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Harnessing lipid nano-assembly for next generation functional foods and pharmaceutical products. Nature assembles lipid molecules from our diet into useful structures in our gastrointestinal tract with remarkable precision and versatility. By understanding and harnessing these processes we can design new lipid-based nanomaterials leading to more effective functional foods and pharmaceutical products with reduced side effects.
Physico-chemical and Biopharmaceutical Investigations of Novel Drug Delivery Systems for Oral Administration of Lipophilic Drugs. The new platform technology for carrying lipophilic molecules will be applicable to many molecules currently under development by Australian Industry and will inspire novel encapsulation approaches to new and existing drugs as well as functional foods and nutraceuticals. Improved oral bioavailability of anticancer drugs will improve the quality of life of patients, re ....Physico-chemical and Biopharmaceutical Investigations of Novel Drug Delivery Systems for Oral Administration of Lipophilic Drugs. The new platform technology for carrying lipophilic molecules will be applicable to many molecules currently under development by Australian Industry and will inspire novel encapsulation approaches to new and existing drugs as well as functional foods and nutraceuticals. Improved oral bioavailability of anticancer drugs will improve the quality of life of patients, reduce health care costs and provide broader benefits to the community. The Australian biotechnology/pharmaceutical industries can share in a greater proportion of the US$50 billion market for specialised drug delivery, which is increasing by 20% annually. Australia's scientific competitiveness will be strengthened in the fields of nano-encapsulation and colloidal delivery.Read moreRead less
Understanding and implications of formation of lipid nanostructures in milk. This project aims to deliver new understanding of the processes of milk digestion. Milk is the most important food for human survival, providing all the essential nutrition to newborn infants and constituting a major part of the adult diet. The recent discovery that nanostructure is formed during the digestion of both cow and breast milk, but not of vegetable 'milk', has opened a large number of questions to answer in t ....Understanding and implications of formation of lipid nanostructures in milk. This project aims to deliver new understanding of the processes of milk digestion. Milk is the most important food for human survival, providing all the essential nutrition to newborn infants and constituting a major part of the adult diet. The recent discovery that nanostructure is formed during the digestion of both cow and breast milk, but not of vegetable 'milk', has opened a large number of questions to answer in this project. Specifically, the project plans to link nanostructure formation in milk with composition during digestion, and the subsequent delivery of nutrients. The project plans to use synchrotron and microscopy techniques to address these questions. Project outcomes may improve our understanding of digestion and drive innovation in products delivering nutrients to infants.Read moreRead less
A Physicochemical Approach for Optimizing Drug Delivery from BioSilicon. By applying modern techniques and a multidisciplinary approach, this research will develop an understanding of drug loading of BioSiliconTM at a molecular level. This novel class of nano-structured biomaterial has exciting potential for developing a range of controllable drug delivery systems. Existing medical applications of BioSilicon deliver only small molecules for very specialised uses. Current research has not focused ....A Physicochemical Approach for Optimizing Drug Delivery from BioSilicon. By applying modern techniques and a multidisciplinary approach, this research will develop an understanding of drug loading of BioSiliconTM at a molecular level. This novel class of nano-structured biomaterial has exciting potential for developing a range of controllable drug delivery systems. Existing medical applications of BioSilicon deliver only small molecules for very specialised uses. Current research has not focused on understanding the pore structure and how it can be adapted for special applications. Our research will create new drug delivery systems with many innovative applications in medical, veterinary and bio-diagnostics fields. The medical and socio-economic impacts will be internationally significant.Read moreRead less
Smart hybrid nano-biomaterials that mimic the pharmaceutical food effect. Smart biomaterials will be developed which when taken orally will act in our gut to improve drug and vitamin uptake. The breakthrough science will drive new pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals for the future health of Australia, and economic benefits will result through increased exposure to the global market for delivering biomolecules.
