape contamination with tasteless phenolic glucosides. Their hydrolysis during wine making leads to “smoke taint” – an unpleasant medicinal taste that can render wine undrinkable. We will apply a combination of organic synthesis, protein engineering and directed evolution to develop protein-based biosensors of phenolic glucosides. These biosensors w ....Protein biosensors for detecting smoke exposure of grapes. Bush fires and controlled burns that take place in the vicinity of vineyards can lead to grape contamination with tasteless phenolic glucosides. Their hydrolysis during wine making leads to “smoke taint” – an unpleasant medicinal taste that can render wine undrinkable. We will apply a combination of organic synthesis, protein engineering and directed evolution to develop protein-based biosensors of phenolic glucosides. These biosensors will be used to devise a simple portable colorimetric test that can be performed in the vineyard or the winery. The ability to rapidly determine the level of grape contamination with phenolic glucosides would give Australian wine growers and wine makers a powerful tool to mitigate the effects of bushfires.Read moreRead less
Modular Vortex Fluidic Mediated Molecular Transformations. The project aims to develop the use of electric and magnetic fields to control chemical and biochemical reactions in high shear thin films under readily scalable continuous flow conditions to then be able to precisely build complex functional molecules. Depending on the orientation, strength and frequency of external electric and magnetic fields, and novel shear stress induced electric fields in solution, rates of reactions can be enhanc ....Modular Vortex Fluidic Mediated Molecular Transformations. The project aims to develop the use of electric and magnetic fields to control chemical and biochemical reactions in high shear thin films under readily scalable continuous flow conditions to then be able to precisely build complex functional molecules. Depending on the orientation, strength and frequency of external electric and magnetic fields, and novel shear stress induced electric fields in solution, rates of reactions can be enhanced, with higher yields and tunable selectivity, and reduced waste and energy usage, which is not possible using traditional batch processing. This will be translated into molecular assembly line processing and the development of a new synthetic toolbox, with applications in preparing pharmaceuticals.
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ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space. ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space. This Centre aims to create on-demand, zero-waste, high-efficiency plants and plant products to address grand challenges in sustainability for Space and on Earth. Significant advances in plant, food, and sensory science; process and systems engineering; law and policy; and psychology are expected to deliver transformative solutions for Space habitation – and create enhanced plant-derived food and bioresour ....ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space. ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space. This Centre aims to create on-demand, zero-waste, high-efficiency plants and plant products to address grand challenges in sustainability for Space and on Earth. Significant advances in plant, food, and sensory science; process and systems engineering; law and policy; and psychology are expected to deliver transformative solutions for Space habitation – and create enhanced plant-derived food and bioresources to capitalise upon emergent and rapidly expanding domestic and global markets. Anticipated outcomes include industry uptake of innovative plant forms, foods, technologies, and commodities; and an ambitious education and international co-ordination agenda to position Australia as a global leader in research supporting Space habitation.Read moreRead less
Safer gene editing tools for Australian livestock and biotech industries. Editing the genome of an organism in an efficient and safe fashion is critical for the livestock and biotechnology industries. While CRISPR-Cas9 has become the method of choice for genome editing, it is known to introduce unwanted "on-target" and "off-target" mutations, limiting its utility. To address this the CI team created a novel genome editing platform technology termed Crackling-CAST that is almost 100% accurate, w ....Safer gene editing tools for Australian livestock and biotech industries. Editing the genome of an organism in an efficient and safe fashion is critical for the livestock and biotechnology industries. While CRISPR-Cas9 has become the method of choice for genome editing, it is known to introduce unwanted "on-target" and "off-target" mutations, limiting its utility. To address this the CI team created a novel genome editing platform technology termed Crackling-CAST that is almost 100% accurate, while retaining the efficiency of the classical Cas9 system. This project will exemplify the capabilities of the novel gene targeting platform in cell types used by the biotechnology and livestock sectors, ensuring its global uptake by these industries and delivering significant economic benefits for Australia. Read moreRead less