New strategies for the stereoselective synthesis of Stemona alkaloids and the discovery of new bioactive molecules. The project aims to develop innovative methods to prepare bioactive natural products and their analogues with potential applications as new and safer therapeutic drugs and agricultural chemicals. These products would be of benefit to Australians in the future.
Pharmacological probes to facilitate preclinical development of modulators of a6 subunit containing nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Allosteric modulators of alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors have a promising future as drugs targeting attention deficits in Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia but the mechanisms underlying modulation are poorly understood. This project aims to determine its binding site and develop a radioactive labelled compound that competes with its binding. The radi ....Pharmacological probes to facilitate preclinical development of modulators of a6 subunit containing nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Allosteric modulators of alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors have a promising future as drugs targeting attention deficits in Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia but the mechanisms underlying modulation are poorly understood. This project aims to determine its binding site and develop a radioactive labelled compound that competes with its binding. The radiolabelled compound and a deeper insight into the mode of action will enable development of ligands for positron emission tomography (PET) which will aid in the development of BNC375 as well as other alpha7 modulators.Read moreRead less
Characterisation of a new class of antimicrobial agent for multidrug-resistant infections. New drugs are required to combat the development of antibiotic resistance. This project will conduct further tests on a new compound that has shown initial activity against resistant superbugs by understanding how it works against bacteria and varying the chemical structure to improve effectiveness.
Taking nature's lead in the development of new and improved enzyme inhibitors. This project will address some key fundamental issues associated with advancing a chemical entity from proof of principle through to a new pharmaceutical. The compounds in the study target cancer, cataract and other diseases that are confronting Australia's ageing population.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE170100075
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$315,000.00
Summary
Acoustic liquid handling robotics for bioactive compound discovery. This project aims to use a Labcyte Echo 550 acoustic dispenser with Combination Software to deliver sophisticated assay-ready screening. The Echo is the only liquid handling dispenser for 1536-well microplates and will allow Australian researchers to develop assay miniaturisation. The robotics will provide our nation’s researchers with a distinct competitive edge by enhancing assay sophistication, accuracy and reproducibility wh ....Acoustic liquid handling robotics for bioactive compound discovery. This project aims to use a Labcyte Echo 550 acoustic dispenser with Combination Software to deliver sophisticated assay-ready screening. The Echo is the only liquid handling dispenser for 1536-well microplates and will allow Australian researchers to develop assay miniaturisation. The robotics will provide our nation’s researchers with a distinct competitive edge by enhancing assay sophistication, accuracy and reproducibility while reducing cost. The expected benefits will advance the elucidation of molecular mechanisms involved in complex biological phenomena. The benefits of this are substantial, including reduction in test compound and reagents, which in turn reduces laboratory costs, conserves cells and increases data quality.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE200100190
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$620,000.00
Summary
Electrophysiology Platform for Ion-channel Characterisation. Ion channels are ubiquitous pore-forming membrane proteins, with the human genome encoding >300 ion channels. The diverse roles of ion channels include action potential generation, control of ion flow across secretory and epithelial cells, and regulation of cell volume, motility and proliferation. Pharmacological modulators are powerful tools for probing ion channel function, but for most channels these tools are lacking. Thus, this p .... Electrophysiology Platform for Ion-channel Characterisation. Ion channels are ubiquitous pore-forming membrane proteins, with the human genome encoding >300 ion channels. The diverse roles of ion channels include action potential generation, control of ion flow across secretory and epithelial cells, and regulation of cell volume, motility and proliferation. Pharmacological modulators are powerful tools for probing ion channel function, but for most channels these tools are lacking. Thus, this project aims to develop the first comprehensive toolbox of ion channel modulators using an integrated in vitro/in vivo electrophysiology platform. These pharmacological tools will be made freely available to the Australian research community for probing the mechanism and physiological function of ion channels.Read moreRead less
ARC Centre of Excellence for Nanoscale BioPhotonics. The CNBP brings together physicists, chemists and biologists focused on a grand challenge controlling nanoscale interactions between light and matter to probe the complex and dynamic nanoenvironments within living organisms. The emerging convergence of nanoscience and photonics offers the opportunity of using light to interrogate nanoscale domains, providing unprecedentedly localised measurements. This will allow biological scientists to unde ....ARC Centre of Excellence for Nanoscale BioPhotonics. The CNBP brings together physicists, chemists and biologists focused on a grand challenge controlling nanoscale interactions between light and matter to probe the complex and dynamic nanoenvironments within living organisms. The emerging convergence of nanoscience and photonics offers the opportunity of using light to interrogate nanoscale domains, providing unprecedentedly localised measurements. This will allow biological scientists to understand how single cells react to and communicate with their surroundings. This science will underpin a new generation of devices capable of probing the response of cells within individuals to environmental conditions or treatment, creating innovative and powerful new sensing platforms.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE150100203
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$860,000.00
Summary
South Australian High Throughput Screening Facility. High throughput screening facility: The project aims to establish a high throughput screening facility (including a confocal cell imager and surface plasmon resonance facility) to provide researchers with access to equipment that will enable cultured cells to be screened with large libraries of chemicals or nucleic acids (over-expression, RNA interference, microRNAs, long non-coding RNAs). Cellular responses can be monitored by biochemical ass ....South Australian High Throughput Screening Facility. High throughput screening facility: The project aims to establish a high throughput screening facility (including a confocal cell imager and surface plasmon resonance facility) to provide researchers with access to equipment that will enable cultured cells to be screened with large libraries of chemicals or nucleic acids (over-expression, RNA interference, microRNAs, long non-coding RNAs). Cellular responses can be monitored by biochemical assays or detailed imaging. These screens will enable dissection of biological pathways and discovery of genes that regulate fundamental biological processes. Models will include microbial, plant and mammalian cells. The facility will also study inter-molecular interactions. Fragment-based lead discovery screens will generate novel reagents for studying protein and membrane biology.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100010
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$720,000.00
Summary
A 5-D Correlative Imaging Platform: Combining the strengths of light and electron microscopy. This will be Australia's first dedicated five-dimensional multiphoton-microscopy platform, allowing observation of dynamic structures across different length and time scales under controlled temperatures, followed by high-resolution electron microscopy studies on the same samples. This platform will provide a unique characterisation tool to Australia's top-flight investigators, and so contribute to the ....A 5-D Correlative Imaging Platform: Combining the strengths of light and electron microscopy. This will be Australia's first dedicated five-dimensional multiphoton-microscopy platform, allowing observation of dynamic structures across different length and time scales under controlled temperatures, followed by high-resolution electron microscopy studies on the same samples. This platform will provide a unique characterisation tool to Australia's top-flight investigators, and so contribute to the nation's research priorities. It will enable: fundamental studies of cancer, neural diseases and immune disorders; the development of frontier technologies, such as smart nanomaterials, biosensors and targeted drug delivery; and applied research to help plants and soils adapt to climate variability, and to increase sustainable use of water.Read moreRead less