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Controlled Crystallisation of Bioactives. The new technologies developed in this project for bioactive recovery and particle design will allow the development of new value added products for Australia's growing biotechnology industry, especially in pharmaceuticals, neutraceuticals and functional foods. Two PhD students will receive excellent research training to then move into research and development in these industries.
Particle Design for Recovery and Delivery of Bioactives. This project will develop new strategies for economically viable recovery of bioactives from complex solutions, slurries and sludges of biomaterials eg. waste streams from milk and soy bean processing, and fermentation broths. These bioactives, often proteins, have growing applications as high value drugs, nutriceuticals and food additives but are difficult to separate and to maintain in an active form. Crystallisation will be used as a ....Particle Design for Recovery and Delivery of Bioactives. This project will develop new strategies for economically viable recovery of bioactives from complex solutions, slurries and sludges of biomaterials eg. waste streams from milk and soy bean processing, and fermentation broths. These bioactives, often proteins, have growing applications as high value drugs, nutriceuticals and food additives but are difficult to separate and to maintain in an active form. Crystallisation will be used as a primary separation technique. Molecular studies of protein interactions will be used to predict good crystallisation conditions and linked to process crystallisation studies. Both standard and novel particle design strategies will be used to control crystal size and morphology, as well as package the boactive in a deliverable form without loss of activity.Read moreRead less
Particle design and recovery of bioactives by crystallisation and precipitation. This project will develop new strategies for economically viable recovery of bioactives from complex solutions of biomaterials eg. separation of biopharmaceuticals from genetically engineered cell culture, food ingredient processing, functional food and nutraceutical extraction from natural sources. Crystallisation and precipitation will be used as primary separation techniques. We propose a new paradigm in which ....Particle design and recovery of bioactives by crystallisation and precipitation. This project will develop new strategies for economically viable recovery of bioactives from complex solutions of biomaterials eg. separation of biopharmaceuticals from genetically engineered cell culture, food ingredient processing, functional food and nutraceutical extraction from natural sources. Crystallisation and precipitation will be used as primary separation techniques. We propose a new paradigm in which molecular studies of protein interactions will be used to predict good crystallisation conditions and linked to process crystalliation studies. Studies will use a model system of egg white protein mixtures and a real system of industrial importance - the purification of valuable protein products from soy beans (valued at $500 million per year world wide). Soy beans studies will include pilot scale tests at Dupont's industrial reseach laboratories.Read moreRead less
Exploring and harnessing mobile DNA: Integrons and gene cassettes in natural populations of Bacteria. Bacteria respond rapidly to environmental change by acquiring new genes via lateral gene transfer. The integron/gene cassette system is important in this process as it is found in an increasingly broad range of bacteria. As well as being common, we have shown that the system is associated with an unprecedented amount of genetic novelty. Here we explore the limits of this novelty and its con ....Exploring and harnessing mobile DNA: Integrons and gene cassettes in natural populations of Bacteria. Bacteria respond rapidly to environmental change by acquiring new genes via lateral gene transfer. The integron/gene cassette system is important in this process as it is found in an increasingly broad range of bacteria. As well as being common, we have shown that the system is associated with an unprecedented amount of genetic novelty. Here we explore the limits of this novelty and its contribution to bacterial evolution. In so doing we have the potential to identify new commercially important genes and develop enabling technologies. These discoveries could produce beneficial outcomes for exploitation by a wide range of Australian industries.Read moreRead less
Self organization in (bio)molecular systems: Simulating the folding and aggregation of peptides, proteins and lipids. Molecular self-assembly is a basic property of living systems. Most proteins fold spontaneously and then further self-organize into functional complexes, effectively biological machines. Understanding how this occurs is a fundamental theoretical challenge with widespread application. Work will focus on developing methodology to simulate, computationally, the folding and aggrega ....Self organization in (bio)molecular systems: Simulating the folding and aggregation of peptides, proteins and lipids. Molecular self-assembly is a basic property of living systems. Most proteins fold spontaneously and then further self-organize into functional complexes, effectively biological machines. Understanding how this occurs is a fundamental theoretical challenge with widespread application. Work will focus on developing methodology to simulate, computationally, the folding and aggregation of peptides, proteins, and lipids. The aim is to accurately predict the structures of small peptides in solution and to refine crude models of larger molecules (complexes). This will facilitate the development of peptide based therapeutics and is essential in exploiting the growing volume of genetic information in biology and medicine.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100085
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$340,000.00
Summary
