Establishing Design Principles Of Polymers For Intracellular Delivery . Engineered polymers have played a central role in the field of bionanotechnology by enabling targeted nanoscale cell interactions. Progress in the field of intracellular delivery is currently affected by a major bottleneck due to the absence of effective polymers that is applicable across the range of bimolecular cargoes. In essence depending on the type of cargo: DNA, RNA or protien, the polymer needs programmability. The l ....Establishing Design Principles Of Polymers For Intracellular Delivery . Engineered polymers have played a central role in the field of bionanotechnology by enabling targeted nanoscale cell interactions. Progress in the field of intracellular delivery is currently affected by a major bottleneck due to the absence of effective polymers that is applicable across the range of bimolecular cargoes. In essence depending on the type of cargo: DNA, RNA or protien, the polymer needs programmability. The limited tunability of traditional polymers agents makes them unsuitable for this particular application. The multidisciplinary project addresses this significant problem by engineering novel sequences of defined polymer based nanoscale agents to achieve efficient delivery in cells.Read moreRead less
System identification of microstructure in the brain using magnetic resonance. Magnetic Resonance Imaging technologies will be exploited to probe the microstructure of the brain, using powerful Bayesian optimisation techniques and innovative uses of magnetic resonance. The project will in particular develop non-invasive imaging methods to quantify iron content in the brain, important for research on dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
Unpacking the immune system with applied mathematics. This project aims to model immune interactions across cells and structures spanning scales of nanometres to millimetres. It expects to develop innovative mathematical insights, improve our understanding of immunology, and consolidate collaborations with top American and European laboratories and groups. Expected outcomes include cutting-edge techniques for multiscale biological modelling and improved prediction and analysis of immune dynami ....Unpacking the immune system with applied mathematics. This project aims to model immune interactions across cells and structures spanning scales of nanometres to millimetres. It expects to develop innovative mathematical insights, improve our understanding of immunology, and consolidate collaborations with top American and European laboratories and groups. Expected outcomes include cutting-edge techniques for multiscale biological modelling and improved prediction and analysis of immune dynamics. The project should provide benefits to industries where highly organised behaviours are important, for example those interested in robot swarming, optimal transportation, and epidemic management. It should also benefit Australian students and researchers with novel overseas training opportunities.Read moreRead less
Multifunctional particles for biological applications. This project aims to engineer multifunctional particles, examine their biological interactions and create particles for cell targeting, cell internalisation, subcellular drug release and improved pharmacokinetics. Engineered particles are important for drug delivery in nanomedicine. Although various particle-based delivery systems have been developed, few have been commercialised, largely because of problems challenges associated with biolog ....Multifunctional particles for biological applications. This project aims to engineer multifunctional particles, examine their biological interactions and create particles for cell targeting, cell internalisation, subcellular drug release and improved pharmacokinetics. Engineered particles are important for drug delivery in nanomedicine. Although various particle-based delivery systems have been developed, few have been commercialised, largely because of problems challenges associated with biological barriers. This project will develop a platform for the assemble of particles with tailored properties which are expected to provide insights on particle-biological interactions for particle-based therapeutic delivery.Read moreRead less
Dynamical systems theory and mathematical modelling of viral infections. This project aims to use mathematical modelling to elucidate the emergence of complex, population-level behaviour from local interactions. In particular, the project will study the self-organising dynamics of the immune response. The project expects to develop new mathematical models of self-organisation, advance links between computational agent-based modelling and dynamical systems modelling, and build new tools for mat ....Dynamical systems theory and mathematical modelling of viral infections. This project aims to use mathematical modelling to elucidate the emergence of complex, population-level behaviour from local interactions. In particular, the project will study the self-organising dynamics of the immune response. The project expects to develop new mathematical models of self-organisation, advance links between computational agent-based modelling and dynamical systems modelling, and build new tools for mathematically analysing complex biological systems. Expected outcomes include strengthened collaborations within Australia and with South Korea. Expected benefits include joint research funding with Korean institutions, increased international visibility, and expanded scope for high school and community outreach.Read moreRead less
Functional state observers for large-scale interconnected systems. This project will produce conceptual advances with new design rules to develop robust and efficient functional state observers for interconnected systems. The outcomes will advance the theory of functional observers and improve the operation, efficiency and performance of critical infrastructure such as power grids, water and traffic networks.
