Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0882357
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$500,000.00
Summary
A Computational Facility for Multi-scale Modelling in Bio and Nanotechnology. Bio- and nanotechnology have the potential to transform Australian industry and research, and to bring significant benefits for consumers. The scope will include materials for energy storage, medical diagnostics and cellular imaging, bioengineering, drug and gene delivery, improved foods by molecular design, novel materials for electronics, improved techniques for particle processing, and molecular sieves for filtering ....A Computational Facility for Multi-scale Modelling in Bio and Nanotechnology. Bio- and nanotechnology have the potential to transform Australian industry and research, and to bring significant benefits for consumers. The scope will include materials for energy storage, medical diagnostics and cellular imaging, bioengineering, drug and gene delivery, improved foods by molecular design, novel materials for electronics, improved techniques for particle processing, and molecular sieves for filtering/purifying water and gases. The dedicated computing facility will enable a fast interactive cycle between simulation and experiment in these areas, accelerating the pace of research and applications.Read moreRead less
Fine Structured Optical Fibre Fabrication - Soot, Rheology and Nanostructure in Modified Chemical Vapour Deposition. For 30 years photonics and telecommunications have relied heavily on optical fibres made by Modified Chemical Vapour Deposition (MCVD), a complex, highly dynamic process with many interacting variables, which is still more art than science. The results are good enough for most purposes but the next generation of photonics demands fibres with intricate, precisely defined internal s ....Fine Structured Optical Fibre Fabrication - Soot, Rheology and Nanostructure in Modified Chemical Vapour Deposition. For 30 years photonics and telecommunications have relied heavily on optical fibres made by Modified Chemical Vapour Deposition (MCVD), a complex, highly dynamic process with many interacting variables, which is still more art than science. The results are good enough for most purposes but the next generation of photonics demands fibres with intricate, precisely defined internal structures. A multi-disciplinary team will elucidate and quantify the exact nature of the fundamental science underlying MCVD - of silicate soot formation, deposition and heat treatment - and translate this into reproducibly fabricated fine structured fibres with high optical and mechanical performance.Read moreRead less
Radiolabelled MMP binding agents for the identification, quantification, and targeting of MMPs in central nervous system (CNS) disorders and tumours. Cancer and diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) represent two of the major health challenges facing Australia because of the aging population. In order to address these challenges we need to develop methods for identifying tumours and CNS diseases using non-invasive technologies and at an early stage so that treatments can be applied when t ....Radiolabelled MMP binding agents for the identification, quantification, and targeting of MMPs in central nervous system (CNS) disorders and tumours. Cancer and diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) represent two of the major health challenges facing Australia because of the aging population. In order to address these challenges we need to develop methods for identifying tumours and CNS diseases using non-invasive technologies and at an early stage so that treatments can be applied when they are most likely to work. In this project, we are developing new radiolabelled compounds that will enable the imaging of tumours, tumour metastases and CNS diseases states.Read moreRead less
New Imaging Agents for Neuronal Nicotinic Receptors. Recent advances in medical imaging technology such as Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) have radically improved the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of diseases. The aim of this project is to discover novel radio-ligands that selectively bind to neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. These ligands will have great potential for the imaging, diagnosis and study of neurodegenerat ....New Imaging Agents for Neuronal Nicotinic Receptors. Recent advances in medical imaging technology such as Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) have radically improved the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of diseases. The aim of this project is to discover novel radio-ligands that selectively bind to neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. These ligands will have great potential for the imaging, diagnosis and study of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. Read moreRead less
Synthetic derivatives of capsaicin and gingerols as analgesics acting at the vanilloid receptor. This project aims to prepare alpha-hydroxyketones and gingerol derivatives acting at vanilloid (VR1) receptor with potential analgesic activity. These compounds will be tested for their ability to activate the VR1 receptor, desensitize the receptor and release neuropeptides associated with pain pathways. The development of these novel compounds will contribute towards understanding the mechanisms of ....Synthetic derivatives of capsaicin and gingerols as analgesics acting at the vanilloid receptor. This project aims to prepare alpha-hydroxyketones and gingerol derivatives acting at vanilloid (VR1) receptor with potential analgesic activity. These compounds will be tested for their ability to activate the VR1 receptor, desensitize the receptor and release neuropeptides associated with pain pathways. The development of these novel compounds will contribute towards understanding the mechanisms of VR1 receptor activation and provide information on how the VR1 receptor is regulated. We will determine and compare neurotoxicity of these compounds to capsaicin which is known to possess neurotoxic activity. The outcome of this project may result in effective agents for better pain management.
