Thermo-electro-chemo-mechanical properties of biological systems. The proposal is aimed at developing a new theoretical framework for piezoelectric biological materials and structures, through theoretical analysis, computation and numerical simulations, as well as experimental investigations, to produce high-reliability, high-performance hydrogel components and smart soft tissue structures. It is envisaged that successful outcomes of this program will give the Australian biological industry a te ....Thermo-electro-chemo-mechanical properties of biological systems. The proposal is aimed at developing a new theoretical framework for piezoelectric biological materials and structures, through theoretical analysis, computation and numerical simulations, as well as experimental investigations, to produce high-reliability, high-performance hydrogel components and smart soft tissue structures. It is envisaged that successful outcomes of this program will give the Australian biological industry a technology edge over their competitors and provide easy-to-use guidelines for the design of smart biological systems.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100096
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$450,000.00
Summary
A unique soft matter high-performance scanning probe microscopy (HP-SPM) facility. Soft matter research touches every aspect of our lives as it covers materials from the range of plastics found in cars, television sets and other mass-manufactured products, to new medical materials for tissue engineering and sensors. The proposed facility will enable Australia's leading scientists in this area to understand better how soft matter, including both biological and new advanced soft materials, behave ....A unique soft matter high-performance scanning probe microscopy (HP-SPM) facility. Soft matter research touches every aspect of our lives as it covers materials from the range of plastics found in cars, television sets and other mass-manufactured products, to new medical materials for tissue engineering and sensors. The proposed facility will enable Australia's leading scientists in this area to understand better how soft matter, including both biological and new advanced soft materials, behaves on the nano-scale level. This will put Australian researchers and engineers in a leading position for developing new treatments against cancer and other diseases, as well as harnessing the power of biology for application in areas such as waste treatment and energy production.Read moreRead less
Polymer Globules: Beyond the Homopolymer Model. Polymers are long chainlike molecules which play a crucial role in many aspects of our lives. As plastics they represent the most versatile and ubiquitous of man-made materials. Moreover, all living things depend on polymers for the structure of their cells and for the inheritance and function through DNA and proteins. Despite their importance our understanding of polymers is rather limited. The research funded by this proposal will enable us to ....Polymer Globules: Beyond the Homopolymer Model. Polymers are long chainlike molecules which play a crucial role in many aspects of our lives. As plastics they represent the most versatile and ubiquitous of man-made materials. Moreover, all living things depend on polymers for the structure of their cells and for the inheritance and function through DNA and proteins. Despite their importance our understanding of polymers is rather limited. The research funded by this proposal will enable us to understand more complicated kinds of polymers. This will help uncover some fascinating physics and in the long term develop new materials and promote new advances in biology. Read moreRead less
Hydrogen Abstraction in Chemical, Biochemical and Polymerization Processes. Hydrogen-abstraction reactions are of vital importance in the chemical, biochemical and polymerization processes that occur in everyday life. The objective of the proposed research is to improve our understanding of such reactions. State-of-the-art quantum chemistry calculations will be used to examine a broad range of hydrogen-abstraction reactions, and to obtain accurate information about the factors that influence suc ....Hydrogen Abstraction in Chemical, Biochemical and Polymerization Processes. Hydrogen-abstraction reactions are of vital importance in the chemical, biochemical and polymerization processes that occur in everyday life. The objective of the proposed research is to improve our understanding of such reactions. State-of-the-art quantum chemistry calculations will be used to examine a broad range of hydrogen-abstraction reactions, and to obtain accurate information about the factors that influence such reactions. Building on this work, more detailed case studies will be performed in two important areas: the hydrogen-abstraction steps in biochemical reactions mediated by coenzyme B12, and chain-transfer processes in conventional and controlled free-radical polymerization.Read moreRead less
Macromolecular Condensates: From Globules to Toroids and Beyond. Polymers are long-chain molecules which are vital for all living things. Examples include proteins and DNA which carries all of the information needed for life. In the cell and in the laboratory these polymers are often found in a compact folded state. Current polymer science is good at describing very flexible polymers, but fails to describe most biological polymers which have backbones that are difficult to bend. Our aim is to ....Macromolecular Condensates: From Globules to Toroids and Beyond. Polymers are long-chain molecules which are vital for all living things. Examples include proteins and DNA which carries all of the information needed for life. In the cell and in the laboratory these polymers are often found in a compact folded state. Current polymer science is good at describing very flexible polymers, but fails to describe most biological polymers which have backbones that are difficult to bend. Our aim is to describe the folded or globular state for many kinds of biological polymers and thus improve our understanding of the role of polymers in living things.Read moreRead less
