Proteome mapping of the model fungal plant pathogen Stagonospora nodorum using LC-LC-MS/MS. Stagonospora nodorum is a fungus that causes leaf and glume blotch disease on wheat. This disease alone causes $55 million dollars in yield losses per annum in Australia. This project aims to identify the proteins produced by Stagonospora nodorum through the development of a new proteomics technique. Two clear benefits to the community resulting from this project will emerge. The first will be the expert ....Proteome mapping of the model fungal plant pathogen Stagonospora nodorum using LC-LC-MS/MS. Stagonospora nodorum is a fungus that causes leaf and glume blotch disease on wheat. This disease alone causes $55 million dollars in yield losses per annum in Australia. This project aims to identify the proteins produced by Stagonospora nodorum through the development of a new proteomics technique. Two clear benefits to the community resulting from this project will emerge. The first will be the expert training of a student in proteomics, a skill that is keenly sought. Secondly, the identification of these pathogen proteins will lead to new strategies to better control the disease and secure the supply of wheat.Read moreRead less
Protecting tomato crops from Fusarium wilt through the efficient application of new genetic resources. The tomato industry is a major horticultural industry in Australia, and Queensland is the major producer of tomatoes for the fresh food market. In Queensland, the tomato industry has expanded in the face of the threat that Fusarium wilt could re-emerge as a major disease problem. This research will ensure that measures can be taken quickly and efficiently to protect existing genetic resources u ....Protecting tomato crops from Fusarium wilt through the efficient application of new genetic resources. The tomato industry is a major horticultural industry in Australia, and Queensland is the major producer of tomatoes for the fresh food market. In Queensland, the tomato industry has expanded in the face of the threat that Fusarium wilt could re-emerge as a major disease problem. This research will ensure that measures can be taken quickly and efficiently to protect existing genetic resources used to control Fusarium wilt. It will also improve our knowledge about the mechanisms plants use to defend themselves against Fusarium wilt diseases.Read moreRead less
Devil Facial Tumour Disease: Cytogenetic Clues to Transmission and Development. Devil Facial Tumour Disease is a fatal cancer that is decimating Tasmanian devils. Preliminary work suggests that tumours from different animals have identical sets of highly abnormal chromosomes, including a giant marker chromosome. We will use DNA probes to 'paint' abnormal tumour chromosomes to discover markers for diagnosis, and identify genes contributing to tumour development and immune suppression. Most import ....Devil Facial Tumour Disease: Cytogenetic Clues to Transmission and Development. Devil Facial Tumour Disease is a fatal cancer that is decimating Tasmanian devils. Preliminary work suggests that tumours from different animals have identical sets of highly abnormal chromosomes, including a giant marker chromosome. We will use DNA probes to 'paint' abnormal tumour chromosomes to discover markers for diagnosis, and identify genes contributing to tumour development and immune suppression. Most importantly, we will test our hypothesis that tumours all arose from a single ancestral cancer cell that is transmitted between animals. A cellular transmission has frightening implications for spread of disease, but will allow us to develop appropriate therapeutic strategies to save a unique Australian marsupial from extinction.Read moreRead less
The development of mass spectrometry techniques for mapping post-translational modifications in the wheat pathogen Stagonospora nodorum. The fungus Stagonospora nodorum is a significant pathogen of wheat causing in excess of $100 million dollars in yield losses per annum in Australia. This project will develop new analytical methods that can be used to detect important protein modifications in Stagonospora nodorum with the goal of securing Australia's wheat supply.
