Molecular response to interferon beta treatment in multiple sclerosis. Inteferon beta (IFNb) is the frontline drug for treatment of multiple sclerosis. However, in many patients this expensive drug provides no benefit, resulting in unnecessary, uncontrolled disease progression, and in a waste of many millions of dollars each year. A common explanation for this treatment failure is the development of neutralising antibodies (NABs). We will establish the prevalence and effects of NABs in Austra ....Molecular response to interferon beta treatment in multiple sclerosis. Inteferon beta (IFNb) is the frontline drug for treatment of multiple sclerosis. However, in many patients this expensive drug provides no benefit, resulting in unnecessary, uncontrolled disease progression, and in a waste of many millions of dollars each year. A common explanation for this treatment failure is the development of neutralising antibodies (NABs). We will establish the prevalence and effects of NABs in Australian patients, use novel techniques to identify biomarkers for IFNb response, evaluate the diagnostic and therapeutic value of the biomarkers, and develop a new test for NABs. Tailored use of this drug, and possible new therapeutic targets, will result, benefiting the patient and community.Read moreRead less
Novel Transmission Scanning and Computational Strategies for Quantitative microPET Imaging. Advances in detector technologies have led to the development and commercialisation of small animal imaging systems such as microPET which provide high resolution images of radioactive compounds in live animals, but the images can only be interpreted qualitatively. Our aim is to develop quantitative technologies for these new imaging systems. Major outcomes will include novel methods of measuring and corr ....Novel Transmission Scanning and Computational Strategies for Quantitative microPET Imaging. Advances in detector technologies have led to the development and commercialisation of small animal imaging systems such as microPET which provide high resolution images of radioactive compounds in live animals, but the images can only be interpreted qualitatively. Our aim is to develop quantitative technologies for these new imaging systems. Major outcomes will include novel methods of measuring and correcting for signal loss due to photon interactions in the body and integrated image reconstruction algorithms. This will lead to a new generation of quantitative imaging devices; the new technologies will be directly translatable to clinical imaging systems and will broaden the range of microPET applications in the life sciences.Read moreRead less
Proteomic study of urine to discover novel biomarkers for human prostate cancer. The purpose of this project is to identify novel markers in the urine of patients with prostate cancer. These biomarkers may ultimately prove useful in the development of novel diagnostic tools for the management of this disease.
Proteomic study of tears to discover novel biomarkers for human breast cancer. The purpose of this project is to identify novel markers in the tears of patients with breast cancer. The results from this study may improve the prognosis of breast cancer patients.
Coproantigen detection tests for diagnosis of intestinal parasitic nematode infection. The aim of this project is to develop new tests for detection of hookworm and Strongyloides, two common intestinal worm infections of humans. These tests offer the potential to replace current tests, namely stool microscopy and serodiagnosis, both of whose performance is unsatisfactory due to deficiencies in sensitivity, specificity and operator convenience. The tests will rely on monoclonal antibodies to dete ....Coproantigen detection tests for diagnosis of intestinal parasitic nematode infection. The aim of this project is to develop new tests for detection of hookworm and Strongyloides, two common intestinal worm infections of humans. These tests offer the potential to replace current tests, namely stool microscopy and serodiagnosis, both of whose performance is unsatisfactory due to deficiencies in sensitivity, specificity and operator convenience. The tests will rely on monoclonal antibodies to detect parasite products in stool. Such testing technology is amenable to configuration in a robust format, suitable for large-scale manufacture. Given the worldwide prevalence of these parasites, the tests will have a market potential of international significance.Read moreRead less
