Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0347607
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$306,000.00
Summary
FishWorks - collaborative infrastructure for zebrafish research. Zebrafish have emerged as a powerful and cost-effective animal model for studying development, biology, and disease. FishWorks represents a large-scale co-operative initiative to develop state-of-the-art zebrafish housing, manipulation, genomics and screening infrastructure in Australia. This will both support and further enhance a core group of high quality researchers to engage in cutting-edge research in areas of acknowledged ex ....FishWorks - collaborative infrastructure for zebrafish research. Zebrafish have emerged as a powerful and cost-effective animal model for studying development, biology, and disease. FishWorks represents a large-scale co-operative initiative to develop state-of-the-art zebrafish housing, manipulation, genomics and screening infrastructure in Australia. This will both support and further enhance a core group of high quality researchers to engage in cutting-edge research in areas of acknowledged expertise as well as priority within their respective institutions. In addition, it will facilitate wide-ranging collaborative arrangements to further develop and exploit this research area.Read moreRead less
Regenerating lizard tails: A model for understanding the process of lymphangiogenesis. In humans, impaired lymphatic drainage in limbs causes the debilitating swelling termed lymphoedema. Lymphoedema affects 500,000,000 people worldwide. In the developed world lymphoedema predominantly results from surgery for cancer, and occurs in approximately 25% of breast cancer patients. We will examine lymph vessel regeneration (lymphangiogenesis) in a naturally regenerating, complex structure (the lizard ....Regenerating lizard tails: A model for understanding the process of lymphangiogenesis. In humans, impaired lymphatic drainage in limbs causes the debilitating swelling termed lymphoedema. Lymphoedema affects 500,000,000 people worldwide. In the developed world lymphoedema predominantly results from surgery for cancer, and occurs in approximately 25% of breast cancer patients. We will examine lymph vessel regeneration (lymphangiogenesis) in a naturally regenerating, complex structure (the lizard tail), to describe the regrowth process and determine the abundance, location, functional properties and molecular control of the new lymphatics. Furthermore, if reptilian lymphatic growth factors can promote lymphangiogenesis in mammals, we can design novel therapeutic approaches using reptilian ligands to promote lymphangiogenesis in lymphoedematous human tissues.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0668435
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,300,000.00
Summary
Biomedical Engineering Sensing and Imaging Facility. The sensing and imaging facility will be the only national facility for leading engineering and medical researchers to undertake multidiscipline research into live and model biological systems. The facility will capture and combine existing strengths in these fields in Melbourne. This will provide new insights into the physiology of human, animal and plant systems and the development of preventive and curative strategies for disease.
A new paradigm for surfactant composition and function - how do lungs cope with stress? Our research will increase the understanding of the scope of change and precise molecular interactions occurring in the surfactant lipids and proteins of animals under physiological stress. The novel insights will improve the treatment of lung diseases (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and acute lung injury). We have formed a team of international surfactant researchers all experts in state-of-th ....A new paradigm for surfactant composition and function - how do lungs cope with stress? Our research will increase the understanding of the scope of change and precise molecular interactions occurring in the surfactant lipids and proteins of animals under physiological stress. The novel insights will improve the treatment of lung diseases (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and acute lung injury). We have formed a team of international surfactant researchers all experts in state-of-the-art chemical and biophysical technologies relating to surfactant. These collaborations will bring new technological applications to Australia and provide outstanding cross-disciplinary training for postgraduate students and research staff at the interface between animal physiology, biophysical chemistry and respiratory medicine.Read moreRead less