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Synthesis and Applications of Antifreeze Proteins and Glycoproteins. Many cells are damaged when they are chilled below body temperatures thus limiting shelf-life for applications. For example, storage of human blood platelets is limited to 5 days at 22 degrees. This research will produce molecules that can be used in the fields of agriculture (in vitro fertilization techniques, development of improved blood lines), aquaculture and human reproductive technologies, where ice crystal growth and fr ....Synthesis and Applications of Antifreeze Proteins and Glycoproteins. Many cells are damaged when they are chilled below body temperatures thus limiting shelf-life for applications. For example, storage of human blood platelets is limited to 5 days at 22 degrees. This research will produce molecules that can be used in the fields of agriculture (in vitro fertilization techniques, development of improved blood lines), aquaculture and human reproductive technologies, where ice crystal growth and freezing are damaging. This outcome will be achieved by the synthesis of molecules that mimic natural products that allow fish to survive in the icy Arctic and Arctic Oceans and study how they are able to protect cells and tissues from damage in these extreme environments.Read moreRead less
Predicting Environmental Effects on Structure and Reactivity. This project tackles one of the most important and fundamental problems in theoretical chemistry: solvent effects on chemical reactions. The new methods and computer programs generated will be freely available to the Australian (and international) scientific communitities and will further enhance Australia's strong reputation in Theoretical Chemistry.
The applications chosen will allow new technologies in biosensing and strategies in ....Predicting Environmental Effects on Structure and Reactivity. This project tackles one of the most important and fundamental problems in theoretical chemistry: solvent effects on chemical reactions. The new methods and computer programs generated will be freely available to the Australian (and international) scientific communitities and will further enhance Australia's strong reputation in Theoretical Chemistry.
The applications chosen will allow new technologies in biosensing and strategies in computational drug design to be investigated. This will benefit the Australian biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries and may substantially aid in understanding the mechanism and treatment of disease. Read moreRead less
Water at Hydrophobic Surfaces. The properties of water define the nature of life on this planet. When water encounters a hydrophobic surface - at the air/water interface, in contact with unreactive solids such as Teflon, or at an oil drop, our recent experiments indicate that the water dissociates more readily into protons and hydroxide ions - undergoes autolysis - than in bulk water. Furthermore, the hydroxide ions are preferentially adsorbed at the surface, giving it a negative charge. This pr ....Water at Hydrophobic Surfaces. The properties of water define the nature of life on this planet. When water encounters a hydrophobic surface - at the air/water interface, in contact with unreactive solids such as Teflon, or at an oil drop, our recent experiments indicate that the water dissociates more readily into protons and hydroxide ions - undergoes autolysis - than in bulk water. Furthermore, the hydroxide ions are preferentially adsorbed at the surface, giving it a negative charge. This project will test the generality and implications of this novel concept. The results will range across physics, chemistry, biology and their associated technologies, a consequence of the ubiquitous importance of water. Read moreRead less
Proteomics of the Influenza Virus for In-field Surveillance. The influenza virus continues to pose a serious health risk to Australians and remains a leading cause of death. The molecular characterisation of emerging strains of the virus lies at the heart of current surveillance procedures vital to vaccine preparation and the development of new anti-viral drugs. This research will advance a world-first proteomics surveillance of the virus developed in this laboratory that will enable it to be ch ....Proteomics of the Influenza Virus for In-field Surveillance. The influenza virus continues to pose a serious health risk to Australians and remains a leading cause of death. The molecular characterisation of emerging strains of the virus lies at the heart of current surveillance procedures vital to vaccine preparation and the development of new anti-viral drugs. This research will advance a world-first proteomics surveillance of the virus developed in this laboratory that will enable it to be characterised in-field at the site(s) of infection outbreaks. This rapid response is vital, particularly in the event of a pandemic or a deliberate release of the virus in a bioterrorist attack.Read moreRead less
High Pressure and Fluorous Approaches to Fostriecin Libraries: New Therapeutic Opportunities. The natural product, Fostriecin, displays considerable broad-spectrum anti-cancer activity, acting via a novel mechanism. However, this activity is tempered by its considerable instability, being too unstable to be used as a therapeutic agent. Using state-of-the-art approaches we will, rapidly generate libraries of more stable and biologically active fostriecin analogues and examine their potential to b ....High Pressure and Fluorous Approaches to Fostriecin Libraries: New Therapeutic Opportunities. The natural product, Fostriecin, displays considerable broad-spectrum anti-cancer activity, acting via a novel mechanism. However, this activity is tempered by its considerable instability, being too unstable to be used as a therapeutic agent. Using state-of-the-art approaches we will, rapidly generate libraries of more stable and biologically active fostriecin analogues and examine their potential to be used anti-cancer agents. This project represents an opportunity for Australia to take a significant, innovative lead in the development of hitherto unforseen therapeutic agents.Read moreRead less