Development of an effective vaccine for chlamydial infection: optimisation of a non-toxic cholera toxin-based adjuvant to generate a protective mucosal response. Chlamydial genital infections are the most common sexually transmitted infection in Australia and the world and impose a major health burden on the community. Chlamydial infections are also associated with cardiovascular disease, Australia's biggest killer and asthma, another condition that has increased significantly in prevalence in t ....Development of an effective vaccine for chlamydial infection: optimisation of a non-toxic cholera toxin-based adjuvant to generate a protective mucosal response. Chlamydial genital infections are the most common sexually transmitted infection in Australia and the world and impose a major health burden on the community. Chlamydial infections are also associated with cardiovascular disease, Australia's biggest killer and asthma, another condition that has increased significantly in prevalence in the past 10 years. This project will evaluate the effectiveness of a new adjuvant as a first step towards the development of a vaccine to target these important infections.Read moreRead less
The Role of RNA interference in the induction of immune responses. Our work will allow us to understand a new means by which to alert the immune system to the presence of cancer cells using a new technology called RNA interference. This will hopefully lead to new investment in biotechnology products based on RNA interference, improved treatments for cancers and better health for Australians
The development of tyrosine kinase inhibitors for the treatment of inflammation and malignant disease. Through the combination of expertise from the Industry partner and the Hume group this project aims to develop specific inhibitors of the CSF-1 receptor protein tyrosine kinase in order to demonstrate their efficacy as modulators of CSF-1 dependent macrophage and tumour cell function in vitro. The expected outcome will be a lead set of targets which can be further assessed for therapeutic pote ....The development of tyrosine kinase inhibitors for the treatment of inflammation and malignant disease. Through the combination of expertise from the Industry partner and the Hume group this project aims to develop specific inhibitors of the CSF-1 receptor protein tyrosine kinase in order to demonstrate their efficacy as modulators of CSF-1 dependent macrophage and tumour cell function in vitro. The expected outcome will be a lead set of targets which can be further assessed for therapeutic potential in clinical trials.Read moreRead less
The development of a rapid diagnostic test for heparanase activity. Heparanase is an enzyme that has been implicated in a number of disease states such as cancer, arthritis, multiple sclerosis and other inflammatory diseases. Characterisation of this enzyme has been slow, due in part to the lack of a reliable direct activity assay. Using a multi-disciplinary approach, this project seeks to establish a rapid assay that will provide easy determination of heparanase activity. Furthermore, this a ....The development of a rapid diagnostic test for heparanase activity. Heparanase is an enzyme that has been implicated in a number of disease states such as cancer, arthritis, multiple sclerosis and other inflammatory diseases. Characterisation of this enzyme has been slow, due in part to the lack of a reliable direct activity assay. Using a multi-disciplinary approach, this project seeks to establish a rapid assay that will provide easy determination of heparanase activity. Furthermore, this assay could provide a useful diagnostic tool in a clinical environment that would allow for the rapid assessment of these diseases, their progression and indeed response to therapy.Read moreRead less
Proteomics Analysis of Interactions Between Chaperonin 10 and Cell Surface Proteins. Specific interactions at the cell surface may induce downstream biological responses. In the case of chaperonin 10, Cpn10, interaction at the cell surface results in immunomodulation of the inflammatory response. Cell surface proteins that interact with Cpn10 have not been identified. This project will use chemical crosslinking and proteomic techniques to identify cell surface proteins that interact with Cpn10 a ....Proteomics Analysis of Interactions Between Chaperonin 10 and Cell Surface Proteins. Specific interactions at the cell surface may induce downstream biological responses. In the case of chaperonin 10, Cpn10, interaction at the cell surface results in immunomodulation of the inflammatory response. Cell surface proteins that interact with Cpn10 have not been identified. This project will use chemical crosslinking and proteomic techniques to identify cell surface proteins that interact with Cpn10 and structural features of Cpn10 involved in these interactions. These findings will providde leads for the development of immunomodulatory therapeutics based on Cpn10 interactions. Analytical technologies will be developed that are applicable to other interacting protein systems.Read moreRead less
