Simulation studies of gene flow and genetic diversity in heterogeneous landscapes. Conserving genetic diversity is essential for sustaining healthy animal and plant populations. The project findings will aid in development of efficient strategies to minimise genetic diversity loss and facilitate its recovery, thereby assisting in restoration of endangered species, conserving natural ecosystems, and sustainable resource use. Genetic engineering offers the potential for enormous social and economi ....Simulation studies of gene flow and genetic diversity in heterogeneous landscapes. Conserving genetic diversity is essential for sustaining healthy animal and plant populations. The project findings will aid in development of efficient strategies to minimise genetic diversity loss and facilitate its recovery, thereby assisting in restoration of endangered species, conserving natural ecosystems, and sustainable resource use. Genetic engineering offers the potential for enormous social and economic benefits, but raises strong public concerns about genetic pollution. The project will improve our understanding of this risk, helping Australians to benefit from the opportunities offered by the genetic revolution without fearing their impact on natural systems. Read moreRead less
Functionally characterizing mammalian microRNAs and mRNA interactions controlling cell division. This project addresses some of the most burning issues in molecular biology and genetic research, and the results will be widely applicable to a broad range of fields, including biotechnology, animal breeding, agricultural production, genetic engineering, medical science, and computational biology. By understanding the regulatory potential of microRNA molecules, we will understand more about species ....Functionally characterizing mammalian microRNAs and mRNA interactions controlling cell division. This project addresses some of the most burning issues in molecular biology and genetic research, and the results will be widely applicable to a broad range of fields, including biotechnology, animal breeding, agricultural production, genetic engineering, medical science, and computational biology. By understanding the regulatory potential of microRNA molecules, we will understand more about species diversity, regulatory networks, and plant and animal development. The early adoption of multi-gigabase next-generation sequencing technology in Australia provides rare and exciting opportunity to lead the world in genome-scale research, and to ensure that Australia has the necessary skill base to remain internationally competitive in this field.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130100894
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$361,140.00
Summary
Nanolamps: unlocking targeted gene silencing in deep tissue with nanoparticle-based light sources. In order to better understand the function of genes, this project will develop a new method of tightly targeted gene silencing deep inside of the body by nanoscale light sources. This will shed new light on the nervous system and, in the first instance, help to elucidate the role of the PACAP neurons in blood pressure regulation.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0775726
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$306,270.00
Summary
Australian Mirror of the UCSC Genome Database and Browser. Modern medical, biological, agricultural, and environmental research and industries are being transformed by access to genomic information that details the DNA sequence of various species, as well as of different strains and individuals within populations. This information is being generated at an exponentially increasing speed, and requires large computational resources. This facility will provide Australian researchers, R&D organizati ....Australian Mirror of the UCSC Genome Database and Browser. Modern medical, biological, agricultural, and environmental research and industries are being transformed by access to genomic information that details the DNA sequence of various species, as well as of different strains and individuals within populations. This information is being generated at an exponentially increasing speed, and requires large computational resources. This facility will provide Australian researchers, R&D organizations and industry with state-of-the-art genomic data storage and analysis capability, which will permit both public and proprietary access, and accelerate Australian research and development in genetic medicine, pharmaceuticals, animal breeding and biodiversity.Read moreRead less
Choosing when to be sexual: clonal and sexual reproduction in a population of honey bees. Sex is costly. There is the cost of finding a mate and the genome of offspring must be shared with the mating partner. Despite these costs, sex is common in animals, so the benefits of sex must be substantial. Benefits may include the prevention of inbreeding and generating variable offspring. Exploring the trade off between sex and cloning requires a model system where individuals can choose to reproduce ....Choosing when to be sexual: clonal and sexual reproduction in a population of honey bees. Sex is costly. There is the cost of finding a mate and the genome of offspring must be shared with the mating partner. Despite these costs, sex is common in animals, so the benefits of sex must be substantial. Benefits may include the prevention of inbreeding and generating variable offspring. Exploring the trade off between sex and cloning requires a model system where individuals can choose to reproduce sexually or asexually. This project will explore a population of honey bees where a genetic mutation allows queens to clone themselves or reproduce sexually. We will reveal the unusual genetic mechanisms behind this ability and show how they are used by queens and workers to increase their reproductive success.Read moreRead less