The multiplexed diagnosis of arbovirus infections using combinatorial probes. Viruses that cause serious diseases such as hemorrhagic fever or encephalitis must be quickly identified. Diagnostic tests based on DNA hybridisation are accurate and can be rapid but they are expensive. We will test a method for simplifying DNA tests and increasing their capabilities. DNA probes for detecting arboviruses will be designed at the ANU using new bioinformatic methods and their reliability will be model ....The multiplexed diagnosis of arbovirus infections using combinatorial probes. Viruses that cause serious diseases such as hemorrhagic fever or encephalitis must be quickly identified. Diagnostic tests based on DNA hybridisation are accurate and can be rapid but they are expensive. We will test a method for simplifying DNA tests and increasing their capabilities. DNA probes for detecting arboviruses will be designed at the ANU using new bioinformatic methods and their reliability will be modelled using all the available genetic information. Computer predictions will be experimentally tested in the PANBIO laboratory by using the probes to detect viral nucleic acids. The influence of virus genome complexity will be investigatedRead moreRead less
Understanding molecular negative ion production for use in pathology. The project aims to increase the yield of molecular negative ion sources by improving our understanding of the formation of ion beams from plasma sources and expand our knowledge of molecular negative ion generation in plasma environments leading to brighter ion beams. For example, understanding cancer requires cellular level tools to map how cells are changing. These maps are made using ion beams which are scanned across cell ....Understanding molecular negative ion production for use in pathology. The project aims to increase the yield of molecular negative ion sources by improving our understanding of the formation of ion beams from plasma sources and expand our knowledge of molecular negative ion generation in plasma environments leading to brighter ion beams. For example, understanding cancer requires cellular level tools to map how cells are changing. These maps are made using ion beams which are scanned across cells to remove material that is analysed at the atomic and molecular level. Ion beams are produced from plasma sources, but much of their operation is not understood. Such improved ion beams are expected to enable inexpensive and fast cellular level pathology at even small hospitals to tackle cancer for society’s benefit.Read moreRead less
Developing new methods to retrieve and analyse preserved genetic information. This project will position Australia at the leading edge of research into preserved DNA, and will use innovative molecular biology approaches to develop a range of new forensic, archaeological and medical applications. It will build Australian knowledge and scientific capacity by developing core expertise and training personnel in areas important for biosecurity, customs and quarantine, forensics/counter-terrorism, and ....Developing new methods to retrieve and analyse preserved genetic information. This project will position Australia at the leading edge of research into preserved DNA, and will use innovative molecular biology approaches to develop a range of new forensic, archaeological and medical applications. It will build Australian knowledge and scientific capacity by developing core expertise and training personnel in areas important for biosecurity, customs and quarantine, forensics/counter-terrorism, and studies of climate change. It will also create and foster research innovation in molecular biology with spin-offs for evolution, archaeology, medical and conservation biology research, and will also encourage involvement with the rapidly expanding field of genomics and bioinformatics.Read moreRead less
Space development of the HDLT Australian Plasma Thruster. The collaboration between the ANU research group and ASTRIUM/EADS, the largest European aerospace company, is a unique opportunity for Australia to capitalize on the new discovery of the Helicon Double Layer Thruster made at the ANU. This will allow the Australian space community to stay abreast of international developments in space propulsion and to be with the for-runners of this new technology.
ANU will have direct access to ASTRIUM ....Space development of the HDLT Australian Plasma Thruster. The collaboration between the ANU research group and ASTRIUM/EADS, the largest European aerospace company, is a unique opportunity for Australia to capitalize on the new discovery of the Helicon Double Layer Thruster made at the ANU. This will allow the Australian space community to stay abreast of international developments in space propulsion and to be with the for-runners of this new technology.
ANU will have direct access to ASTRIUM/EADS via the relationships developed in this project putting Australia in the enviable position of being an insider in future space developments concerning plasma thrusters and space technology in general.Read moreRead less
Novel bioinformatics approaches for biological inference from comparative genomics data. Unlocking the potential of the human and other genome sequences depends almost entirely upon comparative genomics techniques. We will develop powerful bioinformatic models, implemented as high-performance computing solutions, for the examination of gene sequences. Improving these models, which represent the initial building block for all comparative genomics techniques, will be beneficial across genomics dep ....Novel bioinformatics approaches for biological inference from comparative genomics data. Unlocking the potential of the human and other genome sequences depends almost entirely upon comparative genomics techniques. We will develop powerful bioinformatic models, implemented as high-performance computing solutions, for the examination of gene sequences. Improving these models, which represent the initial building block for all comparative genomics techniques, will be beneficial across genomics dependent industries. A major outcome from this work will be an integrated software/hardware product optimised for statistical examination of very large-scale genomics data.Read moreRead less
A Quantum Matterwave Vortex Gyroscope for Ultrastable Rotation Sensing. This project aims to investigate the basic science underpinning a new rotation sensing technology based on matterwave vortices. Current gyroscopes are susceptible to long-term calibration drifts, which limit their applicability on long timescales where re-calibration is not practical or possible. This project expects to build a matterwave vortex gyroscope and demonstrate that it offers unparalleled long-term stability over ` ....A Quantum Matterwave Vortex Gyroscope for Ultrastable Rotation Sensing. This project aims to investigate the basic science underpinning a new rotation sensing technology based on matterwave vortices. Current gyroscopes are susceptible to long-term calibration drifts, which limit their applicability on long timescales where re-calibration is not practical or possible. This project expects to build a matterwave vortex gyroscope and demonstrate that it offers unparalleled long-term stability over `classical’ gyroscopes based on mechanical and/or optical technology. This could deliver new navigation capabilities, benefitting Australia’s defence forces and nascent space technology industry, as well as enabling slow timescale precision gravimetry for mineral exploration, hydrology, and geology. Read moreRead less