Chemical listening devices: Novel sensors targeting the clandestine manufacture and transport of illicit drugs and explosives. There can be no doubt that protecting Australia's borders from the dual threats of terrorism and illicit drugs is of paramount importance to continuation of our well-being and way of life. Our chemical sensors are simple hand-held or remote chemical listening sensors, which will have the ability to sense the presence of characteristic chemical vapours associated with exp ....Chemical listening devices: Novel sensors targeting the clandestine manufacture and transport of illicit drugs and explosives. There can be no doubt that protecting Australia's borders from the dual threats of terrorism and illicit drugs is of paramount importance to continuation of our well-being and way of life. Our chemical sensors are simple hand-held or remote chemical listening sensors, which will have the ability to sense the presence of characteristic chemical vapours associated with explosives and illicit drugs. The simplicity and low cost of the chemical listening allows for installation at key locations -e.g. transport hubs, shipping containers, airports etc as well as placement within clandestine drug laboratories.Read moreRead less
Polymer technologies for oil spill remediation and slow-release fertilisers. This project aims to evaluate a patented sulfur polymer in commercial oil spill remediation and slow-release fertilisers. Key objectives are to determine how the polymer degrades, assess the effectiveness of the polymer in oil spill sorption in different contexts, and investigate the polymer as a matrix for slow-release fertilisers. The project expects to generate new approaches to sustainable remediation and crop produ ....Polymer technologies for oil spill remediation and slow-release fertilisers. This project aims to evaluate a patented sulfur polymer in commercial oil spill remediation and slow-release fertilisers. Key objectives are to determine how the polymer degrades, assess the effectiveness of the polymer in oil spill sorption in different contexts, and investigate the polymer as a matrix for slow-release fertilisers. The project expects to generate new approaches to sustainable remediation and crop production. Expected outcomes include new knowledge about the biodegradation of the polymer, new methods for deploying the polymer in oil spill cleanup, and new fertilisers that prevent nutrient waste and runoff. Significant benefits are expected for the environment, as well as economic benefits to the manufacturer and end-users.Read moreRead less
AI Assisted Continuous Flow Electrochemistry for Pharmaceutical Manufacture. This project aims to develop new chemical manufacturing processes for pharmaceutical products. In collaboration with Sun Pharma, it will tackle the challenge of replacing expensive and toxic chemicals in industrial reactions, to lower cost of manufacturing and improve its sustainability profile. Central to the realisation of this ambition is the use of electrocatalysis, machine learning and implementation of advanced co ....AI Assisted Continuous Flow Electrochemistry for Pharmaceutical Manufacture. This project aims to develop new chemical manufacturing processes for pharmaceutical products. In collaboration with Sun Pharma, it will tackle the challenge of replacing expensive and toxic chemicals in industrial reactions, to lower cost of manufacturing and improve its sustainability profile. Central to the realisation of this ambition is the use of electrocatalysis, machine learning and implementation of advanced continuous flow methods. These electricity- and technology-driven reactions will develop new strategies for the generation of important classes of molecules relevant to the Australia’s pharmaceutical sector, as well as their manufacture at industrially relevant scales.Read moreRead less
The Synthesis and Analysis of Certain Explosives and Illicit Drugs for Improved Forensic Detection. There is an increasing demand within law enforcement agencies, worldwide, for selective and sensitive methods for the determination of illicit substances. Over the last decade Deakin University chemists have played a major role in establishing the utility of chemiluminescent reactions for the determination of a variety of pharmaceutical opiates in process streams. This project seeks to build upon ....The Synthesis and Analysis of Certain Explosives and Illicit Drugs for Improved Forensic Detection. There is an increasing demand within law enforcement agencies, worldwide, for selective and sensitive methods for the determination of illicit substances. Over the last decade Deakin University chemists have played a major role in establishing the utility of chemiluminescent reactions for the determination of a variety of pharmaceutical opiates in process streams. This project seeks to build upon these successes, in order to develop innovative analytical strategies for forensic detection of certain illicit drugs and explosives. The results of this research have the potential to revolutionise key aspects of forensic analysis.Read moreRead less
