Development of a molecular flash memory for long-term, extremely high-capacity, unpowered data storage. This collaborative project with INTEL will demonstrate an array of Flash-RAM molecular-memory cells capable, at room temperature, of storing a terabit of data on an area of 2 square mm. This data density is more than four orders of magnitude greater than any commercially available technology and unattainable by conventional silicon-based electronics. We will design and optimize the memory cel ....Development of a molecular flash memory for long-term, extremely high-capacity, unpowered data storage. This collaborative project with INTEL will demonstrate an array of Flash-RAM molecular-memory cells capable, at room temperature, of storing a terabit of data on an area of 2 square mm. This data density is more than four orders of magnitude greater than any commercially available technology and unattainable by conventional silicon-based electronics. We will design and optimize the memory cell, develop the synthesis method, synthesize arrays of the memory cells, and develop new molecular addressing technologies.Read moreRead less
Development of a test bed for molecular memory and molecular photovoltaic devices. The development of nanostructured materials and the devices that utilize them is at the forefront of modern science and technology. Electrical devices whose functional units are structurally ordered single molecules dominate biochemical processes, especially pertinent ones being photosynthesis and cellular energy production; artificial devices promise new technologies in multi-$B markets such as long-term data st ....Development of a test bed for molecular memory and molecular photovoltaic devices. The development of nanostructured materials and the devices that utilize them is at the forefront of modern science and technology. Electrical devices whose functional units are structurally ordered single molecules dominate biochemical processes, especially pertinent ones being photosynthesis and cellular energy production; artificial devices promise new technologies in multi-$B markets such as long-term data storage and renewable solar-energy production. Interfacing molecules with macroscopic interconnects poses a great technological challenge, however, and in this project the underlying basic science will be determined through the formation of molecules into device-accessible functional materials.Read moreRead less
Organic Field Effect Transistors for Biosensor Applications. The development of future Australian industries based on polymer electronics is tangible. The prohibitive establishment costs mean that there is effectively no Australian conventional semiconductor manufacturing industry. However, polymer electronic devices are simple to manufacture with low fabrication costs. As such, the commercial barriers to the development of an Australian soft electronics industry are much lower. Internationally, ....Organic Field Effect Transistors for Biosensor Applications. The development of future Australian industries based on polymer electronics is tangible. The prohibitive establishment costs mean that there is effectively no Australian conventional semiconductor manufacturing industry. However, polymer electronic devices are simple to manufacture with low fabrication costs. As such, the commercial barriers to the development of an Australian soft electronics industry are much lower. Internationally, soft electronics is developing apace and securing a soft electronics industry in Australia requires the urgent development of an Australian skill base in fabricating soft electronic devices. This project offers the opportunity of establishing a significant capability in soft electronic device fabrication.Read moreRead less
Tailored porphyrins for nanoscience applications. Porphyrins are the pigments of life, the central components of haemoglobin in blood and chlorophyll in living plants. In order to expand their use into important areas of nanoscience, this project will establish a new porphyrin paradigm. It will result in the synthesis of novel porphyrins with inbuilt structural features that enhance their propensity to self-assemble into monolayers on surfaces, and into nanorods. This will lead to advanced mate ....Tailored porphyrins for nanoscience applications. Porphyrins are the pigments of life, the central components of haemoglobin in blood and chlorophyll in living plants. In order to expand their use into important areas of nanoscience, this project will establish a new porphyrin paradigm. It will result in the synthesis of novel porphyrins with inbuilt structural features that enhance their propensity to self-assemble into monolayers on surfaces, and into nanorods. This will lead to advanced materials for molecular sensing, photonics, molecular memory devices, catalysis, and organic photovoltaics. A new means of improving the efficiency of solar cells will also be explored. Well-trained graduates and strong international scientific cooperation will also result from the project.Read moreRead less
An Investigation of Novel Sialylmimetics as Inhibitors of Rotavirus. Rotavirus causes severe gastroenteritis in infants worldwide. Over 125 million cases of diarrhoea and 800,000 deaths annually are attributed to rotavirus. The process that enables this debilitating and sometimes fatal disease to infect cells is poorly understood. This project aims to produce a range of unique chemical entities that will provide information about the way rotavirus infects cells. The chemical compounds produc ....An Investigation of Novel Sialylmimetics as Inhibitors of Rotavirus. Rotavirus causes severe gastroenteritis in infants worldwide. Over 125 million cases of diarrhoea and 800,000 deaths annually are attributed to rotavirus. The process that enables this debilitating and sometimes fatal disease to infect cells is poorly understood. This project aims to produce a range of unique chemical entities that will provide information about the way rotavirus infects cells. The chemical compounds produced in this study will be evaluated for their ability to prevent rotavirus from infecting cells. It is expected that this project will provide compounds that may ultimately be used as drugs for the treatment of rotavirus.Read moreRead less