Environmental control of genetic/phenotypic interactions in lung development: An evolutionary perspective. Vertebrate lungs all contain morphologically and functionally similar lung lining cells. However, the cellular arrangement (i.e. lung morphology) and the function of the surfactant these cells produce, differs dramatically between species. Hence, a subset of highly conserved lung-specific genes coincides with spectacular phenotypic diversity. How has this diversity evolved? Do environmental ....Environmental control of genetic/phenotypic interactions in lung development: An evolutionary perspective. Vertebrate lungs all contain morphologically and functionally similar lung lining cells. However, the cellular arrangement (i.e. lung morphology) and the function of the surfactant these cells produce, differs dramatically between species. Hence, a subset of highly conserved lung-specific genes coincides with spectacular phenotypic diversity. How has this diversity evolved? Do environmental conditions, birth strategy or phylogenetic relationships determine lung phenotype? We will experimentally manipulate developing lungs and cells to demonstrate how environmental conditions (temperature, oxygen, lung-fluid regulation and neuro-hormonal input) promote evolutionary processes by altering gene expression, protein/lipid synthesis, cellular differentiation and hence lung morphology/function in animals with different birth strategies.Read moreRead less
Male germ line transgenesis and siRNA technology for manipulating genes in domestic species. Professor Shemesh has successfully developed male germ line transgenesis in species such as bovine and chicken. This technology allows genes to be manipulated via sperm in a wide range of animals besides mice, avoiding the need for a female in vitro fertilization regimen. He is curently applying interference RNA (siRNA) transgenically to manipulate genes in vivo. Together these two technologies offer imm ....Male germ line transgenesis and siRNA technology for manipulating genes in domestic species. Professor Shemesh has successfully developed male germ line transgenesis in species such as bovine and chicken. This technology allows genes to be manipulated via sperm in a wide range of animals besides mice, avoiding the need for a female in vitro fertilization regimen. He is curently applying interference RNA (siRNA) transgenically to manipulate genes in vivo. Together these two technologies offer immense possibilities to manipulate a wide range of species for economic, biotechnological or medical research purposes. Professor Shemesh wishes to come to Adelaide to establish these technologies there as parts of ongoing research projects, related to the physiology of the ovarian hormone relaxin in aging research.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0561115
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$474,500.00
Summary
Adelaide Core Live Organism Imaging Facility. Live organism imaging represents a powerful and essential tool in many aspects of modern biology. This application is for the purchase of two major items of equipment: a Xenogen IVIS Imaging System 200 and a Skyscan 1076_in vivo micro-CT scanner. As there are presently no machines within Adelaide capable of real-time live animal and plant imaging, scientific progress in a number of projects is significantly restricted. The acquisition of a state-of ....Adelaide Core Live Organism Imaging Facility. Live organism imaging represents a powerful and essential tool in many aspects of modern biology. This application is for the purchase of two major items of equipment: a Xenogen IVIS Imaging System 200 and a Skyscan 1076_in vivo micro-CT scanner. As there are presently no machines within Adelaide capable of real-time live animal and plant imaging, scientific progress in a number of projects is significantly restricted. The acquisition of a state-of-the-art live organism imaging facility in Adelaide would be a major advance for investigators within the Adelaide bioscience community and would increase their research productivity and international competitivenessRead moreRead less
Establishment of the endocrine axes in the embryo and their xenobiotic distortion. Millions of tons of supposedly harmless chemicals are produced and enter the environment each year. However, some of these substances can act on wildlife and humans to distort the way that hormone systems are established in the embryo, leading to subtle effects on health and function in later life. We will use one of the commonest of these substances, found in many cosmetics, food wrappings, and medicinal plastics ....Establishment of the endocrine axes in the embryo and their xenobiotic distortion. Millions of tons of supposedly harmless chemicals are produced and enter the environment each year. However, some of these substances can act on wildlife and humans to distort the way that hormone systems are established in the embryo, leading to subtle effects on health and function in later life. We will use one of the commonest of these substances, found in many cosmetics, food wrappings, and medicinal plastics, to learn how hormone systems becomes established in a healthy embryo, and how these then get distorted after exposure to these compounds. This project directly addresses the way we assess the health of our environment, and offers ways to screen for compounds which can have subtle effects on wildlife, domestic species and humans.Read moreRead less