New technologies for e-waste recycling. This project aims to provide commercially viable methods for recycling electronic waste (e-waste), with a focus on plastic recycling and precious metal recovery from circuit boards. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the separation and recovery of gold, silver, and palladium using novel leach reagents and sorbents. Additionally, new techniques will be evaluated for converting e-waste plastic into construction materials. Expected outcomes of ....New technologies for e-waste recycling. This project aims to provide commercially viable methods for recycling electronic waste (e-waste), with a focus on plastic recycling and precious metal recovery from circuit boards. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the separation and recovery of gold, silver, and palladium using novel leach reagents and sorbents. Additionally, new techniques will be evaluated for converting e-waste plastic into construction materials. Expected outcomes of this project include new capabilities for Australia's e-waste recycling industry, as the majority of circuit board waste is shipped overseas. This should provide significant economic benefits such as the recovery of valuable metals and the development of novel construction materials.Read moreRead less
Study the Utility of Novel Drug Polymer Conjugates. The products likely to arise from the technology described in this proposal could have application in medical, veterinary and agricultural industries. It offers the potential to treat diseases that are at present poorly treated by enabling delivery direct to the diseased organ (e.g. eye - bacterial endophthalmitis). Completion of the project will also assist a fledgling biotech company transition to a development company with a multiple produ ....Study the Utility of Novel Drug Polymer Conjugates. The products likely to arise from the technology described in this proposal could have application in medical, veterinary and agricultural industries. It offers the potential to treat diseases that are at present poorly treated by enabling delivery direct to the diseased organ (e.g. eye - bacterial endophthalmitis). Completion of the project will also assist a fledgling biotech company transition to a development company with a multiple product portfolio, which will have a direct economic benefit to Australia both in terms of potential export earnings and as an employer highly skilled staff. The project will also provide research training and career opportunities for developing Australian based researchers.Read moreRead less
Development of a molecular flash memory for long-term, extremely high-capacity, unpowered data storage. This collaborative project with INTEL will demonstrate an array of Flash-RAM molecular-memory cells capable, at room temperature, of storing a terabit of data on an area of 2 square mm. This data density is more than four orders of magnitude greater than any commercially available technology and unattainable by conventional silicon-based electronics. We will design and optimize the memory cel ....Development of a molecular flash memory for long-term, extremely high-capacity, unpowered data storage. This collaborative project with INTEL will demonstrate an array of Flash-RAM molecular-memory cells capable, at room temperature, of storing a terabit of data on an area of 2 square mm. This data density is more than four orders of magnitude greater than any commercially available technology and unattainable by conventional silicon-based electronics. We will design and optimize the memory cell, develop the synthesis method, synthesize arrays of the memory cells, and develop new molecular addressing technologies.Read moreRead less
Synthesis and evaluation of anti-microbial porphyrin adducts for the targeted inhibition of Porphyromonas gingivalis. At present the effectiveness of therapy for inflammatory disease of the gum tissue (periodontitis) is limited by the lack of a selective anti-microbial agent. The investigators have discovered a novel mechanism of binding of the blood product porphyrin by a unique receptor of a key pathogen implicated in this disease. By exploiting this knowledge a modified porphyrin linked to an ....Synthesis and evaluation of anti-microbial porphyrin adducts for the targeted inhibition of Porphyromonas gingivalis. At present the effectiveness of therapy for inflammatory disease of the gum tissue (periodontitis) is limited by the lack of a selective anti-microbial agent. The investigators have discovered a novel mechanism of binding of the blood product porphyrin by a unique receptor of a key pathogen implicated in this disease. By exploiting this knowledge a modified porphyrin linked to an antibiotic was shown to have a selective effect on the target organism. Refinement of this complex has the potential to provide a clinically useful, selective agent.Read moreRead less
New methodology for the manufacture of opioid pharmaceuticals and the discovery of novel opiate receptor ligands. Semi-synthetic opiates are important analgesic agents and are used in the treatment of alcohol and opiate dependence. This project will focus on the application of new, greener and more efficient methods for the preparation of these medicinal agents.
Development of a Diversity-Oriented Synthesis Platform. Genomic, proteomic and other studies of the molecular basis of disease are providing a constant stream of biomolecular targets for drug discovery. Identifying suitable drugs candidates to affect these targets centres around procuring a suitable library of compounds for screening. This application addresses some of the key issues related to the development of appropriate compound libraries for such screening programs.