Beyond linear source-filter theory: how does the vocal tract affect the motion of the vocal folds? The human voice lies at the very core of human culture. Yet the way in which the vocal folds ('vocal cords') vibrate is only partly understood and the way in which sound waves within the vocal tract affect this vibration is almost unknown, beyond the fact that it is sometimes important. Using new and unique non-invasive techniques, we shall conduct acoustic experiments to measure properties of the ....Beyond linear source-filter theory: how does the vocal tract affect the motion of the vocal folds? The human voice lies at the very core of human culture. Yet the way in which the vocal folds ('vocal cords') vibrate is only partly understood and the way in which sound waves within the vocal tract affect this vibration is almost unknown, beyond the fact that it is sometimes important. Using new and unique non-invasive techniques, we shall conduct acoustic experiments to measure properties of the vocal folds and their interaction with the sound they produce in the vocal tract. This knowledge will solve some of the remaining puzzles about the voice. Practical applications will include exercises in voice control (especially for singers and orators) and potential applications in clinical diagnosis techniques.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100055
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$400,000.00
Summary
State-of-the-art upgrade to multi-transmit multi-receive technology for research dedicated 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. Projects requiring the proposed infrastructure are aligned with two National Research Priorities. The research will lead to new methods for imaging and detecting soft tissue changes, identifying developmental, cognitive and degenerative disorders, and pharmacological research. The understanding of the basis of physiological, cognitive and biochemical proces ....State-of-the-art upgrade to multi-transmit multi-receive technology for research dedicated 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. Projects requiring the proposed infrastructure are aligned with two National Research Priorities. The research will lead to new methods for imaging and detecting soft tissue changes, identifying developmental, cognitive and degenerative disorders, and pharmacological research. The understanding of the basis of physiological, cognitive and biochemical processes which will be facilitated by the new equipment will contribute to the priority area Promoting and Maintaining Good Health and will underpin an array of subsequent medical research. The new equipment will extend capabilities and training in signal analysis, biomedical engineering and biomedicine, contributing to the priority area Frontier technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0668534
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$770,000.00
Summary
High resolution bioanalytical Fourier transform mass spectrometer combined with liquid chromatograph. This project extends a network of advanced technology for bioanalysis that enables discoveries in biotechnology, molecular medicine and biochemistry. The proposed equipment includes the most powerful mass spectrometer (MS) currently available for bioanalysis to complement an existing network of instruments at four universities in Sydney. These include 3 of 4 nodes of the Australian Proteome Anal ....High resolution bioanalytical Fourier transform mass spectrometer combined with liquid chromatograph. This project extends a network of advanced technology for bioanalysis that enables discoveries in biotechnology, molecular medicine and biochemistry. The proposed equipment includes the most powerful mass spectrometer (MS) currently available for bioanalysis to complement an existing network of instruments at four universities in Sydney. These include 3 of 4 nodes of the Australian Proteome Analysis Facility (APAF). The new technology is a missing link in bioanalytical capability where other instruments are not sufficiently sensitive. The instrument will be managed by MS specialists at the Bioanalytical Mass Spectrometry Facility at UNSW (www.bmsf.unsw.edu.au) where access by and training of users is well established.Read moreRead less
Novel target of amiloride analogues - picornaviral RNA polymerase. Picornaviruses cause a range of diseases such as poliomyelitis, meningitis, myocarditis, hepatitis A, neonatal sepsis and common cold. No antiviral treatment is available for these infections. Nearly 50% of antiviral drugs used in medicine are viral polymerase inhibitors; however picornaviral RNA polymerase has been largely overlooked as a drug target. We have discovered a group of compounds that inhibit picornaviral RNA polymera ....Novel target of amiloride analogues - picornaviral RNA polymerase. Picornaviruses cause a range of diseases such as poliomyelitis, meningitis, myocarditis, hepatitis A, neonatal sepsis and common cold. No antiviral treatment is available for these infections. Nearly 50% of antiviral drugs used in medicine are viral polymerase inhibitors; however picornaviral RNA polymerase has been largely overlooked as a drug target. We have discovered a group of compounds that inhibit picornaviral RNA polymerase. This project aims to define the inhibition mechanism and to evaluate a potential use of these compounds for antiviral drug development.Read moreRead less
New analgesics based on µ-conotoxins: structure-based design of helical mimetics. Diseases in which voltage-gated sodium channels are implicated are contributors to morbidity and mortality in the Australian population, and this project promises to provide new leads for the future development of drugs to treat such diseases, in particular analgesics for the treatment of chronic pain. The generation of these leads will entail the development of new approaches to mimicking key regions of peptides a ....New analgesics based on µ-conotoxins: structure-based design of helical mimetics. Diseases in which voltage-gated sodium channels are implicated are contributors to morbidity and mortality in the Australian population, and this project promises to provide new leads for the future development of drugs to treat such diseases, in particular analgesics for the treatment of chronic pain. The generation of these leads will entail the development of new approaches to mimicking key regions of peptides and proteins in drug-like molecules. This is a highly interdisciplinary project, spanning structural biology, molecular design, medicinal chemistry, molecular biology and electrophysiology, and the training of PhD graduates with such broad experience represents another national benefit of the project.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0775562
