Total chemical synthesis of a redesigned enzyme, HIV-1 PR, containing an artificial tunable catalytic apparatus. The research project proposed represents a novel approach using total chemical synthesis to study the enzyme action of the HIV-1 PR, an aspartyl protease essential for the replication of AIDS virus. The redesign of the catalytic apparatus will allow us to investigate molecular aspects of its action. The synthetic polypeptide chain will be folded and characterised for the correct folde ....Total chemical synthesis of a redesigned enzyme, HIV-1 PR, containing an artificial tunable catalytic apparatus. The research project proposed represents a novel approach using total chemical synthesis to study the enzyme action of the HIV-1 PR, an aspartyl protease essential for the replication of AIDS virus. The redesign of the catalytic apparatus will allow us to investigate molecular aspects of its action. The synthetic polypeptide chain will be folded and characterised for the correct folded structure by NMR, and assayed for enzymatic activity. It can be expected that significant new insights into the molecular basis of the properties of the HIV-1 PR will be obtained. This will be an important contribution to biomedical research.Read moreRead less
Development of Liposaccharide Peptide Conjugates for Peptide Drug Delivery. We aim to adapt the Solid Phase Oligosaccharide Synthesis technology patented by Alchemia to develop methodologies that will allow the assembly of sugar, lipid and peptide units on a single solid phase resin. This synthetic technology will then be used to generate a library of liposaccharide conjugates of two model peptides (LHRH and TRH) to investigate and optimise a broadly applicable peptide drug delivery system whic ....Development of Liposaccharide Peptide Conjugates for Peptide Drug Delivery. We aim to adapt the Solid Phase Oligosaccharide Synthesis technology patented by Alchemia to develop methodologies that will allow the assembly of sugar, lipid and peptide units on a single solid phase resin. This synthetic technology will then be used to generate a library of liposaccharide conjugates of two model peptides (LHRH and TRH) to investigate and optimise a broadly applicable peptide drug delivery system which improves peptides oral absorption, metabolic stability and bioavailability.Read moreRead less
CHARACTERISATION OF NOVEL BIOACTIVES FROM AUSTRALIAN HONEY WITH THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL. Honey from specific Australian flowering plants has been identified that contain significant therapeutic properties in wound healing and other treatments. The research project proposed will identify and fully characterise the bioactive components of selected Australian honey (Medihoney) with antibiotic and growth promoting activites. These aims will be supported by high resolution mass spectrometry interfaced ....CHARACTERISATION OF NOVEL BIOACTIVES FROM AUSTRALIAN HONEY WITH THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL. Honey from specific Australian flowering plants has been identified that contain significant therapeutic properties in wound healing and other treatments. The research project proposed will identify and fully characterise the bioactive components of selected Australian honey (Medihoney) with antibiotic and growth promoting activites. These aims will be supported by high resolution mass spectrometry interfaced with HPLC and or affinity chip surfaces, 750 MHz NMR analysis and a range of relevant bioassays on specific organisms and cell lines. These outcomes will not only enhance the value of current honey-based products but have the potential to identify new therapeutic lead molecules.Read moreRead less
Development of an Adjustable Porphyrin-based Molecular Platform for Nanotechnology Applications. Nanotechnology, the art of molecular control, is often heralded as the next industrial revolution. For this to be realised, the construction of useful devices will require precise control at the molecular level. Our control is realised through a process called self-assembly which means that the once the components of the device are correctly designed, the device will simply be able to put itself tog ....Development of an Adjustable Porphyrin-based Molecular Platform for Nanotechnology Applications. Nanotechnology, the art of molecular control, is often heralded as the next industrial revolution. For this to be realised, the construction of useful devices will require precise control at the molecular level. Our control is realised through a process called self-assembly which means that the once the components of the device are correctly designed, the device will simply be able to put itself together. This research will use nature's light harvesting elements, namely porphyrins, and our ability to precisely control their position with respect to each other to build new, more efficient solar cells.Read moreRead less
Spin-liquids, antiferromagnetism, and superconductivity in organic charge transfer salts: synthesis, neutron scattering and theory. Materials have driven the digital revolution. Understanding and controlling silicon has allowed us to make smaller devices that perform better; an iPhone has more computing power than a PC had ten years ago. For this remarkable trend to continue future devices will need to utilise novel physics and be made from new materials. We will grow crystals of organic molecul ....Spin-liquids, antiferromagnetism, and superconductivity in organic charge transfer salts: synthesis, neutron scattering and theory. Materials have driven the digital revolution. Understanding and controlling silicon has allowed us to make smaller devices that perform better; an iPhone has more computing power than a PC had ten years ago. For this remarkable trend to continue future devices will need to utilise novel physics and be made from new materials. We will grow crystals of organic molecules, whose properties derive from the correlated motion of the electrons in these materials. State-of-the-art 'neutron scattering' experiments will test theories of the way the electrons behave in these materials. We will answer fundamental questions, which is an important first step towards harnessing such effects for future technology.Read moreRead less