Soft matter and responsive materials characterisation facility. The processing of minerals, foods and pharmaceutical materials underpins the delivery of these materials to the community. The industries associated with the named areas have cost-driven demands for higher throughput and constraints imposed by water and energy conservation requirements. Technological advances in the processing of soft matter and responsive materials therefore offer a gateway to revolutionary changes in many aspects ....Soft matter and responsive materials characterisation facility. The processing of minerals, foods and pharmaceutical materials underpins the delivery of these materials to the community. The industries associated with the named areas have cost-driven demands for higher throughput and constraints imposed by water and energy conservation requirements. Technological advances in the processing of soft matter and responsive materials therefore offer a gateway to revolutionary changes in many aspects of our everyday lives. The outcomes from research addressing these classes of advanced materials will translate into improvements in Australian industries and in training the next generation of world leading Australian scientists and engineers using state-of-the-art technology.Read moreRead less
Structure and activity of host-defence peptides from Australian anurans: anticancer agents, neuropeptides and nNOS inhibitors. We have discovered peptides that may have clinical applications. This is significant as these molecules may have one or more of the following properties. They may have anti-cancer effects; they may increase the effectiveness of the immune system by enhancing lymphocyte formation; and, they may act to reduce inflammation, stroke or cardiac conditions by controlling nitri ....Structure and activity of host-defence peptides from Australian anurans: anticancer agents, neuropeptides and nNOS inhibitors. We have discovered peptides that may have clinical applications. This is significant as these molecules may have one or more of the following properties. They may have anti-cancer effects; they may increase the effectiveness of the immune system by enhancing lymphocyte formation; and, they may act to reduce inflammation, stroke or cardiac conditions by controlling nitric oxide formation. Another national benefit is that personnel involved in this project are trained to the highest international standards in peptide chemistry/mass spectrometry/nuclear magnetic resonance: currently, there are not enough trained scientists in this area to meet demand.Read moreRead less
Biologically active peptides and proteins from anurans: the relationship between structure and activity. We have identified peptides (from glands of frogs and toads), some of which are amongst the most powerful biologically active compounds in the animal kingdom. The aims of this project are to investigate the relationship between the structure and bioactivity of chosen groups of peptides including pheromones, anticancer and antibiotic peptides, and peptides which inhibit neuronal nitric oxide ....Biologically active peptides and proteins from anurans: the relationship between structure and activity. We have identified peptides (from glands of frogs and toads), some of which are amongst the most powerful biologically active compounds in the animal kingdom. The aims of this project are to investigate the relationship between the structure and bioactivity of chosen groups of peptides including pheromones, anticancer and antibiotic peptides, and peptides which inhibit neuronal nitric oxide synthase. It would be of national benefit if any of these peptides have applied application, e.g. if we can use the sex pheromone of the cane toad to reduce its population, or if we can produce an anticancer active peptide of clinical applicability.Read moreRead less
Gas Phase Dynamics of a Biological Molecular Machine: Fundamentals, Stoichiometries and Stabilities. Over the last twenty years advanced molecular measurement techniques have enabled the characterization of individual biological molecules (proteins and DNA) within different types of cells and diseased tissues. This project uses a new technique that literally "weighs" groups of proteins and/or DNA to help us understand how such large molecules fit together and function within cells (sometimes ref ....Gas Phase Dynamics of a Biological Molecular Machine: Fundamentals, Stoichiometries and Stabilities. Over the last twenty years advanced molecular measurement techniques have enabled the characterization of individual biological molecules (proteins and DNA) within different types of cells and diseased tissues. This project uses a new technique that literally "weighs" groups of proteins and/or DNA to help us understand how such large molecules fit together and function within cells (sometimes referred to as molecular machinery). More detailed knowledge of processes such as those involved in copying DNA when new cells are produced will, in the long term, improve our understanding and treatment of conditions or diseases that result from errors in molecular machinery. Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0347585
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$320,000.00
Summary
Queensland high throughput structural biology screening facility. Structural biology is undergoing a worldwide revolution, enabling an enormous acceleration in the rate of protein structure determination. Australia currently lacks facilities to enable this high throughput approach to structural biology. We plan to establish a facility that addresses this deficiency and will enable the structure determination of hundreds of new proteins per year. It will contribute significantly to structural bi ....Queensland high throughput structural biology screening facility. Structural biology is undergoing a worldwide revolution, enabling an enormous acceleration in the rate of protein structure determination. Australia currently lacks facilities to enable this high throughput approach to structural biology. We plan to establish a facility that addresses this deficiency and will enable the structure determination of hundreds of new proteins per year. It will contribute significantly to structural biology research in Queensland and elsewhere in Australia and also to allied fields of biotechnology, including drug discovery, bioinformatics, molecular design and functional genomics.Read moreRead less