Development of solvent extraction systems for improved sugar quality and yield. The recent collapse in the international sugar price and increased competition amongst producers have highlighted the vulnerability of Australian sugar mills and the regional communities reliant on sugar cane growing to variation in the price of this commodity. Hence, the development of new, more efficient means to produce raw sugar of high quality is of paramount importance to maintain Australia as a low cost produ ....Development of solvent extraction systems for improved sugar quality and yield. The recent collapse in the international sugar price and increased competition amongst producers have highlighted the vulnerability of Australian sugar mills and the regional communities reliant on sugar cane growing to variation in the price of this commodity. Hence, the development of new, more efficient means to produce raw sugar of high quality is of paramount importance to maintain Australia as a low cost producer. This project aims to investigate the use of unique solvent extraction methods to remove deleterious impurities from the raw cane juice in sugar mills with the consequent improvement in both sugar yield and quality.Read moreRead less
Deciphering Signalling Pathways Regulating Iron Homeostasis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$407,402.00
Summary
Iron overload and anaemia are two of the most significant health problems affecting humans. Understanding how the body regulates iron levels is key to our understanding of these disorders and to the future development of new therapies. This research is aimed at understanding how a hormone produced in the liver called hepcidin that maintains iron balance is regulated. This research may lead to novel therapies aimed at correcting the iron balance in conditions of iron overload or anaemia.
Mechanosensitive properties and modulation of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors by lipid environment. This project will provide new information about the molecular determinants which influence NMDA receptor channel gating that will significantly advance our understanding of a link between NMDA receptor function and many neurodegenerative diseases as well as pain and learning and memory. The outcomes of this project may lead to the discovery of novel lipid-based biomaterials for application i ....Mechanosensitive properties and modulation of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors by lipid environment. This project will provide new information about the molecular determinants which influence NMDA receptor channel gating that will significantly advance our understanding of a link between NMDA receptor function and many neurodegenerative diseases as well as pain and learning and memory. The outcomes of this project may lead to the discovery of novel lipid-based biomaterials for application in medicine and the drug industry. This research is highly significant in relation to human health. The biological and nutritional aspects of polyunsaturated lipids and dietary fish oils have long been recognized. Thus this project will provide further knowledge that could benefit the health of the nation with consequent reduced health care costs.Read moreRead less
Methane Coupling Using Mixed Conducting Catalytic Ceramic Hollow Fibre Membrane Reactor. The Gas product industry is one of the most important economic sectors in Australia, employing 10000 people with market value of $ 100 billion per year from power generation and LNG export. However, there are increasing concerns over issues of the green house gases emission and petroleum dwindling. This project addresses the technology needs in converting natural gas to more useful chemicals via a more effic ....Methane Coupling Using Mixed Conducting Catalytic Ceramic Hollow Fibre Membrane Reactor. The Gas product industry is one of the most important economic sectors in Australia, employing 10000 people with market value of $ 100 billion per year from power generation and LNG export. However, there are increasing concerns over issues of the green house gases emission and petroleum dwindling. This project addresses the technology needs in converting natural gas to more useful chemicals via a more efficient and cleaner means of methane utilization. The project target is to make the natural gas resources in Australia to delivery high value products with considerable economic benefits and increased employment opportunities. Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0775613
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$467,000.00
Summary
Automated Patch Clamp System. Ion channels are membrane proteins that underlie cell function and are therefore important drug targets. The patch clamp technique is the most powerful tool available to study the function of single ion channels. The recent automation of this technology represents a quantum leap in our ability to perform high throughput screening of novel natural and synthetic compounds as drug leads. This will lead to an urgently needed increase in capacity, increasing the volume o ....Automated Patch Clamp System. Ion channels are membrane proteins that underlie cell function and are therefore important drug targets. The patch clamp technique is the most powerful tool available to study the function of single ion channels. The recent automation of this technology represents a quantum leap in our ability to perform high throughput screening of novel natural and synthetic compounds as drug leads. This will lead to an urgently needed increase in capacity, increasing the volume of research and its outcomes, which will benefit the Australian pharmaceutical industry and biosciences research community.
