DEEP DRILLING OF THE HUMAN PLASMA PROTEOME. Like turning out city lights lets you see the faint stars more clearly - removal of high abundance proteins from human biofluids allows quantum leaps in biomarker discovery. This project will develop products that remove the biggest obstacle in proteomics - high abundance proteins (city lights). Cheap, efficient and routine removal of abundant proteins will amplify the power of ?cutting edge? proteomic technologies in the discovery of novel biomarkers ....DEEP DRILLING OF THE HUMAN PLASMA PROTEOME. Like turning out city lights lets you see the faint stars more clearly - removal of high abundance proteins from human biofluids allows quantum leaps in biomarker discovery. This project will develop products that remove the biggest obstacle in proteomics - high abundance proteins (city lights). Cheap, efficient and routine removal of abundant proteins will amplify the power of ?cutting edge? proteomic technologies in the discovery of novel biomarkers. This is possible because undiscovered low copy number biomarkers (faint stars) exist in human diagnostic fluids at levels far lower than current proteomic array detection limits.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0668403
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$570,000.00
Summary
Enhanced micro-Raman and Fluorescence spectroscopy and imaging facility for biosystems and materials. The state-of-the-art spectroscopic and fluorescence imaging equipment will provide cutting-edge capabilities for fundamental and applied research with the potential to impact on improved health outcomes, pharmaceutics, biotechnology and nanomaterials research. Chemical probes based on molecular vibrations and fluorescence will allow changes in biomolecular composition within cells and tissues to ....Enhanced micro-Raman and Fluorescence spectroscopy and imaging facility for biosystems and materials. The state-of-the-art spectroscopic and fluorescence imaging equipment will provide cutting-edge capabilities for fundamental and applied research with the potential to impact on improved health outcomes, pharmaceutics, biotechnology and nanomaterials research. Chemical probes based on molecular vibrations and fluorescence will allow changes in biomolecular composition within cells and tissues to be mapped/imaged down to nanometre spatial resolution. This will provide new techniques for the diagnosis of diseases, e.g. cancer, the rapid identification of pathogens, the understanding and design of new drugs, and a range of biotechnology, nanomaterials and nanotechnology applications.Read moreRead less
Identifying tear lipids, their deposition onto contact lenses and their role in the development of dry eye. Lipids provide a critical layer in the human tear film that retards evaporation and helps nourish and protect the eye. We will identify the molecules within this essential "oil slick" to better understand dry eye syndrome and the discomfort associated with wearing contact lenses. This may lead to new treatments for dry eye and novel technologies that provide greater comfort for the ~120,00 ....Identifying tear lipids, their deposition onto contact lenses and their role in the development of dry eye. Lipids provide a critical layer in the human tear film that retards evaporation and helps nourish and protect the eye. We will identify the molecules within this essential "oil slick" to better understand dry eye syndrome and the discomfort associated with wearing contact lenses. This may lead to new treatments for dry eye and novel technologies that provide greater comfort for the ~120,000 Australians who wear contact lenses. This collaborative research directly supports the mission of a respected non-profit organisation (Institute for Eye Research) and will train scientists in world-leading analytical technologies that are essential to Australia's emerging biotechnology industries.Read moreRead less
Detection of peptide hormone performance enhancing agents in sport using mass spectrometry. Doping control in sport is to protect the health, legal and ethical rights of athletes. The use of banned drugs in competitive sports is becoming increasingly sophisticated and the need to counter this provides a stimulus for ground breaking analytical research. This project will exploit mass spectrometry for investigation of methods to distinguish administered peptide hormones from endogenous material a ....Detection of peptide hormone performance enhancing agents in sport using mass spectrometry. Doping control in sport is to protect the health, legal and ethical rights of athletes. The use of banned drugs in competitive sports is becoming increasingly sophisticated and the need to counter this provides a stimulus for ground breaking analytical research. This project will exploit mass spectrometry for investigation of methods to distinguish administered peptide hormones from endogenous material and to develop assays for measurement of the peptide hormones, erythropoietin, growth hormone and chorionic gonadotrophin in blood or urine. The outcomes will flow to other areas where trace substance detection is important, such as environmental chemistry, medicine and quality control.Read moreRead less
