Joint Theoretical and Experimental Electron Momentum Spectroscopic Studies for DNA Bases. The study of DNA structure is an area of intense research activity and continues to reveal new levels of complexity and diversity. Recent experiments (Science, 2002) provided direct evidences of the adenine non-planarity, indicating non-rigidity of DNA bases. Electron momentum spectroscopy (EMS) has been identified to be an appropriate technique in the study of chemical binding mechanism and orbitals at mol ....Joint Theoretical and Experimental Electron Momentum Spectroscopic Studies for DNA Bases. The study of DNA structure is an area of intense research activity and continues to reveal new levels of complexity and diversity. Recent experiments (Science, 2002) provided direct evidences of the adenine non-planarity, indicating non-rigidity of DNA bases. Electron momentum spectroscopy (EMS) has been identified to be an appropriate technique in the study of chemical binding mechanism and orbitals at molecular level. The aims of the project is to study orbitals and interactions of DNA and RNA bases such as adenine, thymine (uracil), guanine and cytosine using momentum space quantum mechanics and EMS experimental techniques. The outcome of the project will improve our understanding of the DNA double helical strand structure.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
Understanding Collisions of Cold Polar Molecules. This project is in a high impact research field and therefore has several immediate and substantial national benefits. First, this project will directly raise the quality of Australian science in ultracold atomic physics, cold polar molecules physics, and quantum chemistry. Second, it will constitute high impact research from an Australian institute which will raise the recognition of the high quality Australian science. Third, it will further ....Understanding Collisions of Cold Polar Molecules. This project is in a high impact research field and therefore has several immediate and substantial national benefits. First, this project will directly raise the quality of Australian science in ultracold atomic physics, cold polar molecules physics, and quantum chemistry. Second, it will constitute high impact research from an Australian institute which will raise the recognition of the high quality Australian science. Third, it will further develop capabilities of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum-Atom Optics (ACQAO). Fourth, this work will start high calibre international collaborations, most notably with a world renowned experimental group at Yale University among others.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
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354741
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000.00
Summary
Quantum Many-Body Systems Network: Breakthrough Science and Frontier Technologies. This Initiative will bring together leading researchers with complementary expertise in mathematics and the enabling sciences to form a Network fostering world leading fundamental research and innovation in quantum many-body systems. The collaborative effort between mathematicians with powerful and sophisticated new techniques and physicists and chemists with deep insight into the challenges and opportunities of t ....Quantum Many-Body Systems Network: Breakthrough Science and Frontier Technologies. This Initiative will bring together leading researchers with complementary expertise in mathematics and the enabling sciences to form a Network fostering world leading fundamental research and innovation in quantum many-body systems. The collaborative effort between mathematicians with powerful and sophisticated new techniques and physicists and chemists with deep insight into the challenges and opportunities of the quantum realm will lead to breakthrough science of vital importance to the development of frontier technologies in Australia. This Network will also place a strong emphasis on research training, the mentoring of early career researchers and establishing collaborations with leading international research groups and networks.
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Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0989648
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$350,000.00
Summary
Optical test-bed facility for mid infrared components for sensing, imaging and astrophotonics. This test facility will enable Australian researchers to validate optical components and technologies at wavelengths from 2.5 to 20 microns, that are crucial for a wide range of applications including biophotonics, sensing, imaging, defense, and astro-photonics. Technologies related to the Mid IR are
expected to have a significant impact on quality of life and global economy. It will enable Australi ....Optical test-bed facility for mid infrared components for sensing, imaging and astrophotonics. This test facility will enable Australian researchers to validate optical components and technologies at wavelengths from 2.5 to 20 microns, that are crucial for a wide range of applications including biophotonics, sensing, imaging, defense, and astro-photonics. Technologies related to the Mid IR are
expected to have a significant impact on quality of life and global economy. It will enable Australian researchers to achieve a major impact in many areas of Mid IR fundamental and applied science as well as industry sectors such as sensing, biophotonics, defence, health, bio-security and imaging. Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0989127
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$400,000.00
Summary
A High-Throughput Neutron Spectrometer for The Study of Atomic and Molecular Motion at ANSTO. Neutron scattering enables new science across a broad range of disciplines, and for this reason it is undergoing major expansion in the USA, Europe, Japan and Australia. Various diffactometers and spectrometers have recently been built at ANSTO, but an instrumental option for a high-throughput cross-discipline spectroscopy is urgently needed. Fortunately, it is fairly straightforward to add this type of ....A High-Throughput Neutron Spectrometer for The Study of Atomic and Molecular Motion at ANSTO. Neutron scattering enables new science across a broad range of disciplines, and for this reason it is undergoing major expansion in the USA, Europe, Japan and Australia. Various diffactometers and spectrometers have recently been built at ANSTO, but an instrumental option for a high-throughput cross-discipline spectroscopy is urgently needed. Fortunately, it is fairly straightforward to add this type of option to an existing spectrometer that will broaden its user-base from specialised applications in physics to more general applications in physics, chemistry, materials-science and biology. This additional option provides a totally new way for Australian scientists to study atomic and molecular motions. Read moreRead less
Raman and synchrotron spectroscopy of nano-scale drug interactions and molecular processes in single living cells. The need for potent low-cost drugs is ever increasing, yet effective ways to screen for new drugs remain elusive. A spectroscopic approach to screening drugs in living cells would seem a logical alternative to chemically based and morphological methods that are the status quo. In this context we are developing methodology to analyse molecular target sites in single living cells for ....Raman and synchrotron spectroscopy of nano-scale drug interactions and molecular processes in single living cells. The need for potent low-cost drugs is ever increasing, yet effective ways to screen for new drugs remain elusive. A spectroscopic approach to screening drugs in living cells would seem a logical alternative to chemically based and morphological methods that are the status quo. In this context we are developing methodology to analyse molecular target sites in single living cells for two of the most devastating diseases to afflict human kind, namely malaria and cancer. New ways of rapidly screening drugs in living cells prior to clinical trials will save an enormous amount of time, money and ultimately lives.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
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