Environmentally sustainable asymmetric synthesis: design and development of chiral hydrogen bonding organocatalysts. There is a pressing need for more environmentally sustainable and economically viable methods for asymmetric synthesis. This project aims to design, synthesise and evaluate new organocatalysts based on the principle of hydrogen bonding activation, a common feature of Nature's catalysts, enzymes. These inexpensive, non-toxic, air- and moisture-stable catalysts may prove to be more ....Environmentally sustainable asymmetric synthesis: design and development of chiral hydrogen bonding organocatalysts. There is a pressing need for more environmentally sustainable and economically viable methods for asymmetric synthesis. This project aims to design, synthesise and evaluate new organocatalysts based on the principle of hydrogen bonding activation, a common feature of Nature's catalysts, enzymes. These inexpensive, non-toxic, air- and moisture-stable catalysts may prove to be more efficient, selective and have broader applicability than catalysts based on transition metals. The growing Australian pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries will benefit from the development of these new Advanced Materials and the training provided to young scientists in the sought-after fields of asymmetric synthesis and catalysis.Read moreRead less
A new chemotherapeutic target from Leishmania SPP. Understanding and inhibiting CYP61LD, a sterol C22 desaturase. Leishamniasis is a debilitating and often fatal disease that is caused by a parasite, Leishmania sp., which is increasing its range to include Australia. This project aims to explore possible chemotherapeutics for the disease which inhibit a particular and unique enzyme the organism uses to synthesise the sterols it requires to live.
Dendritic Organic Semiconductors. This Federation Fellowship, along with the creation of a Centre for Organic Semiconductor Research at The University of Queensland will enable Australian science to have a high profile in organic semiconductors. This is an important scientific and technological goal and the research programme will provide expertise for industry in Australia as well as potentially creating technologies for new industry. It will also provide a focus for other academic institutions ....Dendritic Organic Semiconductors. This Federation Fellowship, along with the creation of a Centre for Organic Semiconductor Research at The University of Queensland will enable Australian science to have a high profile in organic semiconductors. This is an important scientific and technological goal and the research programme will provide expertise for industry in Australia as well as potentially creating technologies for new industry. It will also provide a focus for other academic institutions in Australia by bringing together people with the requisite expertise in materials preparation, characterisation, modelling, photophysics, and device physics and engineering. Read moreRead less
Eradicating bacterial biofilms with nitroxide-antimicrobial hybrids. This project aims to develop new antimicrobials to address the rise of drug-resistant infections and resilient bacterial communities called biofilms. We aim to break new ground in our fundamental knowledge of antimicrobial mechanisms and exploit this understanding by fusing cellular/molecular microbiology and synthetic chemistry approaches. We seek to gain an in-depth understanding of how nitroxides induce bacterial biofilm dis ....Eradicating bacterial biofilms with nitroxide-antimicrobial hybrids. This project aims to develop new antimicrobials to address the rise of drug-resistant infections and resilient bacterial communities called biofilms. We aim to break new ground in our fundamental knowledge of antimicrobial mechanisms and exploit this understanding by fusing cellular/molecular microbiology and synthetic chemistry approaches. We seek to gain an in-depth understanding of how nitroxides induce bacterial biofilm dispersal, which is critical for the discovery of anti-biofilm molecules that do not fail due to resistance development. These breakthroughs should induce a step-change in our ability to reduce the occurrence of biofilm-related infection in fields ranging from medical and veterinary to biotechnology and agriculture.Read moreRead less
Disruption of Sex Pheromone Biosynthesis: A Novel Control Method for Pestiferous Fruit Flies by. Fruit flies from the genus Bactrocera are economically important worldwide. B. tryoni, (Queensland fruit fly) is the most damaging horticultural pest in Australia and B. oleae (olive fly) is a major European pest. These flies use chemicals of similar but distinct structure for communication and particularly for finding mates. This research will examine the pathways and enzymes these flies use to sy ....Disruption of Sex Pheromone Biosynthesis: A Novel Control Method for Pestiferous Fruit Flies by. Fruit flies from the genus Bactrocera are economically important worldwide. B. tryoni, (Queensland fruit fly) is the most damaging horticultural pest in Australia and B. oleae (olive fly) is a major European pest. These flies use chemicals of similar but distinct structure for communication and particularly for finding mates. This research will examine the pathways and enzymes these flies use to synthesise sex pheromones. We propose that understanding the chemical and biochemical steps employed by the flies will allow us to design inhibitors to prevent pheromone production and thus provide a novel, species specific method for controlling fruit flies.Read moreRead less