Inter-kingdom signalling in animal health and disease. This project aims to understand how animals can control their bacterial associates. Animals evolved in a world dominated by bacteria, and intimately associated microbes affect the development, health and disease of all animals – from corals to man. To date, animal-microbe interactions have been studied nearly exclusively in terms of how bacteria affect animals. the researchers have discovered that the coral Acropora can control its associate ....Inter-kingdom signalling in animal health and disease. This project aims to understand how animals can control their bacterial associates. Animals evolved in a world dominated by bacteria, and intimately associated microbes affect the development, health and disease of all animals – from corals to man. To date, animal-microbe interactions have been studied nearly exclusively in terms of how bacteria affect animals. the researchers have discovered that the coral Acropora can control its associated bacteria. Understanding how a simple animal manipulates its microbial associates should have implications for coral disease and resilience and for health and disease across the animal kingdom.Read moreRead less
A paradigm of genomic discovery - an investigation of the allelic architecture of height. Understanding the complexities of the human body from its DNA sequence has proven difficult. Genomic discovery is best developed using stable, easily measurable and highly heritable characteristics such as height. By taking advantage of 2 large population surveys of adult and adolescent stature we shall apply modern molecular techniques and statistical strategies to identify and characterise the exact chang ....A paradigm of genomic discovery - an investigation of the allelic architecture of height. Understanding the complexities of the human body from its DNA sequence has proven difficult. Genomic discovery is best developed using stable, easily measurable and highly heritable characteristics such as height. By taking advantage of 2 large population surveys of adult and adolescent stature we shall apply modern molecular techniques and statistical strategies to identify and characterise the exact changes in DNA that determine height. This work builds on substantial preliminary leads from unique resources and complementary expertise in the scientific specialties. The results from this work will inform other genomic research and provide information about growth and bone biology.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0989589
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$550,000.00
Summary
A massively parallel genome analysis facility for the ACT region. Maintaining a healthy environment, supporting a sustainable agriculture industry and providing excellent healthcare are three key requirements for the future of Australia and Australians. Modern biological research has a major role to play in all three areas. The success and application of this research requires a serious investment in the new technologies that enable a systems-wide high throughput approach to biological questions ....A massively parallel genome analysis facility for the ACT region. Maintaining a healthy environment, supporting a sustainable agriculture industry and providing excellent healthcare are three key requirements for the future of Australia and Australians. Modern biological research has a major role to play in all three areas. The success and application of this research requires a serious investment in the new technologies that enable a systems-wide high throughput approach to biological questions. Co-investing in a massively parallel genome analysis facility to underpin cutting edge environmental, agricultural and biomedical research in the ACT region, will facilitate progress in areas of the utmost importance to the community and future of the nation.Read moreRead less
Characterisation of heavy metal transport genes in the plant Arabidopsis: potential roles in metal detoxification and accumulation. Plants have considerable potential for the bioremediation ("phytoremediation") of contaminated soils, including soils polluted with heavy metals. Progress has been made in understanding the physiological and biochemical mechanisms by which plants accumulate and detoxify heavy metals. One important aspect of metal detoxification is the transport of metals across cell ....Characterisation of heavy metal transport genes in the plant Arabidopsis: potential roles in metal detoxification and accumulation. Plants have considerable potential for the bioremediation ("phytoremediation") of contaminated soils, including soils polluted with heavy metals. Progress has been made in understanding the physiological and biochemical mechanisms by which plants accumulate and detoxify heavy metals. One important aspect of metal detoxification is the transport of metals across cell membranes. The recently completed genome project for the model plant Arabidopsis has identified a family of genes encoding heavy metal transport proteins. This project aims to investigate the roles of these genes in metal detoxification. In the longer term this knowledge can be applied to the improvement of phytoremediation processes.Read moreRead less
Genetics of longevity and the delay of post-reproductive senescence. Ageing of the population in the coming decades will cause an increasing health care burden. Diseases of ageing such as Alzheimer's, heart disease, Parkinson's and a range of cancers, as well as impairments of ageing such as reduced mobility and cognitive ability are all caused or exacerbated by oxidative stress. With some exceptions, current medical practices focus on surgical repair or drug therapy to alleviate symptoms of ag ....Genetics of longevity and the delay of post-reproductive senescence. Ageing of the population in the coming decades will cause an increasing health care burden. Diseases of ageing such as Alzheimer's, heart disease, Parkinson's and a range of cancers, as well as impairments of ageing such as reduced mobility and cognitive ability are all caused or exacerbated by oxidative stress. With some exceptions, current medical practices focus on surgical repair or drug therapy to alleviate symptoms of ageing rather than addressing the physiological causes of ageing itself. Our project will provide understanding of natural systems that prevent age-related senescence due to oxidative stress. The goal is to identify novel and natural ways to maximise the fitness, well-being and self-sufficiency of people as they age.Read moreRead less