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Metabolic Stress Sensing By AMPK: Implications For Energy Balance And Isoform-targetting Therapeutics
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$632,188.00
Summary
Metabolic diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease impose enormous medical and economic burdens on Western societies. Our research is focussed on the enzyme AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) which acts as the fuel gauge of the cell and is a promising drug target for combating metabolic diseases. Our discoveries provide critical insight on how AMPK is switched on by both energy demand and drugs, and will greatly assist development of AMPK-targetted therapeutics.
Signaling in the crypt: a novel metabolic pathway in intestinal stem cells. The gut is the most rapidly renewing tissue in the body, driven by a highly active stem cell niche. Bile acids are emerging as critical regulators of this stem cell niche and disruption of bile acid homeostasis has profoundly adverse effects on intestinal renewal and hence gut health. We are addressing a critical gap in our understanding of how bile acids are controlled within stem cell niche. The aim of the project is ....Signaling in the crypt: a novel metabolic pathway in intestinal stem cells. The gut is the most rapidly renewing tissue in the body, driven by a highly active stem cell niche. Bile acids are emerging as critical regulators of this stem cell niche and disruption of bile acid homeostasis has profoundly adverse effects on intestinal renewal and hence gut health. We are addressing a critical gap in our understanding of how bile acids are controlled within stem cell niche. The aim of the project is to define the critical role of a novel enzyme called UGT8 in controlling intestinal stem cell response to bile acids; this is achieved by modulating UGT8 activity in intestinal stem cell models and determining the effects on stem cell function and the key signalling pathways that control intestinal homeostasis and renewal.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220100032
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$379,264.00
Summary
Banking on spermatogonial stem cells to safeguard Australian native fauna. Spermatogonial stem cells in the testis are an untapped resource for species conservation. This project aims to characterise metabolic pathways that control spermatogonial stem cell function, and define the conserved nature of these pathways between model species (mouse) and vulnerable Australian native fauna. Expected outcomes of this project include an enhanced capacity to culture koala spermatogonia in vitro, which wil ....Banking on spermatogonial stem cells to safeguard Australian native fauna. Spermatogonial stem cells in the testis are an untapped resource for species conservation. This project aims to characterise metabolic pathways that control spermatogonial stem cell function, and define the conserved nature of these pathways between model species (mouse) and vulnerable Australian native fauna. Expected outcomes of this project include an enhanced capacity to culture koala spermatogonia in vitro, which will be a first step towards using spermatogonial biobanking as a tool to maintain genetic diversity in this species. Outcomes from this study should provide significant benefits in safeguarding our unique Australian native species, which is of particular importance following the catastrophic 2019/20 bushfire season.Read moreRead less
A lipodomic approach to cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis. Fatty Acids are essential for human health and for reef health. This lipodomic study using newly developed techniques, aims to understand the essential and non-essential fatty acid metabolic exchange in the symbiosis that drives coral reef formation and health, and in turn gives reflective insight into our own metabolism.
Molecular control of embryonic diapause. Many species can halt growth of the early embryo (diapause). This project will use novel animal models and new proteomics techniques to clarify what signals from the uterus control diapause of the embryo. This may uncover new mechanisms for cell regulation that will be relevant to the biology of stem cells, cancer and reproductive technologies.
Role of suppressor of cytokine signalling proteins (SOCS3) in defective muscle repair and ageing. Old muscles are slower and weaker than young muscles, they are injured more easily and they repair less successfully. This proposal investigates the role of SOCS3-signalling in muscle repair, ultimately to improve healing and to promote healthy ageing that will enable older Australians to enjoy a better quality of life.