Can efficient algal variants of the photosynthetic CO2-fixing enzyme, Rubisco, be folded and assembled in functional forms in higher-plant plastids? We have shown that it is possible to alter the photosynthetic phenotype of a plant predictably and profoundly by engineering the plastid genome to replace the plant's CO2-fixing enzyme, Rubisco, with a bacterial homolog. Thus it may be possible to replace the plant enzyme with more efficient algal Rubiscos that would allow plants to grow with less l ....Can efficient algal variants of the photosynthetic CO2-fixing enzyme, Rubisco, be folded and assembled in functional forms in higher-plant plastids? We have shown that it is possible to alter the photosynthetic phenotype of a plant predictably and profoundly by engineering the plastid genome to replace the plant's CO2-fixing enzyme, Rubisco, with a bacterial homolog. Thus it may be possible to replace the plant enzyme with more efficient algal Rubiscos that would allow plants to grow with less light, less water or less fertiliser. Before such desirable changes to the plant phenotype can be realised, some complex issues of modification, folding and assembly of Rubisco subunits need to be resolved. This proposal addresses them.Read moreRead less
Single Molecule Studies of Replisomal Function. It has recently become possible to watch the copying of DNA molecules with a specialized microscope in real time. This process requires assembly of a complex molecular machine on the DNA, followed by triggering of its function, and yields exquisitely detailed information about how the machine works. In this new collaboration between scientists in Australia and the U.S.A., we will assemble these machines on single DNA molecules, watch how they work ....Single Molecule Studies of Replisomal Function. It has recently become possible to watch the copying of DNA molecules with a specialized microscope in real time. This process requires assembly of a complex molecular machine on the DNA, followed by triggering of its function, and yields exquisitely detailed information about how the machine works. In this new collaboration between scientists in Australia and the U.S.A., we will assemble these machines on single DNA molecules, watch how they work and simultaneously measure the very small forces that the machines generate. This will give Australian scientists access to a new technology for studying molecular machines.Read moreRead less
Controlling the rate of transcription and translation of Rubisco transgenes effectively in higher-plant plastids. Genetic transformation of the circular genome of the plastids provides a containable means for modifying plant growth by manipulating photosynthesis. Although the transformation mechanism is precise, predicting the level of foreign gene expression is difficult because the amounts of messenger RNA and protein produced by foreign genes in plastids varies widely, even when the protein a ....Controlling the rate of transcription and translation of Rubisco transgenes effectively in higher-plant plastids. Genetic transformation of the circular genome of the plastids provides a containable means for modifying plant growth by manipulating photosynthesis. Although the transformation mechanism is precise, predicting the level of foreign gene expression is difficult because the amounts of messenger RNA and protein produced by foreign genes in plastids varies widely, even when the protein assembles without difficulty. This project will devise strategies for controlling this variability that will facilitate attempts to exploit plastid transformation for transplanting better versions of the photosynthetic CO2-fixing enzyme, Rubisco, into plants to improve their growth efficiency in terms of water, fertiliser and light use.Read moreRead less
Theoretical and experimental studies on magnetoelectroelastic bone remodelling process. The project combines biotechnology and material science which will have national economic, social and environment impact. It can benefit industry by providing knowledge that help scientists understand remodeling under coupled fields and is used to develop bone replacement. By better understanding remodeling due to multi-field loading, we can assist scientists in aeronautical industry in developing countermeas ....Theoretical and experimental studies on magnetoelectroelastic bone remodelling process. The project combines biotechnology and material science which will have national economic, social and environment impact. It can benefit industry by providing knowledge that help scientists understand remodeling under coupled fields and is used to develop bone replacement. By better understanding remodeling due to multi-field loading, we can assist scientists in aeronautical industry in developing countermeasures that reduce or eliminate bone loss resulting from long-duration space flight. It can provide knowledge that can be used to explore underlying mechanisms controlling bone remodeling and self-repair in gaining insight into debilitating diseases such as osteoporosis, to develop high-performance prosthetics for medical injury healing.Read moreRead less
Practical strategies for engineering the CO2-fixing enzyme, Rubisco, whose subunits are encoded in different subcellular compartments. My recent replacement of the plant CO2-fixing enzyme, Rubisco, with a less efficient bacterial version, with a single type of subunit encoded by a single gene, demonstrated the feasibility of replacing Rubisco. This encourages ongoing attempts to replace plant Rubisco with more efficient versions that would allow the plants to grow with less water, fertiliser or ....Practical strategies for engineering the CO2-fixing enzyme, Rubisco, whose subunits are encoded in different subcellular compartments. My recent replacement of the plant CO2-fixing enzyme, Rubisco, with a less efficient bacterial version, with a single type of subunit encoded by a single gene, demonstrated the feasibility of replacing Rubisco. This encourages ongoing attempts to replace plant Rubisco with more efficient versions that would allow the plants to grow with less water, fertiliser or light. The most efficient Rubiscos are more complex, with two different types of subunits which, in plants, are encoded in different subcellular compartments (nucleus and plastid). This proposal addresses the challenges associated with complementary engineering both genomes to substitute foreign Rubiscos into higher-plant chloroplasts.Read moreRead less