Modelling in the Large. Business modelling supports a variety of approaches, which are currently of significant interest for Australian organisations. This includes business process management, risk management or Enterprise Architecture design. The trend to centralised and integrated business modelling leads to projects with a high number of models, modellers, users, and modelling purposes. This phenomenon is called modelling in the large. The proposed research project explores the major issues ....Modelling in the Large. Business modelling supports a variety of approaches, which are currently of significant interest for Australian organisations. This includes business process management, risk management or Enterprise Architecture design. The trend to centralised and integrated business modelling leads to projects with a high number of models, modellers, users, and modelling purposes. This phenomenon is called modelling in the large. The proposed research project explores the major issues within these projects and develops improved modelling techniques and project management approaches for large modelling initiatives. The outcomes will streamline the design, integration, maintenance and communication of models with a focus on Enterprise Systems.Read moreRead less
Novel EEG data mining methods for detecting and monitoring brain injury. The outcomes of this project could ultimately help produce novel technology which would enable bedside monitoring of brain function in patients with brain injuries such as stroke. This technology could aid critical care and treatment of such patients. Hence patients' recoveries could be positively affected and the high death or disability rates associated with such conditions could be reduced. A host of economic and social ....Novel EEG data mining methods for detecting and monitoring brain injury. The outcomes of this project could ultimately help produce novel technology which would enable bedside monitoring of brain function in patients with brain injuries such as stroke. This technology could aid critical care and treatment of such patients. Hence patients' recoveries could be positively affected and the high death or disability rates associated with such conditions could be reduced. A host of economic and social benefits for patients, their families, hospitals and their staff, governments and healthcare organisations could thus result. The developed technology would be non-invasive, compact and relatively inexpensive, and could thus be used in rural and regional hospitals, thereby also benefiting patients in those communities. Read moreRead less
Development of a non-invasive diagnostic test of Embryo Viability. A successful outcome will:
. improve the cost effectiveness of assisted reproductive technologies resulting in reduced health care costs and allowing greater use of ART in animal production
. by greater cost-effectiveness, facilitate greater access to these advanced technologies in less well developed economies
. build the national capacity in development and validation of biotech diagnostics
. build collaborative relationsh ....Development of a non-invasive diagnostic test of Embryo Viability. A successful outcome will:
. improve the cost effectiveness of assisted reproductive technologies resulting in reduced health care costs and allowing greater use of ART in animal production
. by greater cost-effectiveness, facilitate greater access to these advanced technologies in less well developed economies
. build the national capacity in development and validation of biotech diagnostics
. build collaborative relationship between the CI, University of Sydney and a leading industry partner (Cook Australia)
. lead to significant new fundamental knowledge in embryology that will be of major International significance
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Regulation of neuronal cell death signalling for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. The progression of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and motor neuron diseases, are often underpinned by neuronal cell death-signalling. This project aims to characterise molecules that regulate cell death signalling, thereby increasing our knowledge of how neuronal cell death can be inhibited.
Reconciling Activity-centric and Business Object-centric Approaches to Business Process Modelling. Business process models are a fundamental instrument for analysing and automating the operations of organisations. At present, the space of business process modelling techniques is characterised by fragmentation with various approaches striking different tradeoffs. Two major families of approaches can be distinguished: activity-centric and business object-centric. These approaches correspond to com ....Reconciling Activity-centric and Business Object-centric Approaches to Business Process Modelling. Business process models are a fundamental instrument for analysing and automating the operations of organisations. At present, the space of business process modelling techniques is characterised by fragmentation with various approaches striking different tradeoffs. Two major families of approaches can be distinguished: activity-centric and business object-centric. These approaches correspond to complementary viewpoints. We see great potential in creating a level of integration between them. Accordingly, the project will investigate the relative expressiveness of these approaches, identify incompatibilities and synergies, and design model transformations. This will establish a foundation for next-generation business process modelling tools.Read moreRead less