Enhancing fertility for the Thoroughbred and Standardbred industries. Enhancing fertility for the Thoroughbred and Standardbred industries. Responding to industry calls for improved methods of detecting and managing infertility in both stallions and mares, this project aims to provide a platform for competitive collaborations between universities, biotechnology companies and horse breeders: the end-users of technological developments in equine reproduction. The Thoroughbred and Standardbred bree ....Enhancing fertility for the Thoroughbred and Standardbred industries. Enhancing fertility for the Thoroughbred and Standardbred industries. Responding to industry calls for improved methods of detecting and managing infertility in both stallions and mares, this project aims to provide a platform for competitive collaborations between universities, biotechnology companies and horse breeders: the end-users of technological developments in equine reproduction. The Thoroughbred and Standardbred breeding industries contribute over $6.5 billion per annum to the Australian economy and employ thousands of staff across their value chains. However, these industries suffer from breeding program inefficiencies that amount to over $800 million in annual losses. Expected outcomes are novel reproductive technologies and specialised research capabilities that will make the Australian equine industry a global leader.Read moreRead less
The Structural Basis For Promiscuity Of Drug Binding To HERG K+ Channels
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$713,035.00
Summary
Special proteins called ion channels control the electrical activity of the heart. Drugs that block ion channels can have the unwanted side-effect of altering the rhythm of the heart beat and causing sudden cardiac death. Extensive efforts are made to screen for this problem during drug development but it is still an inexact science. Here we will use high resolution imaging technologies to get a better understanding of how drugs bind to ion channel proteins.
Enhancing the efficiency of equine reproduction: relevant to the Thoroughbred and Standardbred breeding industries. The purpose of this project is to link the equine breeding industry with a major centre of reproductive research at the University of Newcastle. By creating this unique nexus, major efficiency gains will be achieved for this industry that will not only secure its international competitiveness but also significantly enhance its profitability.
Deterioration of structural integrity of ageing ships and marine platforms. Deterioration of structural integrity of ageing ships and marine platforms. This project will research the deterioration of structural integrity and remaining life of marine assets such as ships and offshore energy facilities, by integrating structural response analysis methods with aged-structure assessment techniques. Maritime assets exposed to ocean conditions suffer from time dependent phenomena, which reduce structu ....Deterioration of structural integrity of ageing ships and marine platforms. Deterioration of structural integrity of ageing ships and marine platforms. This project will research the deterioration of structural integrity and remaining life of marine assets such as ships and offshore energy facilities, by integrating structural response analysis methods with aged-structure assessment techniques. Maritime assets exposed to ocean conditions suffer from time dependent phenomena, which reduce structural capability, affect safety and could have catastrophic environmental and economic consequences. Making assets available and affordably safe is a problem for operators. The key to prolonging asset life is in understanding the interrelationships over time between the asset’s structural condition and its use. Anticipated outcomes are superior safety, expected lifetime and economic benefits of maritime assets.Read moreRead less
Ship response under corrosion, fatigue and complex sea-state environments. This project will improve understanding of the gradual deterioration of ships and maritime structures subject to metal corrosion, fatigue and extreme sea-state conditions. Increasingly such understanding is necessary for optimal asset management decisions. These include the potential economic, personnel and other risks involved for ship owners and operators, including the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The project will use ....Ship response under corrosion, fatigue and complex sea-state environments. This project will improve understanding of the gradual deterioration of ships and maritime structures subject to metal corrosion, fatigue and extreme sea-state conditions. Increasingly such understanding is necessary for optimal asset management decisions. These include the potential economic, personnel and other risks involved for ship owners and operators, including the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The project will use numerical simulation. It will tackle the Fluid-Structure Interaction problem of ships in waves by integrating Finite Element structural response analysis with cutting-edge Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics methods. The outcomes will provide new insight into remaining asset life and for exploring optimal maintenance strategiesRead moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180100894
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$365,058.00
Summary
