Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180100080
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$365,058.00
Summary
Examining lipid transport by direct visualisation and quantification. This project aims to investigate the least understood aspect of plasma triglyceride metabolism; mechanisms of transport across capillary endothelial cells. This transport regulates plasma triglyceride levels, which are an important factor in determining risk for coronary diseases. An improved understanding of these mechanisms will lead in the long term to better understandings of both heart failure and atherosclerotic heart di ....Examining lipid transport by direct visualisation and quantification. This project aims to investigate the least understood aspect of plasma triglyceride metabolism; mechanisms of transport across capillary endothelial cells. This transport regulates plasma triglyceride levels, which are an important factor in determining risk for coronary diseases. An improved understanding of these mechanisms will lead in the long term to better understandings of both heart failure and atherosclerotic heart diseases.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE170100199
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$700,000.00
Summary
From powders to proteins: Improving diffraction science in Western Australia. This project aims establish infrastructure to improve diffraction science in Western Australia. Diffraction science enables a deep understanding of the structure of the material world with implications for physics, chemistry, biochemistry and engineering. This project will renew key infrastructure in the area of macromolecular single crystal diffraction and acquire powder diffraction infrastructure for in situ analyses ....From powders to proteins: Improving diffraction science in Western Australia. This project aims establish infrastructure to improve diffraction science in Western Australia. Diffraction science enables a deep understanding of the structure of the material world with implications for physics, chemistry, biochemistry and engineering. This project will renew key infrastructure in the area of macromolecular single crystal diffraction and acquire powder diffraction infrastructure for in situ analyses of materials. The project is expected to facilitate the design of new therapeutics to treat human diseases such as bacterial infections and cancer, and new materials for efficient and environmentally friendly energy storage and natural resource recovery.Read moreRead less
CRISPR-based pathway activation for bioactive molecule discovery in fungi. Fungi produce an incredible array of unique bioactive molecules, many of which have contributed greatly to humanity (e.g. the antibiotic penicillin, which has saved millions of lives since its discovery). DNA sequencing has revealed many fungi contain the genetic instructions to produce new molecules that have not been seen previously. However, these genes are “switched off" by default and cannot be accessed. This project ....CRISPR-based pathway activation for bioactive molecule discovery in fungi. Fungi produce an incredible array of unique bioactive molecules, many of which have contributed greatly to humanity (e.g. the antibiotic penicillin, which has saved millions of lives since its discovery). DNA sequencing has revealed many fungi contain the genetic instructions to produce new molecules that have not been seen previously. However, these genes are “switched off" by default and cannot be accessed. This project will develop innovative new methods to "hot-wire" these genes, allowing them to turn on and produce a treasure trove of new bioactive molecules. The outcomes of this project will transform our abilities to tap into the hidden potential of fungi to generate new lead molecules for the agricultural and medical industries.Read moreRead less
Characterising the transport and delivery of oligonucleotides . Short RNA and DNA molecules represent a class of macromolecules that have great potential, but to facilitate their trafficking across cellular and membrane barriers into specific sites of action is challenging. This project aims to develop and apply novel imaging approaches to track them in cells and tissues. Expected outcomes include better understanding of the trafficking across cellular and membrane barriers, and improved imaging ....Characterising the transport and delivery of oligonucleotides . Short RNA and DNA molecules represent a class of macromolecules that have great potential, but to facilitate their trafficking across cellular and membrane barriers into specific sites of action is challenging. This project aims to develop and apply novel imaging approaches to track them in cells and tissues. Expected outcomes include better understanding of the trafficking across cellular and membrane barriers, and improved imaging tools that could be used to further study the molecular mechanisms of accumulation, metabolism and trafficking of these molecules. This project should provide new strategies to target these molecules to specific cells and tissues, which have significant social and economic benefits to the Australian community.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE150100158
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$670,000.00
Summary
High resolution mass spectrometry for metabolomics and proteomics research. High resolution mass spectrometry for metabolomics and proteomics research: Ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry and capillary electrophoresis are expected to greatly enhance separation and mass analysis for multi-disciplinary research. Biological processes, and the metabolites and proteins that control them, will be analysed at rates, sensitivities and resolutions which are expected to significantly advance molecular ....High resolution mass spectrometry for metabolomics and proteomics research. High resolution mass spectrometry for metabolomics and proteomics research: Ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry and capillary electrophoresis are expected to greatly enhance separation and mass analysis for multi-disciplinary research. Biological processes, and the metabolites and proteins that control them, will be analysed at rates, sensitivities and resolutions which are expected to significantly advance molecular and cell biology research. Multiple levels and types of fragmentation will allow complex experiments to be conducted and provide new mechanisms to aid plant and crop science, sports science, energy and resource science, and chemical toxicology. Comparative and systems biology, where analysis of rare or complex samples is a key requirement, will be strongly supported by these new facilities.Read moreRead less