Discovery of Novel Respiratory Viruses Causing Influenza-Like Illness in Healthy Australian Adults Aged 18 to 64 Years. This work will inform our understanding of the causes of acute respiratory illnesses in Australia at the present time by looking for both known and previously undiscovered respiratory viruses. Increasing the knowledge base regarding causes of disease will have downstream relevance for health policy planners seeking to assess the burden of disease due to different causes. Early ....Discovery of Novel Respiratory Viruses Causing Influenza-Like Illness in Healthy Australian Adults Aged 18 to 64 Years. This work will inform our understanding of the causes of acute respiratory illnesses in Australia at the present time by looking for both known and previously undiscovered respiratory viruses. Increasing the knowledge base regarding causes of disease will have downstream relevance for health policy planners seeking to assess the burden of disease due to different causes. Early identification and description of new diseases will allow pre-emptive evaluation of new public health threats. This information will help to ensure availability and marketability of vaccines to prevent infection.Read moreRead less
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
Development and commercialization of novel diagnostic assays for the early detection of acute dengue virus infection. Dengue is an emerging disease of the tropics and is endemic in more than 100 countries with up to 100 million cases annually. Of these, 500,000 result in dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF), a serious life-threatening complication of dengue virus infection. Dengue activity in northern Australia has increased in recent years with suggestions that it may be coming endemic in this count ....Development and commercialization of novel diagnostic assays for the early detection of acute dengue virus infection. Dengue is an emerging disease of the tropics and is endemic in more than 100 countries with up to 100 million cases annually. Of these, 500,000 result in dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF), a serious life-threatening complication of dengue virus infection. Dengue activity in northern Australia has increased in recent years with suggestions that it may be coming endemic in this country. Early diagnosis, using NS1 based assays should facilitate containment of such outbreaks through earlier identification, treatment, isolation and strategic mosquito control.Read moreRead less
Novel EEG data mining methods for detecting and monitoring brain injury. The outcomes of this project could ultimately help produce novel technology which would enable bedside monitoring of brain function in patients with brain injuries such as stroke. This technology could aid critical care and treatment of such patients. Hence patients' recoveries could be positively affected and the high death or disability rates associated with such conditions could be reduced. A host of economic and social ....Novel EEG data mining methods for detecting and monitoring brain injury. The outcomes of this project could ultimately help produce novel technology which would enable bedside monitoring of brain function in patients with brain injuries such as stroke. This technology could aid critical care and treatment of such patients. Hence patients' recoveries could be positively affected and the high death or disability rates associated with such conditions could be reduced. A host of economic and social benefits for patients, their families, hospitals and their staff, governments and healthcare organisations could thus result. The developed technology would be non-invasive, compact and relatively inexpensive, and could thus be used in rural and regional hospitals, thereby also benefiting patients in those communities. Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0346876
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,584,000.00
Summary
800 MHz NMR Spectrometer for Molecular Structure-Function Analyses. An 800 MHz high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer equipped with a triple-resonance cryoprobe is required to support the research of 5 universities in the NSW/ACT area. The high magnetic field of the spectrometer is necessary for the study of proteins, protein-ligand complexes and other biomolecular systems of molecular weight >30,000. Projects previously inaccessible due to sensitivity, solubility or resol ....800 MHz NMR Spectrometer for Molecular Structure-Function Analyses. An 800 MHz high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer equipped with a triple-resonance cryoprobe is required to support the research of 5 universities in the NSW/ACT area. The high magnetic field of the spectrometer is necessary for the study of proteins, protein-ligand complexes and other biomolecular systems of molecular weight >30,000. Projects previously inaccessible due to sensitivity, solubility or resolution problems will become tractable. The increased turn-around times afforded by the high sensitivity of the cryo-enabled spectrometer make it possible to provide access for Australian institutions that would not otherwise have access to comparable equipment.Read moreRead less
Gastrointestinal parasites and their diagnosis. Gastrointestinal disease such as diarrhoea, abdominal pain and irritable bowel syndrome are common in the Australian population and there are a wide variety of causes, including potentially parasites. The parasite Dientamoeba fragilis has, until recently, been overlooked as a cause of human disease, but recent studies have confirmed its role as a pathogen. This project seeks to improve the diagnosis of this organism in faeces and this development ....Gastrointestinal parasites and their diagnosis. Gastrointestinal disease such as diarrhoea, abdominal pain and irritable bowel syndrome are common in the Australian population and there are a wide variety of causes, including potentially parasites. The parasite Dientamoeba fragilis has, until recently, been overlooked as a cause of human disease, but recent studies have confirmed its role as a pathogen. This project seeks to improve the diagnosis of this organism in faeces and this development will allow effective treatment to be used in patients thereby ameliorating disease.Read moreRead less