An Investigation of Novel Sialylmimetics as Inhibitors of Rotavirus. Rotavirus causes severe gastroenteritis in infants worldwide. Over 125 million cases of diarrhoea and 800,000 deaths annually are attributed to rotavirus, primarily in developing countries. The process that enables this debilitating and sometimes fatal disease to infect cells is poorly understood. This project aims to produce a range of unique chemical entities that will provide information about the way rotavirus infects cel ....An Investigation of Novel Sialylmimetics as Inhibitors of Rotavirus. Rotavirus causes severe gastroenteritis in infants worldwide. Over 125 million cases of diarrhoea and 800,000 deaths annually are attributed to rotavirus, primarily in developing countries. The process that enables this debilitating and sometimes fatal disease to infect cells is poorly understood. This project aims to produce a range of unique chemical entities that will provide information about the way rotavirus infects cells. The chemical compounds produced will be assayed for their ability to prevent rotavirus from infecting cells. It is expected that this project will provide compounds that may ultimately be used as drugs for the treatment of rotavirus.Read moreRead less
New polymerisation processes for the synthesis of novel biopolymers. Synthetic peptide-based vaccines, formed via polymerisation of small bioactive motifs, possess several advantages over traditional approaches and promise to be the multi-disease targeting vaccines of the future. Disease targets will include influenza and hepatitis C viruses and a toxin from enteropathogenic Escherichia coli. These three diseases are in desperate need of novel vaccine approaches and the chemistries described in ....New polymerisation processes for the synthesis of novel biopolymers. Synthetic peptide-based vaccines, formed via polymerisation of small bioactive motifs, possess several advantages over traditional approaches and promise to be the multi-disease targeting vaccines of the future. Disease targets will include influenza and hepatitis C viruses and a toxin from enteropathogenic Escherichia coli. These three diseases are in desperate need of novel vaccine approaches and the chemistries described in this proposal represent a conceptual leap over traditional, and so far ineffective approaches investigated thus far. Synthetic antifreeze proteins and bioelastomers will also be constructed using our catalysis driven polymerisation process and applied to unmet medical and industrial needs.Read moreRead less
New methods for the synthesis of stable cyclic peptides. This proposal will design, synthesise and evaluate novel carbocyclic analogues of cyclic peptides which have application in the treatment of pain, diabetes management, malaria, and cancer therapy and diagnosis. The carbocyclic analogues will have improved biostability and will also provide the opportunity for oral administration. Carbacyclic analogues of insulin could lead to improved treatment of Australia's 1.2 million diabetics includi ....New methods for the synthesis of stable cyclic peptides. This proposal will design, synthesise and evaluate novel carbocyclic analogues of cyclic peptides which have application in the treatment of pain, diabetes management, malaria, and cancer therapy and diagnosis. The carbocyclic analogues will have improved biostability and will also provide the opportunity for oral administration. Carbacyclic analogues of insulin could lead to improved treatment of Australia's 1.2 million diabetics including many Aboriginal Australians who are particularly susceptible to Type II diabetes and its debilitating complications.Read moreRead less
The development of a rapid diagnostic test for heparanase activity. Heparanase is an enzyme that has been implicated in a number of disease states such as cancer, arthritis, multiple sclerosis and other inflammatory diseases. Characterisation of this enzyme has been slow, due in part to the lack of a reliable direct activity assay. Using a multi-disciplinary approach, this project seeks to establish a rapid assay that will provide easy determination of heparanase activity. Furthermore, this a ....The development of a rapid diagnostic test for heparanase activity. Heparanase is an enzyme that has been implicated in a number of disease states such as cancer, arthritis, multiple sclerosis and other inflammatory diseases. Characterisation of this enzyme has been slow, due in part to the lack of a reliable direct activity assay. Using a multi-disciplinary approach, this project seeks to establish a rapid assay that will provide easy determination of heparanase activity. Furthermore, this assay could provide a useful diagnostic tool in a clinical environment that would allow for the rapid assessment of these diseases, their progression and indeed response to therapy.Read moreRead less
Structure-based discovery of anti-rotaviral agents. Rotavirus causes, particularly in children under 5 years of age, significant loss of life worldwide. Over 600,000 children under 5 years of age per annum die as a result of rotavirus infection. Australia records over 10,000 hospitalisations per annum due to rotavirus infection. This project aims, using structure-based drug design techniques, to develop inhibitors of a rotavirus protein that is essential in its lifecycle. These inhibitors may ....Structure-based discovery of anti-rotaviral agents. Rotavirus causes, particularly in children under 5 years of age, significant loss of life worldwide. Over 600,000 children under 5 years of age per annum die as a result of rotavirus infection. Australia records over 10,000 hospitalisations per annum due to rotavirus infection. This project aims, using structure-based drug design techniques, to develop inhibitors of a rotavirus protein that is essential in its lifecycle. These inhibitors may lead to the development of useful drugs to treat rotavirus infection and may reduce significant loss of life caused by this deadly virus.Read moreRead less