Complexities of the mitochondrial transcriptome. This project aims to understand mitochondrial gene expression and energy production. Energy production is important for living things to grow and develop. In mammals, the mitochondria, the energy producing “powerhouses of the cell”, contain their own genetic assembly instructions. This project aims to understand these genetic instructions, revealing how genes control energy production. This project will characterise the genetic instructions, the m ....Complexities of the mitochondrial transcriptome. This project aims to understand mitochondrial gene expression and energy production. Energy production is important for living things to grow and develop. In mammals, the mitochondria, the energy producing “powerhouses of the cell”, contain their own genetic assembly instructions. This project aims to understand these genetic instructions, revealing how genes control energy production. This project will characterise the genetic instructions, the mitochondrial transcriptome and the proteins that control them. These advances are expected to provide a mechanistic understanding of how gene expression responds to changes in cellular energy demands. This knowledge will generate new biotechnological tools for Australian science and will have important long-term implications for improving agriculture and medicineRead moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE210100155
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$909,079.00
Summary
Advancing 4D fluorescence microscopy within Australia. This multi-institutional proposal aims to establish a state-of-the-art Lightsheet microscope facility in South Australia with enhanced analysis infrastructure and a national user support network. Expectations are, this will transform researcher outcomes for multiple disciplines by facilitating high-resolution four-dimensional interrogation of novel biological processes. Significant benefits will include the ability to image deep within livin ....Advancing 4D fluorescence microscopy within Australia. This multi-institutional proposal aims to establish a state-of-the-art Lightsheet microscope facility in South Australia with enhanced analysis infrastructure and a national user support network. Expectations are, this will transform researcher outcomes for multiple disciplines by facilitating high-resolution four-dimensional interrogation of novel biological processes. Significant benefits will include the ability to image deep within living tissue over long time-scales without inducing phytotoxicity to produce high-impact fundamental and translatable outcomes, the development of novel probes and methodologies, new cross-disciplinary collaborations, and new and unique funding, student training and public engagement opportunities.Read moreRead less
A structural and functional investigation into events within the immunological synapse. This project will provide fundamental insight into processes that control infection. Investigating processes central to immunity is important, as it will further the understanding of these critically-important events. Such knowledge will increase Australia's research standing, as well as having the potential to generate novel therapies
Advancing programmable genetic computation to control plant gene activity. Plants can sense diverse internal and external conditions and integrate them to appropriately tune their response and maximize fitness. Plant biotechnology relies heavily on manipulating gene activity to change cell functions and confer advantageous agronomic traits. However, our ability to control plant gene activity remains rudimentary, limiting our biotechnology capabilities. This project aims to develop synthetic gene ....Advancing programmable genetic computation to control plant gene activity. Plants can sense diverse internal and external conditions and integrate them to appropriately tune their response and maximize fitness. Plant biotechnology relies heavily on manipulating gene activity to change cell functions and confer advantageous agronomic traits. However, our ability to control plant gene activity remains rudimentary, limiting our biotechnology capabilities. This project aims to develop synthetic gene logic gates in plants, to enable the construction of programmable genetically-encoded computational functions that can sense and process customizable inputs to drive desired changes in plant function. This advance will underpin useful applications in plant biotechnology such as improved crop stress tolerance and yield.Read moreRead less
Transcription factor – enhancer – promoter based regulatory networks. This project aims to develop new understanding on how multicellular organisms (including humans) develop, and how mutations in distant regions of the genome can affect human traits. The way the human genome is interpreted by the cellular machinery is still a mystery. We have a reference sequence and know where the majority of coding genes are, but we are far from understanding how the genome is regulated to generate the divers ....Transcription factor – enhancer – promoter based regulatory networks. This project aims to develop new understanding on how multicellular organisms (including humans) develop, and how mutations in distant regions of the genome can affect human traits. The way the human genome is interpreted by the cellular machinery is still a mystery. We have a reference sequence and know where the majority of coding genes are, but we are far from understanding how the genome is regulated to generate the diversity of cell types in our bodies. Enhancer regions interact with proximal promoters to regulate gene expression level and tissue-specificity. This project aims to develop transcriptional regulatory network models using high throughput chromatin interaction data and expression perturbation to link promoter and enhancers genome-wide.Read moreRead less