Molecular mechanisms of equine fertility and early recognition of pregnancy. This project aims to identify biomarkers of stallion fertility and early pregnancy in thoroughbred and Standardbred horses using biochemistry, proteomics and ribonucleic acid analyses. Responding to industry calls for improved methods of detecting and managing infertility in both stallions and mares, this project will connect Australian horse breeders and international clinical experts with the world renowned reproducti ....Molecular mechanisms of equine fertility and early recognition of pregnancy. This project aims to identify biomarkers of stallion fertility and early pregnancy in thoroughbred and Standardbred horses using biochemistry, proteomics and ribonucleic acid analyses. Responding to industry calls for improved methods of detecting and managing infertility in both stallions and mares, this project will connect Australian horse breeders and international clinical experts with the world renowned reproductive Priority Research Centre with the intended outcome of novel reproductive technologies and diagnostic tests. This should both secure international competitiveness and significantly enhance profitability and employment in this culturally significant industry.Read moreRead less
Characterising The Beta-catenin Nuclear Targeting Pathway In Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$485,081.00
Summary
Bowel cancer is caused by inherited gene mutations that cause build-up of beta-catenin protein in the cell nucleus. Bowel cancer is the second largest cause of cancer deaths in Australia. We aim to study the mechanisms controlling beta-catenin accumulation in the nucleus. We will characterise new signalling pathways that control movement and activity of beta-catenin in the nucleus. This will yield insights into the role of beta-catenin in cancer and possible targets for therapy.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120100049
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
New integer programming based theory, formulations and decomposition techniques with applications to integrated problems. Optimisation problems permeate science and industry. By developing new techniques to solve larger and harder problems than is currently possible, more complex questions can be answered, and more accurate solutions obtained. Industries can use such tools to make better financial, resource management, operational, and/or strategic planning decisions.
Liquefaction failures of intermediate soils. The aims of the project are to provide new data on the conditions under which liquefaction failures can occur in soil materials that are intermediate between sand and clay, and to develop models to describe this behaviour. This project addresses two significant problems: liquefaction failures which occur in silty sediments on continental slopes and produce tsunamis, and liquefaction in unsaturated ship cargos with intermediate gradings which lead to s ....Liquefaction failures of intermediate soils. The aims of the project are to provide new data on the conditions under which liquefaction failures can occur in soil materials that are intermediate between sand and clay, and to develop models to describe this behaviour. This project addresses two significant problems: liquefaction failures which occur in silty sediments on continental slopes and produce tsunamis, and liquefaction in unsaturated ship cargos with intermediate gradings which lead to ship losses. The outcomes of the project are expected to be greater understanding of the factors controlling liquefaction in silty materials, a better understanding of the risk of submarine landslides, and models which can be used to predict the conditions under which liquefaction can occur in ship cargos.Read moreRead less
Identification Of Heterogeneity In Vasodilator Function In Human And Rat Resistance Vessels: Potential Drug Targets?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$595,330.00
Summary
The balance between the ways that blood vessels decrease in size (constrict) and increase in size (dilate) determine how blood vessels normally function. There are many differences in the ways that blood vessels control this balance in different parts of the body. Such differences are altered in vascular diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes, which are prevalent in obesity, such that constriction generally outweighs dilation. However, what these differences are and how they occur are not w ....The balance between the ways that blood vessels decrease in size (constrict) and increase in size (dilate) determine how blood vessels normally function. There are many differences in the ways that blood vessels control this balance in different parts of the body. Such differences are altered in vascular diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes, which are prevalent in obesity, such that constriction generally outweighs dilation. However, what these differences are and how they occur are not well understood. While current drugs for treating vascular disease either reduce vessel constriction or increase dilation, they are not specific for individual arteries; a situation that would allow us to control vascular diseases in a very specific manner. Recently, we have described differences between the ways that individual vessels are controlled. These changes relate to differences in the way that different vessels dilate. AIMS - To further understand normal blood vessel function and the changes that occur in blood vessels in cardiovascular disease, with a focus on the ways that blood vessels dilate in normal states and in obesity-related diseases, such as in hypertension and diabetes. - The eventual aim is to identify the specific ways that arteries function, so that artery-specific drug targets can be identified to treat disease-related changes in cardiovascular disease in a very specific manner. EXPECTED OUTCOMES This project will contribute to understanding blood vessel function in health and disease. The expected eventual outcome is the identification of the mechanisms that underlie the function of different arteries in different parts of the body, so that specific individual vessel function can be targeted to treat vascular disease. Additionally, this work will also verify the relevance of the diet-induced obesity animal model, in terms of the characteristics and causes of human obesity and related cardiovascular disease.Read moreRead less