Understanding, prediction and control of polymorphism in pharmaceuticals. The proposed research will lead, through a better understanding of polymorphism, to more efficient production of pharmaceuticals and will enhance the establishment and protection of patents. The work will have flow-on in other areas such as the manufacture of pigments, dyes and explosives. The project uses methodology for the elucidation of local structure and function at the atomic to nanoscale level in which Australia is ....Understanding, prediction and control of polymorphism in pharmaceuticals. The proposed research will lead, through a better understanding of polymorphism, to more efficient production of pharmaceuticals and will enhance the establishment and protection of patents. The work will have flow-on in other areas such as the manufacture of pigments, dyes and explosives. The project uses methodology for the elucidation of local structure and function at the atomic to nanoscale level in which Australia is a world leader. The project will further enhance our standing in this field and will provide excellent research training opportunities in areas particularly pertinent to future exploitation of the Australian Synchrotron and the new Research Reactor OPAL, which open in 2007. Read moreRead less
From Nanostructured Catalysts to Process Innovation. The results of this research will help to advance the fundamental scientific understanding of industrially important chemical reactions and give clear leads as to how to improve them. In particular, new catalysts (i.e. agents that increase the speed and selectivity of chemical reactions) will be generated and the first steps towards process innovation will be taken, using high-throughput equipment unique in the Southern Hemisphere. These new c ....From Nanostructured Catalysts to Process Innovation. The results of this research will help to advance the fundamental scientific understanding of industrially important chemical reactions and give clear leads as to how to improve them. In particular, new catalysts (i.e. agents that increase the speed and selectivity of chemical reactions) will be generated and the first steps towards process innovation will be taken, using high-throughput equipment unique in the Southern Hemisphere. These new catalysts will be the basis for the design of new and/or improved industrial processes that will be ?greener?, safer, use fewer resources, produce less waste and are generally more efficient and effective. As a result the Australian chemicals industry will be more competitive.Read moreRead less
Molecular Recognition in Chiral Ionic Liquids as Basis for the Design and Synthesis of New Enantioselective Heterogeneous Catalysts and Membranes. Molecules that can exist as mirror images, each with different, e.g., beneficial vs. toxic properties, underpin the pharmaceutical industry and increasingly new highly selective pesticides, and flavours/fragrances.
Current commercial pathways often make mixtures of the mirror images that then need to be separated laboriously. These routes are ineffic ....Molecular Recognition in Chiral Ionic Liquids as Basis for the Design and Synthesis of New Enantioselective Heterogeneous Catalysts and Membranes. Molecules that can exist as mirror images, each with different, e.g., beneficial vs. toxic properties, underpin the pharmaceutical industry and increasingly new highly selective pesticides, and flavours/fragrances.
Current commercial pathways often make mixtures of the mirror images that then need to be separated laboriously. These routes are inefficient, creating waste and use resources poorly.
We aim to create solutions for these problems, using supported thin films of special, new types of salts that are liquid at room temperature, and which have other unusual chemical properties that make them ideally suited to enable efficient conversions.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190100531
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$385,000.00
Summary
Milk mimicry: Self-assembly in complex lipid mixtures during digestion. This project aims to decipher the chemical complexity required to mimic the digestive behaviour of milk fats and to identify their influence on lipophilic nutrient activity during transit through the gut. The link between milk's complex fat composition and its nutrient delivery properties are unknown because the digestive colloidal structures that drive fat-soluble nutrient absorption are poorly understood. The project expec ....Milk mimicry: Self-assembly in complex lipid mixtures during digestion. This project aims to decipher the chemical complexity required to mimic the digestive behaviour of milk fats and to identify their influence on lipophilic nutrient activity during transit through the gut. The link between milk's complex fat composition and its nutrient delivery properties are unknown because the digestive colloidal structures that drive fat-soluble nutrient absorption are poorly understood. The project expects to identify which milk lipids are essential to milk’s role as nature’s nutrient delivery vehicle. It will also identify a universally-available nutrient delivery platform for resource-poor communities, and enhanced knowledge of lipid physical chemistry. The findings will promote greater interaction between the dairy and pharmaceutical industries, adding value to their respective products.Read moreRead less
Electrostatic formation of liquid marbles. This project aims to design complex liquid marbles by electrostasis. Liquid marbles are particle-liquid aggregates which have inspired a variety of applications, including pollution and gas sensors, actuators, microreactors and drug delivery vehicles. Until now, only an external layer of non-wettable particles could be readily incorporated. This project will broaden the achievable complexity and application of the particle-drop aggregates, add value to ....Electrostatic formation of liquid marbles. This project aims to design complex liquid marbles by electrostasis. Liquid marbles are particle-liquid aggregates which have inspired a variety of applications, including pollution and gas sensors, actuators, microreactors and drug delivery vehicles. Until now, only an external layer of non-wettable particles could be readily incorporated. This project will broaden the achievable complexity and application of the particle-drop aggregates, add value to Australia’s high-performance materials manufacturing industry, and expand knowledge in colloid and interface science and particle electrostatics. Industries including pharmaceutical and personal-care industries will benefit from low-energy, high-efficiency production of next-generation complex liquid marbles.Read moreRead less