From the pouch to the grave: age and sex related changes in immunity in the Tasmanian devil. Tasmanian devils face extinction in the wild due to the emergence of a contagious cancer: Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD). A comprehensive understanding of the devil immune system is necessary to better understand the disease and develop a vaccine against it. This project will characterise immune responses of healthy devils throughout life, from the pouch, to onset of puberty, to old age. This project ....From the pouch to the grave: age and sex related changes in immunity in the Tasmanian devil. Tasmanian devils face extinction in the wild due to the emergence of a contagious cancer: Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD). A comprehensive understanding of the devil immune system is necessary to better understand the disease and develop a vaccine against it. This project will characterise immune responses of healthy devils throughout life, from the pouch, to onset of puberty, to old age. This project will then compare these responses in DFTD-affected devils to determine why DFTD affects older animals first and does not affect sexually-immature devils. Additional outcomes will include the development of novel antibiotics against human and animal diseases and an atlas of devil development using the latest imaging technologies.Read moreRead less
Evolution and function of mammalian sex chromosomes. Research on iconic Australian mammals has profoundly reshaped our understanding of reproductive biology and sex chromosome evolution. In this project we combine unique expertise, international collaboration and novel genetic information about Australia's unique egg-laying mammals (echidna and platypus) to investigate major aspects of reproduction. This work will address fundamental aspects of sex chromosome biology and advance our understandin ....Evolution and function of mammalian sex chromosomes. Research on iconic Australian mammals has profoundly reshaped our understanding of reproductive biology and sex chromosome evolution. In this project we combine unique expertise, international collaboration and novel genetic information about Australia's unique egg-laying mammals (echidna and platypus) to investigate major aspects of reproduction. This work will address fundamental aspects of sex chromosome biology and advance our understanding of mammalian reproduction. The knowledge gained will have application in captive breeding and conservation of these extraordinary Australian mammals. The project also provides opportunity to train research students in cutting edge molecular biology and informatics.Read moreRead less
Genetic regulation of developmental competence: molecular mechanisms that establish a competent state. Development is a key biological process for multicellular life. This project will study development using a simple, established experimental organism, a fungus, as a model for development in other organisms, including humans. Moreover, fungi directly impact on life at many levels and understanding their biology has direct benefits for society.
Intron splicing regulates gene silencing in Arabidopsis. Defective gene regulation (i.e. how genes switch on and off) can cause severe genetic disease in both plants and animals, including humans. This project will use plants as a model to investigate a cause of defective gene expression, and should reveal possible avenues for therapeutic intervention to correct genetic defects in plants and animals.