Establishing nanoscale design principles for non-viral genome engineering. This project aims to develop a bio-nanotechnology platform for non-viral genome engineering using dendronised polymers. The project will advance both fundamental and practical knowledge at the forefront of nanotechnology and cell biology, whilst providing training to the research community. Outcomes from the project will also provide significant benefits, such as positioning Australia at the forefront of genome engineerin ....Establishing nanoscale design principles for non-viral genome engineering. This project aims to develop a bio-nanotechnology platform for non-viral genome engineering using dendronised polymers. The project will advance both fundamental and practical knowledge at the forefront of nanotechnology and cell biology, whilst providing training to the research community. Outcomes from the project will also provide significant benefits, such as positioning Australia at the forefront of genome engineering.Read moreRead less
Capturing full-spectrum of solar energy using TiO2 ordered suprastructures. The project aims to develop a titanium dioxide (TiO2) semiconductor that can use full-spectrum solar energy. Solar-driven photocatalytic processes have important applications in water decontamination and energy production. Their effectiveness is dictated by the semiconductor’s absorbance and conversion of photoenergy to chemical energy. Being inexpensive, chemically and mechanically robust, TiO2 is the most promising mat ....Capturing full-spectrum of solar energy using TiO2 ordered suprastructures. The project aims to develop a titanium dioxide (TiO2) semiconductor that can use full-spectrum solar energy. Solar-driven photocatalytic processes have important applications in water decontamination and energy production. Their effectiveness is dictated by the semiconductor’s absorbance and conversion of photoenergy to chemical energy. Being inexpensive, chemically and mechanically robust, TiO2 is the most promising material for the semiconductor. However, unmodified TiO2 only absorbs ultraviolet light (5 per cent of solar energy). With current progress made in visible absorbance, this project aims to significantly improve TiO2’s absorbance in near infrared by doping with upconversion lanthanides and rendering colloidal crystal suprastructures that can trap light.Read moreRead less
Bespoke nanomaterials for understanding nano-bio interactions under flow. This project aims to develop innovative scalable synthesis techniques to produce polymeric nanomaterials with controlled properties and characterise interactions between nanomaterials and cells under flow conditions. This project expects to generate new knowledge in priority research areas of nanotechnology, polymer chemistry and immunology. The outcome of this project is an original scalable and environmentally friendly t ....Bespoke nanomaterials for understanding nano-bio interactions under flow. This project aims to develop innovative scalable synthesis techniques to produce polymeric nanomaterials with controlled properties and characterise interactions between nanomaterials and cells under flow conditions. This project expects to generate new knowledge in priority research areas of nanotechnology, polymer chemistry and immunology. The outcome of this project is an original scalable and environmentally friendly technology, new knowledge of cell-nanomaterial interactions and new design principles for nanoparticles with potential future applications in drug delivery, immunology and nanomedicine. This project should provide significant benefits to polymer, nanomaterial and pharmaceutical research and industry in Australia.Read moreRead less
Engineering Functional Antimicrobial Polypeptide Surfaces. Antimicrobial coatings are vital in preventing bacterial contamination but a versatile solution does not exist. Structurally nanoengineered antimicrobial peptide polymers (SNAPPs) were recently developed to fight multidrug-resistant bacteria. To expand their application into antimicrobial coatings across a range of surfaces, a simple and universal coating strategy is needed. By developing phenolic-functionalised SNAPPs, this project aims ....Engineering Functional Antimicrobial Polypeptide Surfaces. Antimicrobial coatings are vital in preventing bacterial contamination but a versatile solution does not exist. Structurally nanoengineered antimicrobial peptide polymers (SNAPPs) were recently developed to fight multidrug-resistant bacteria. To expand their application into antimicrobial coatings across a range of surfaces, a simple and universal coating strategy is needed. By developing phenolic-functionalised SNAPPs, this project aims to exploit the adhesive nature of metal–phenolic materials to rapidly coat diverse surfaces, including stainless steel and textiles. The expected outcome is the generation of antimicrobial polypeptide surfaces, which will have benefits in food safety, medical implant technology and advanced textiles.Read moreRead less