Dairy Milk Phospholipids in the Prevention of Atherosclerosis. The present project is expected to provide novel information pertaining to the separation of phospholipid (PL) fractions from buttermilk. In addition, it will generate scientific/medical knowledge concerning the use of dietary PL preparations in the prevention of arterial atherosclerosis. Together, this innovative research will help support the commercial development of PL separation from buttermilk. It will also lay the ground-wo ....Dairy Milk Phospholipids in the Prevention of Atherosclerosis. The present project is expected to provide novel information pertaining to the separation of phospholipid (PL) fractions from buttermilk. In addition, it will generate scientific/medical knowledge concerning the use of dietary PL preparations in the prevention of arterial atherosclerosis. Together, this innovative research will help support the commercial development of PL separation from buttermilk. It will also lay the ground-work for additional studies into the therapeutic benefit of dietary PLs and the commercialization of milk PL as a nutraceutical or functional food. The present project thus has significant academic, commercial and therapeutic value of potential benefit to all Australians.Read moreRead less
Scaling manufacture of three-dimensional microstructures for the medical devices industry. Scaling manufacture of three-dimensional microstructures for the medical devices industry. This project aims to transform microscale three-dimensional prototyping into a cheap high volume manufacturing process through a novel soft embossing process. Although three-dimensional printing has been hailed as a disruptive technology, because it can print complex shapes directly from drawings, it is too slow at m ....Scaling manufacture of three-dimensional microstructures for the medical devices industry. Scaling manufacture of three-dimensional microstructures for the medical devices industry. This project aims to transform microscale three-dimensional prototyping into a cheap high volume manufacturing process through a novel soft embossing process. Although three-dimensional printing has been hailed as a disruptive technology, because it can print complex shapes directly from drawings, it is too slow at microscale for high volume manufacture. This research will develop microdevices for painless collection of blood, its analysis, and drug delivery. Cost-effective manufacture of these microdevices is expected to tap into the large medical devices industry, leading to establishing new businesses in the point-of-care and drug delivery markets.Read moreRead less
The biology and epidemiology of the grapevine canker fungi, Botryosphaeria sp. Decline and dieback of grapevines is becoming an increasing problem for the viticulture industry in NSW. Recently, species of the fungus Botryosphaeria, were isolated from grapevines exhibiting these symptoms. In order to understand the biology and epidemiology of the causal organisms, we aim to; (i) determine species of Botryosphaeria present in NSW vineyards; (ii) determine which species are pathogenic on grapevines ....The biology and epidemiology of the grapevine canker fungi, Botryosphaeria sp. Decline and dieback of grapevines is becoming an increasing problem for the viticulture industry in NSW. Recently, species of the fungus Botryosphaeria, were isolated from grapevines exhibiting these symptoms. In order to understand the biology and epidemiology of the causal organisms, we aim to; (i) determine species of Botryosphaeria present in NSW vineyards; (ii) determine which species are pathogenic on grapevines; (iii) characterise the genetic diversity of strains and; (iv) screen fungicides for the control of these fungi. Information on the species, their biology and pathogenicity on grapevines, will enable the development of appropriate management strategies for its control and may lead to the development of molecular tools to identify species of Botryosphaeria.Read moreRead less
Rapid detection of rare-event cells by strong UP-conversion
encoded nano-radiators (SUPER Dots): finding a needle in a haystack. Current diagnostic tests are not sensitive enough to detect cancer in its very early stages or early recurrence following treatment. The new technologies developed by this project will be able to find single cancer cells in blood and urine samples heralding a new era in medical diagnostics.
Methods to infer dense genomic information from sparsely genotyped populations. Prediction of phenotype based on DNA polymorphisms or sequence has important applications such as prediction of disease risk in human medicine and prediction of genetic value in plant or animal breeding. This project will enhance precision and lower the cost of association studies leading to substantial increase in accuracy of such predictions. This will allow more effective genetic improvement, particularly of diff ....Methods to infer dense genomic information from sparsely genotyped populations. Prediction of phenotype based on DNA polymorphisms or sequence has important applications such as prediction of disease risk in human medicine and prediction of genetic value in plant or animal breeding. This project will enhance precision and lower the cost of association studies leading to substantial increase in accuracy of such predictions. This will allow more effective genetic improvement, particularly of difficult but important traits such as disease resistance, reduced green-house gas emissions and product quality. The same methods can be extended to improve genetic improvement in plants and better prediction of human disease risk. Read moreRead less