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Preparing Carbon Molecular Sieve Membrane (CMSM) for Olefin/Paraffin Separation. Carbon molecular sieve membrane (CMSM) presents superior selectivity and stability for many gas separation processes. This technology is energy saving, environmental friendly and with minimal operating cost. The project will develop CMSMs for the separation of olefin/paraffin, particularly, the propane/propylene mixture which is currently separated by the energy intensive cryogenic distillation in industry. The pro ....Preparing Carbon Molecular Sieve Membrane (CMSM) for Olefin/Paraffin Separation. Carbon molecular sieve membrane (CMSM) presents superior selectivity and stability for many gas separation processes. This technology is energy saving, environmental friendly and with minimal operating cost. The project will develop CMSMs for the separation of olefin/paraffin, particularly, the propane/propylene mixture which is currently separated by the energy intensive cryogenic distillation in industry. The project involves both experimental works and theoretical studies and will provide: (1) techniques for preparing CMSMs for olefin/paraffin separation; (2) methods characterizing the micro-structure of CMSMs; (3) mathematical models predicting multicomponent gas permeation/separation properties on CMSMs; (4) effect of impurities on the separation processes. Read moreRead less
Perovskite Asymmetric Hollow Fibres for Oxygen Separation in Clean Coal Energy Delivery. The coal industry is one of the most important economic sectors in Australia, employing 30000 people, whilst black coal is Australia's largest export worth around $24.5 billion. Energy security of supply is critical to Australia's social stability and economic growth, though Australia's reliance on coal for energy delivery is under strong scrutiny due to carbon mitigation. This project addresses the technolo ....Perovskite Asymmetric Hollow Fibres for Oxygen Separation in Clean Coal Energy Delivery. The coal industry is one of the most important economic sectors in Australia, employing 30000 people, whilst black coal is Australia's largest export worth around $24.5 billion. Energy security of supply is critical to Australia's social stability and economic growth, though Australia's reliance on coal for energy delivery is under strong scrutiny due to carbon mitigation. This project addresses the technology needs in tonnage oxygen separation towards a more efficient and cleaner means of generating energy. The project's benefits target at providing Australian consumers with affordable electricity in a decarbonised economy, enabling clean coal energy delivery to underpin the international competitiveness of the entire Australian economy.Read moreRead less
Pore Engineering of Chromatography Membranes for Bioseparation. Protein separation and purification is an essential unit operation in manufacturing processes of therapeutic proteins. The project aims to advance the practical applications of chromatography membrane, an emerging technology for protein separation and purification, by tailoring membrane pore geometry and surface functionality to achieve enhanced separation performance. The project expects to generate advanced knowledge and technique ....Pore Engineering of Chromatography Membranes for Bioseparation. Protein separation and purification is an essential unit operation in manufacturing processes of therapeutic proteins. The project aims to advance the practical applications of chromatography membrane, an emerging technology for protein separation and purification, by tailoring membrane pore geometry and surface functionality to achieve enhanced separation performance. The project expects to generate advanced knowledge and techniques in the fields of reactive polymer synthesis, functional membrane fabrication and application in bioseparation. The innovative membranes developed in the project are able to improve the production capacity of therapeutic protein manufacturing processes, providing significant economic benefits to Australia.Read moreRead less
The role of mechanosensitive (MS) ion channels in magnetoreception. The magnetic field of the Earth has for long been known to influence the behaviour and orientation of a variety of organisms. Experimental study of the magnetic sense has however, been impaired by the lack of a plausible cellular and/or molecular mechanism providing meaningful explanation for detection of magnetic fields by living organisms. Recently, mechanosensitive (MS) ion channels have been implied to play a role in magneto ....The role of mechanosensitive (MS) ion channels in magnetoreception. The magnetic field of the Earth has for long been known to influence the behaviour and orientation of a variety of organisms. Experimental study of the magnetic sense has however, been impaired by the lack of a plausible cellular and/or molecular mechanism providing meaningful explanation for detection of magnetic fields by living organisms. Recently, mechanosensitive (MS) ion channels have been implied to play a role in magnetoreception. Based on our preliminary investigations, which suggest that the activity of bacterial MS channels may be affected by magnetic fields, we propose to study effects of magnetic fields on MS ion channels in Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli and Magnetospirillum magnetotacticum. The project promises also to contribute towards better understanding of adverse effects of electromagnetic radiation on human health and towards understanding the mechanisms behind remote magnetic-nanoparticle mediated activation of MS ion channels.Read moreRead less