Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230101542
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$450,154.00
Summary
Impact of humoral immunity on nanoparticle–biological interactions. This project aims to improve the biological applications of nanomaterials by understanding their fundamental interactions with proteins and cells in relevant biological environments. This will create new knowledge on how humoral (antibody-mediated) immunity affects nanomaterials using cutting-edge immunoassays, bio–nano characterisation techniques, and bioinformatics. Expected outcomes of the project include an understanding of ....Impact of humoral immunity on nanoparticle–biological interactions. This project aims to improve the biological applications of nanomaterials by understanding their fundamental interactions with proteins and cells in relevant biological environments. This will create new knowledge on how humoral (antibody-mediated) immunity affects nanomaterials using cutting-edge immunoassays, bio–nano characterisation techniques, and bioinformatics. Expected outcomes of the project include an understanding of how specific antibodies modulate the protein coatings on nanomaterials, which will shed light on how immune cells interact with nanomaterials. This will lead to design principles for nanomaterial properties to improve their effectiveness in delivering drugs and gene therapies.Read moreRead less
Bioengineering self-assembly of innovative core-shell nanomaterials . This project aims to generate new knowledge in nanoscale bioengineering. It expects to develop a disruptive platform technology for design and manufacture of advanced nanomaterials to provide solutions for unmet needs in industry. It will explore an innovative bioengineering concept that merges biopolymer synthesis with virus-like particle self-assembly to produce innovative tunable core-shell nanomaterials. Expected outcomes ....Bioengineering self-assembly of innovative core-shell nanomaterials . This project aims to generate new knowledge in nanoscale bioengineering. It expects to develop a disruptive platform technology for design and manufacture of advanced nanomaterials to provide solutions for unmet needs in industry. It will explore an innovative bioengineering concept that merges biopolymer synthesis with virus-like particle self-assembly to produce innovative tunable core-shell nanomaterials. Expected outcomes are the development of advanced techniques for design and manufacture of innovate nanomaterials with enhanced stability and performance. This innovative platform technology for precision engineering of high-performance nanomaterials should provide significant benefits for biotechnological and agricultural industries.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 nanoscale tools for cellular interrogation. The aim is to address fundamental hurdles to engineering seamless nanobiointerfaces between electroactive nanoscale tools and living cells. This is expected to allow efficient delivery of many bioactive cargo types into cells, intracellular sampling of cytosol contents, and probing of action potential, all at the cell—material interface. New, powerful, electroactive nanoscale tools that deliver precise spatio-temporal resolution and minimal ....Engineering nanoscale tools for cellular interrogation. The aim is to address fundamental hurdles to engineering seamless nanobiointerfaces between electroactive nanoscale tools and living cells. This is expected to allow efficient delivery of many bioactive cargo types into cells, intracellular sampling of cytosol contents, and probing of action potential, all at the cell—material interface. New, powerful, electroactive nanoscale tools that deliver precise spatio-temporal resolution and minimal invasiveness and perturbation are likely to transform ex-vivo cellular processes. The intended outcomes are crucial for maximising precision in engineering and implementing of ex-vivo cellular processes. Fundamental advances in knowledge may eventually be a platform for developing cell-based therapies.