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$500,000.00
Summary
The Melbourne Nanofabrication Facility. Australia is desperately short of facilities for actual fabrication, prototyping and construction of advanced micromechanical and nanoscale systems. This is impeding both academic researchers and industrial developers in the materials, optics and biotechnological industries. The proposed instrument would complete the development of Australia's newest high resolution microscopy centre and enable a wide range of users to image, measure, build and design comp ....The Melbourne Nanofabrication Facility. Australia is desperately short of facilities for actual fabrication, prototyping and construction of advanced micromechanical and nanoscale systems. This is impeding both academic researchers and industrial developers in the materials, optics and biotechnological industries. The proposed instrument would complete the development of Australia's newest high resolution microscopy centre and enable a wide range of users to image, measure, build and design complex nanostructures at the atomic level and upwards. Read moreRead less
Drug targets in malaria parasites. Malaria is rampant throughout our Region and hinders the economies of our neighbours reducing regional prosperity and stability. Australian security and aid personnel deployed in the Region contract malaria infections and global warming could bring malaria-carrying mosquitoes south to Sydney. Australia is pre-eminent in malaria research, making lead discoveries in vaccine and drug development. However, we lack crucial resources to study the parasite in the mo ....Drug targets in malaria parasites. Malaria is rampant throughout our Region and hinders the economies of our neighbours reducing regional prosperity and stability. Australian security and aid personnel deployed in the Region contract malaria infections and global warming could bring malaria-carrying mosquitoes south to Sydney. Australia is pre-eminent in malaria research, making lead discoveries in vaccine and drug development. However, we lack crucial resources to study the parasite in the mosquito phase of its life cycle. The Federation Fellowship will create a malaria mosquito facility to redress this crucial gap in our capability. The Fellowship will double as foreign aid investment by enhancing our capacity to protect ourselves as well as supporting our neighbours.Read moreRead less
The role of intracellular calcium stores in cardiac pacemaking. The spontaneous firing of pacemaker cells is central to regulation of the cardiovascular system particularly during exercise. The discovery that pacemaker cell function is modulated in part by calcium ions will change our understanding of the changes in heart rate during exercise and in diseases which affect the pacemaker cells. Better understanding of the way in which spontaneous activity of these cells is regulated is the key to ....The role of intracellular calcium stores in cardiac pacemaking. The spontaneous firing of pacemaker cells is central to regulation of the cardiovascular system particularly during exercise. The discovery that pacemaker cell function is modulated in part by calcium ions will change our understanding of the changes in heart rate during exercise and in diseases which affect the pacemaker cells. Better understanding of the way in which spontaneous activity of these cells is regulated is the key to controlling or modifying their function.Read moreRead less
Chromera velia - a new organism for understanding malaria and related parasitic diseases. Malaria and related parasitic diseases cause millions of deaths annually. Chromera velia is a recently discovered organism that was isolated from Australian corals and is the closest known relative to these parasites. Chromera is able to photosynthesis and live in the absence of a host, making it an excellent organism for developing antimalarial drugs. In this project we will determine key features of Chro ....Chromera velia - a new organism for understanding malaria and related parasitic diseases. Malaria and related parasitic diseases cause millions of deaths annually. Chromera velia is a recently discovered organism that was isolated from Australian corals and is the closest known relative to these parasites. Chromera is able to photosynthesis and live in the absence of a host, making it an excellent organism for developing antimalarial drugs. In this project we will determine key features of Chromera ecology, morphology, genetics and biochemistry. The resulting data will allow us to exploit Chromera as a model for developing anti-parasitic drugs and for understanding parasite evolution. Read moreRead less
Membrane structure and lipid interactions of the pore-forming toxin Equinatoxin II by NMR. The structure of Equinatoxin II, a pore-forming protein, will be determined in model cell membranes using solid-state NMR spectroscopy. The relationship of molecular structure to bioactivity and the nature of the pore-forming mechanism of this toxin will be determined. The results will aid in understanding how toxins lyse cells and could lead to the design of improved antibiotic peptides. Currently the st ....Membrane structure and lipid interactions of the pore-forming toxin Equinatoxin II by NMR. The structure of Equinatoxin II, a pore-forming protein, will be determined in model cell membranes using solid-state NMR spectroscopy. The relationship of molecular structure to bioactivity and the nature of the pore-forming mechanism of this toxin will be determined. The results will aid in understanding how toxins lyse cells and could lead to the design of improved antibiotic peptides. Currently the structure of membrane proteins are difficult to determine and the newly developed techniques used for the structural determination of this membrane-associated protein will be suitable for studying other membrane proteins and receptors of pharmaceutical importance.Read moreRead less