Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150101484
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$365,000.00
Summary
Developing custom RNA processing tools. The pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) code has been described as an RNA code that connects specific residues in PPR motifs with the precise recognition of individual nucleotides. It will enable the design of custom RNA-binding proteins with tremendous potential in research and biotechnology. RNA-processing technologies aim to be developed that consist of PPR domains fused with an additional endonuclease domain for cleaving chosen target RNAs. In the longer te ....Developing custom RNA processing tools. The pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) code has been described as an RNA code that connects specific residues in PPR motifs with the precise recognition of individual nucleotides. It will enable the design of custom RNA-binding proteins with tremendous potential in research and biotechnology. RNA-processing technologies aim to be developed that consist of PPR domains fused with an additional endonuclease domain for cleaving chosen target RNAs. In the longer term, successful technologies will be tested in living organisms for biotechnology applications or in new therapeutic strategies.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE170100628
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$372,000.00
Summary
Promotion of NAD+ anabolism to promote lifespan. The project aims to identify mechanisms of ageing, the role of stress on the ageing brain and how NAD+ modulates these effects. NAD+ maintains cellular energy, repairs DNA and performs other essential cell functions. Intracellular NAD+ levels, the essential substrate for sirtuin activity including SIRT2, decline with age in humans and physiologically aged rats. This project will investigate the mechanisms by which pharmacological strategies design ....Promotion of NAD+ anabolism to promote lifespan. The project aims to identify mechanisms of ageing, the role of stress on the ageing brain and how NAD+ modulates these effects. NAD+ maintains cellular energy, repairs DNA and performs other essential cell functions. Intracellular NAD+ levels, the essential substrate for sirtuin activity including SIRT2, decline with age in humans and physiologically aged rats. This project will investigate the mechanisms by which pharmacological strategies designed to elevate intracellular NAD+ levels will maintain optimal SIRT2 function to extend lifespan and improve age-related cognitive decline in vivo. Potential outcomes include using NAD+ to improve brain health in advanced old age.Read moreRead less
Demographic and evolutionary inferences from large, whole-genome datasets. A new data structure for genome-wide datasets has allowed great improvements in the efficiency of genomic data storage and in population genomics simulations, which are crucial to developing and testing mathematical models of population history and species evolution. We will take these advances in new directions, using efficient data structures to dramatically improve inferences about: the demographic histories of popul .... Demographic and evolutionary inferences from large, whole-genome datasets. A new data structure for genome-wide datasets has allowed great improvements in the efficiency of genomic data storage and in population genomics simulations, which are crucial to developing and testing mathematical models of population history and species evolution. We will take these advances in new directions, using efficient data structures to dramatically improve inferences about: the demographic histories of populations, rates of genome change, and phylogenetic networks, and we will develop the first inference methods for the multispecies coalescent with recombination. Outcomes will include advances in understanding the evolutionary histories of humans and other species, including pathogens of importance for global health.Read moreRead less
Australian Heritage: constructing the first Aboriginal reference genome. This project aims to use DNA sequencing technologies to generate the first complete and accurate Aboriginal genomes, along with maps of genomic variation around Australia. It will combine a range of advanced analytical methods to integrate past and present indigenous genetic diversity from human populations around the world into a new pan-human reference genome. This project will lead to a step change in our understanding o ....Australian Heritage: constructing the first Aboriginal reference genome. This project aims to use DNA sequencing technologies to generate the first complete and accurate Aboriginal genomes, along with maps of genomic variation around Australia. It will combine a range of advanced analytical methods to integrate past and present indigenous genetic diversity from human populations around the world into a new pan-human reference genome. This project will lead to a step change in our understanding of global human genomic variants and provide a range of new targets relevant to medical biology, while significantly improving our knowledge of human genetic history and its consequences in the modern day.Read moreRead less
The genomic landscape of speciation in hominins and other taxa. This project will develop a new analytical framework to build detailed genomic maps of speciation genes across different taxa, to determine whether observed speciation is the result of background selection and demography alone, or whether there are actual barriers to gene flow and introgressed DNA. The model will provide novel insights into the mechanistic basis of speciation, specifically whether a common set of genes or pathways a ....The genomic landscape of speciation in hominins and other taxa. This project will develop a new analytical framework to build detailed genomic maps of speciation genes across different taxa, to determine whether observed speciation is the result of background selection and demography alone, or whether there are actual barriers to gene flow and introgressed DNA. The model will provide novel insights into the mechanistic basis of speciation, specifically whether a common set of genes or pathways are central to the speciation process. The framework will be developed using the large genomic datasets available across a range of plant and animal species. Applying the model to a modern human population dataset will elucidate the role introgressed DNA from Denisovan and Neanderthals has played in shaping human evolutionary history and may provide novel insights into the genetic basis of disease.Read moreRead less
Screening platforms for malaria drug discovery: identification of new therapeutics. Innovative image based technologies will be developed to identify molecules which stop malaria parasite growth and its transmission to the mosquito host. As more resistance is emerging against the current drugs of choice, new molecules acting through different mechanisms are urgently needed.
Challenging current dogma on the inheritance of mitochondrial DNA. Mutations in mitochondrial DNA are often used to infer genetic relationships and have been associated with the expression of human diseases. This project examines the exact mechanism of inheritance of mitochondrial genes to enhance biological interpretations and our understanding of the heritability of specific diseases.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200100825
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$422,955.00
Summary
Functional insights into the roles of enteric glia. This project aims to review our current definition of enteric glia populations, and our understanding of their communication mechanisms in the mouse and primate colon. It will generate new knowledge of enteric glia biology using advanced microscopy and image analysis. Calcium imaging and novel biosensors will measure cell signalling in enteric glia. It will provide the most comprehensive analysis of glia connectivity, morphology and receptor ex ....Functional insights into the roles of enteric glia. This project aims to review our current definition of enteric glia populations, and our understanding of their communication mechanisms in the mouse and primate colon. It will generate new knowledge of enteric glia biology using advanced microscopy and image analysis. Calcium imaging and novel biosensors will measure cell signalling in enteric glia. It will provide the most comprehensive analysis of glia connectivity, morphology and receptor expression in the primate colon. Expected outcomes include a detailed map of enteric glia and definitions of their basic biology. This project builds on the techniques and collaborations made by the candidate over recent years. This will benefit our basic understanding of enteric glia biology.Read moreRead less
Unlocking malaria invasion by ultraresolution microscopy. This project describes the microscopic analysis of malaria-causing parasites invading human blood cells. The project aims to better understand how this invasion works and to understand how it might be inhibited.
Attentional and conditioning mechanisms that mediate overcoming anxiety. Anxiety is a common emotion for most Australians that can cause substantial costs for individuals and society. This project uses dominant psychological models to identify critical mechanisms that are believed to predict capacity for, and change in, anxiety. Outcomes substantially advance knowledge about how humans overcome anxiety.