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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
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100259
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$445,437.00
Summary
Next Generation Mass Spectrometry for Single-Cell Metabolomics. Characterising metabolites at the single cell level will provide valuable insights into the functionality of individual cells and reveal mechanisms that cannot be observed in bulk cell analysis. To address existing challenges in single-cell metabolite analysis, this project aims to develop an ultra-sensitive nanostructure-initiator mass spectrometry (NIMS) platform, which uses an innovative carbon material with a carefully designed ....Next Generation Mass Spectrometry for Single-Cell Metabolomics. Characterising metabolites at the single cell level will provide valuable insights into the functionality of individual cells and reveal mechanisms that cannot be observed in bulk cell analysis. To address existing challenges in single-cell metabolite analysis, this project aims to develop an ultra-sensitive nanostructure-initiator mass spectrometry (NIMS) platform, which uses an innovative carbon material with a carefully designed nanostructure to enhance detection efficiency. Expected outcomes include the development of a revolutionary carbon assisted NIMS platform for single-cell metabolomics analysis, and valuable intellectual property of commercial interest to provide economic benefit to Australia through technology advancement.Read moreRead less
Indistinguishable Quantum Emitters in van der Waals Materials. Solid state sources of single photons ("quantum emitters") are a key building block for implementation of scalable quantum technologies. Amongst many potential platforms studied, impurities in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) are at the forefront due to their brightness and ease of manufacturing. However, their main disadvantage is spectral instability which prohibits engineering of practical devices. The current project will address th ....Indistinguishable Quantum Emitters in van der Waals Materials. Solid state sources of single photons ("quantum emitters") are a key building block for implementation of scalable quantum technologies. Amongst many potential platforms studied, impurities in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) are at the forefront due to their brightness and ease of manufacturing. However, their main disadvantage is spectral instability which prohibits engineering of practical devices. The current project will address this bottleneck and deliver an optically stable solid state quantum light source in hBN. The project will produce a robust hardware toolkit for quantum technologies. It will provide excellent training for young Australians and generate key intellectual property for quantum startups and the quantum industry.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230100324
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$394,318.00
Summary
Cooperative Single Atom Catalysts for Zn-CO2 Batteries. This project aims to develop cooperative single-atom catalysts for efficient and selective electrocatalytic CO2 conversion and Zn-CO2 batteries. Cooperative catalysts at the single atom limit can potentially achieve enhanced electrochemical properties beyond state-of-the-art and will trigger significant theoretical and technological interests in energy conversion and storage fields. It is expected to generate new knowledge in materials scie ....Cooperative Single Atom Catalysts for Zn-CO2 Batteries. This project aims to develop cooperative single-atom catalysts for efficient and selective electrocatalytic CO2 conversion and Zn-CO2 batteries. Cooperative catalysts at the single atom limit can potentially achieve enhanced electrochemical properties beyond state-of-the-art and will trigger significant theoretical and technological interests in energy conversion and storage fields. It is expected to generate new knowledge in materials science and electrochemistry, using interdisciplinary approaches of atom-precise material engineering, in situ characterisation and full-cell optimisation. Significant economic and environmental benefits are expected from developing carbon-neutral CO2 electrolysers with low cost and high energy efficiency.Read moreRead less
Single molecule sensing on nanopillars: Reading complex molecular circuits. This project aims to develop an entirely new nanotechnology to visualise dynamic molecular circuits in real time, and within any biological sample as small as a single cell. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the field of cell biology and sensor technology, using innovative nanofabrication and nanoscopic fluid flows to advance understanding of the emerging field of single protein molecule interactions in c ....Single molecule sensing on nanopillars: Reading complex molecular circuits. This project aims to develop an entirely new nanotechnology to visualise dynamic molecular circuits in real time, and within any biological sample as small as a single cell. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the field of cell biology and sensor technology, using innovative nanofabrication and nanoscopic fluid flows to advance understanding of the emerging field of single protein molecule interactions in cellular pathways. Expected outcomes include a universal technology platform to detect single molecules in single cells, with potential to deliver valuable intellectual property of commercial interest and economic benefit through technological advancements.Read moreRead less
Protein Structural-Dynamics at Solid Surfaces: Beyond Static Snapshots. The project will use High-Speed Atomic Force Microscopy to directly visualize single proteins in ‘action’ with surfaces, revealing their dynamics at unprecedented combined structural and temporal resolution in liquid. Such characterization moves beyond static ‘snapshots’ of protein structure, toward the dynamic changes in protein conformation that will enable new exploration of key biological processes at liquid-solid interf ....Protein Structural-Dynamics at Solid Surfaces: Beyond Static Snapshots. The project will use High-Speed Atomic Force Microscopy to directly visualize single proteins in ‘action’ with surfaces, revealing their dynamics at unprecedented combined structural and temporal resolution in liquid. Such characterization moves beyond static ‘snapshots’ of protein structure, toward the dynamic changes in protein conformation that will enable new exploration of key biological processes at liquid-solid interfaces. New fundamental discoveries will have an impact on technologies such as medical device coatings, biomaterials, biosensors, microfluidics devices, protein purification and diagnostics assays that are critically dependent on the biological function of adsorbed or immobilized proteins.Read moreRead less