Mutagenesis and combinatorial algorithms for sequencing problematic genomic regions. This project will develop a remarkable and original approach to DNA sequencing with potential to radically improve the speed, accuracy and effectiveness of existing sequencing technologies. It is especially useful for dealing with difficult-to-sequence genomic regions and has implications for all sequencing projects, including completion of the Human Genome Project. The approach involves generating, and wholly o ....Mutagenesis and combinatorial algorithms for sequencing problematic genomic regions. This project will develop a remarkable and original approach to DNA sequencing with potential to radically improve the speed, accuracy and effectiveness of existing sequencing technologies. It is especially useful for dealing with difficult-to-sequence genomic regions and has implications for all sequencing projects, including completion of the Human Genome Project. The approach involves generating, and wholly or partially sequencing, mutated copies of problematic regions of the target genome. Advanced combinatorial algorithms are then used to form highly probable alignments between strings and determine the unknown sequence. The approach has additional benefits in detecting single-nucleotide polymorphisms and sequencing errors.Read moreRead less
ARC Centre in Bioinformatics. The Australian Centre for Genome-Phenome Bioinformatics will examine how the genome comes to life in the mammalian cell during differentiation and development. We will model, visualise and experimentally validate the complex cellular systems and regulatory networks that control the transformation of genomic information into biological structure and function. We will develop novel approaches and tools to improve health, optimise agricultural production and exploit ne ....ARC Centre in Bioinformatics. The Australian Centre for Genome-Phenome Bioinformatics will examine how the genome comes to life in the mammalian cell during differentiation and development. We will model, visualise and experimentally validate the complex cellular systems and regulatory networks that control the transformation of genomic information into biological structure and function. We will develop novel approaches and tools to improve health, optimise agricultural production and exploit new cell technologies. The Centre will build critical mass and national focus in bioinformatics to generate the human capital and intellectual property that Australia needs to compete in advanced bioscience and biotechnology.Read moreRead less
Statistical methods for detection of non-coding RNAs in eukaryote genomes. Understanding how eukaryotic cells work is a major goal of 21st century biology. A crucial step will be to catalogue the functional components of eukaryotic genomes. Australian researchers must be involved in this process at an early stage, in order to maximise commercial opportunities, attract quality researchers and position ourselves for further advances. This project will make major contributions to international effo ....Statistical methods for detection of non-coding RNAs in eukaryote genomes. Understanding how eukaryotic cells work is a major goal of 21st century biology. A crucial step will be to catalogue the functional components of eukaryotic genomes. Australian researchers must be involved in this process at an early stage, in order to maximise commercial opportunities, attract quality researchers and position ourselves for further advances. This project will make major contributions to international efforts in this area, via the development of statistical methods for segmenting genomes, classification of those segments, and study of the resulting classes. In the long term, enhanced understanding of eukaryotic cells will lead to breakthroughs in biology, and to medical, pharmaceutical, agricultural and scientific advances.Read moreRead less
Using population resequencing data to investigate the evolutionary role and functional impact of inversion polymorphisms. The project will use population re-sequencing data to generate high resolution haplotype maps of inversion polymorphisms in multiple human populations comprising more than 5,000 individuals. These maps will be used to impute inversion polymorphsisms in genotyped samples of more than 100,000 individuals, facilitated by development of novel algorithms for mapping inversion poly ....Using population resequencing data to investigate the evolutionary role and functional impact of inversion polymorphisms. The project will use population re-sequencing data to generate high resolution haplotype maps of inversion polymorphisms in multiple human populations comprising more than 5,000 individuals. These maps will be used to impute inversion polymorphsisms in genotyped samples of more than 100,000 individuals, facilitated by development of novel algorithms for mapping inversion polymorphism from population sequence data. Finally, the project will use this map to assess the functional impact and evolutionary role of inversions, by assessing their effect on quantitative traits and assessing measures of selection and population differentiation. Read moreRead less
Morphological development of the kidney – a paradigm for organogenesis. This project aims to shed new light on how the kidney develops, how normal adult function is established and how congenital kidney malformations occur. It aims to investigate a mathematical pattern that has been discovered in the program of branching morphogenesis which dictates kidney development. By combining cutting-edge genetic approaches, morphological analysis and mathematical modelling, this project plans to explore h ....Morphological development of the kidney – a paradigm for organogenesis. This project aims to shed new light on how the kidney develops, how normal adult function is established and how congenital kidney malformations occur. It aims to investigate a mathematical pattern that has been discovered in the program of branching morphogenesis which dictates kidney development. By combining cutting-edge genetic approaches, morphological analysis and mathematical modelling, this project plans to explore how this pattern is established, how it dictates kidney development and whether it constitutes an ancient mechanism central to organ formation. Project outcomes may improve understanding of fundamental developmental processes and developmental disease and variation. Project findings may also be important for understanding the development of other organ systems.Read moreRead less
The structure and patterning of branching morphogenesis in the developing kidney. This project aims to understand a fundamental developmental process known as branching morphogenesis, which drives the formation of many organs including the kidney, lungs and glands. Understanding this process will be of key importance in understand how our organs form.