Identification of genetic polymorphisms of synaptically expressed genes that contribute to variation in normal brain function. This project focuses on understanding brain functions. Brain and mind disorders are by far the largest contributors to the burden of disability, far exceeding any other disorder. This research will contribute to knowledge through addressing the national research priority promoting and maintaining good health. The research outcomes will form the scientific knowledge base ....Identification of genetic polymorphisms of synaptically expressed genes that contribute to variation in normal brain function. This project focuses on understanding brain functions. Brain and mind disorders are by far the largest contributors to the burden of disability, far exceeding any other disorder. This research will contribute to knowledge through addressing the national research priority promoting and maintaining good health. The research outcomes will form the scientific knowledge base essential for the translation of the project into public benefit through their application in development of new testing paradigms for a range of brain and mind disorders. Read moreRead less
Investigating differences in decision-making ability in older adults. This project aims to investigate how healthy ageing impacts decision making and its associated neural circuits using computation modelling and neurogenetic methods. Decision-making is a fundamental cognitive ability, allowing us to choose the best course of action. This project will investigate the relationship between genes and decision-making performance across the adult lifespan. Expected outcomes include a deeper understan ....Investigating differences in decision-making ability in older adults. This project aims to investigate how healthy ageing impacts decision making and its associated neural circuits using computation modelling and neurogenetic methods. Decision-making is a fundamental cognitive ability, allowing us to choose the best course of action. This project will investigate the relationship between genes and decision-making performance across the adult lifespan. Expected outcomes include a deeper understanding of how decision-making evolves in healthy ageing, and a tool based on genetic scores and computational modelling to predict an individual's trajectory of cognitive function. This could help identify individuals who are at risk for cognitive decline, which could then inform better interventions.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0561030
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$441,100.00
Summary
Developmental Imaging Facility. This application seeks to establish a facility to undertake expression profiling in vertebrate tissues on a genomic scale and at the highest resolution. Undertaking large scale projects of this nature requires specialised robotics and dedicated infrastructure for microscopy and tissue preparation. This facility will be the first of its type in Australia will permit researchers to perform genomic scale in situ screens, many as part of large international initiative ....Developmental Imaging Facility. This application seeks to establish a facility to undertake expression profiling in vertebrate tissues on a genomic scale and at the highest resolution. Undertaking large scale projects of this nature requires specialised robotics and dedicated infrastructure for microscopy and tissue preparation. This facility will be the first of its type in Australia will permit researchers to perform genomic scale in situ screens, many as part of large international initiatives in developmental and cellular biology. This large-scale, high-resolution expression profiling infrastructure is required to maintain international competitiveness and will dramatically improve our gene discovery, functional assessment and understanding of vertebrate development.Read moreRead less
Structure and function of a new class of multi-zinc finger (MZF) transcriptional regulators. An understanding of how genes are switched on and off during the development and lifetime of an organism is central to developing the ability to fight many diseases in a rational way. This project will advance our knowledge in this area at a fundamental molecular level by examining the mechanisms through which a specific set of proteins controls gene expression.
CD151 and functional overlap in tetraspanins. The applicants are currently world leaders in the tetraspanin field. This project will enhance existing international collaborations to maintain and increase the applicants', and hence Australia's, international standing in this field and Australia's reputation in cell and molecular biology in general.
The project will greatly increase our understanding of this important but poorly understood family of proteins. It will also provide training opport ....CD151 and functional overlap in tetraspanins. The applicants are currently world leaders in the tetraspanin field. This project will enhance existing international collaborations to maintain and increase the applicants', and hence Australia's, international standing in this field and Australia's reputation in cell and molecular biology in general.
The project will greatly increase our understanding of this important but poorly understood family of proteins. It will also provide training opportunities for postgraduate students in state-of-the-art approaches in biotechnology.Read moreRead less
Are neurobehavioural and neuromotor impairments associated with FMR1 gene expansion? The gene that causes Fragile X syndrome is found at the end of the X chromosome and is present in all humans. In many cases there is a small to medium change in this gene that may cause psychological and motor difficulties in later adulthood. The core aim of this project is to identify early age-related changes that would indicate later neurological decline.
Discovery and characterization of new classes of small regulatory RNAs in mammals. The project will reaffirm and enhance Australian leadership in the most rapidly developing area of molecular biological and genetic research, by the application of ultra high-throughput sequencing technologies to discovery of regulatory RNAs, thereby to identify the characteristics of important regulatory pathways that underpin mammalian development, brain function and species diversity. The results of this resear ....Discovery and characterization of new classes of small regulatory RNAs in mammals. The project will reaffirm and enhance Australian leadership in the most rapidly developing area of molecular biological and genetic research, by the application of ultra high-throughput sequencing technologies to discovery of regulatory RNAs, thereby to identify the characteristics of important regulatory pathways that underpin mammalian development, brain function and species diversity. The results of this research will have wide implications and applications in biotechnology, genetic engineering, animal breeding, medical science and advanced informatics.Read moreRead less
The major histocompatibility complex and scent-mediated mate choice in a Procellariiform, Gould's petrel. In Australia, there are 25 species of Procellariiformes listed as threatened or endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Formulating comprehensive conservation plans for endangered species requires a good understanding of the species' breeding biology yet virtually nothing is known about the mechanisms involved in mate choice in the procellariiforms ....The major histocompatibility complex and scent-mediated mate choice in a Procellariiform, Gould's petrel. In Australia, there are 25 species of Procellariiformes listed as threatened or endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Formulating comprehensive conservation plans for endangered species requires a good understanding of the species' breeding biology yet virtually nothing is known about the mechanisms involved in mate choice in the procellariiforms. A better understanding of the traits these long-lived birds use when choosing their lifelong breeding partner could greatly benefit conservation strategies designed to protect them. This could be particularly beneficial where translocation is an option because birds being translocated could be assessed for compatibility prior to translocation.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140101033
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$315,220.00
Summary
Genomic Diversity in the Human Brain: the Functional Role of Expandable DNA Repeats. Neuronal cells accumulate genetic changes during development and adult life, and recent evidence suggests that the resulting genomic diversity may underlie neuronal functional diversity. To date only a few types of somatic genetic variation have been characterised in the human brain. Trinucleotide repeats (TNR) are hotspots of genomic instability and TNR expansions at specific loci cause dozens of brain disorder ....Genomic Diversity in the Human Brain: the Functional Role of Expandable DNA Repeats. Neuronal cells accumulate genetic changes during development and adult life, and recent evidence suggests that the resulting genomic diversity may underlie neuronal functional diversity. To date only a few types of somatic genetic variation have been characterised in the human brain. Trinucleotide repeats (TNR) are hotspots of genomic instability and TNR expansions at specific loci cause dozens of brain disorders, suggesting that the human brain is particularly vulnerable to this type of genetic variation. This project aims to investigate, for the first time, TNR somatic instability in the human brain on a genome-wide scale, therefore, addressing the genetic diversity of the brain from a novel and highly relevant angle. Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE140100111
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$475,000.00
Summary
Expanding the Genomic Frontier - from Species to Strains and Individuals to Populations. Expanding the genomic frontier from species to strains and individuals to populations: The Ramaciotti Centre for Gene Function Analysis, a consortium of five universities, provides a large number of genomics and transcriptomics analyses. This project will establish an Ion Proton semiconductor-based sequencer and iScan platform to facilitate research breakthroughs in genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, an ....Expanding the Genomic Frontier - from Species to Strains and Individuals to Populations. Expanding the genomic frontier from species to strains and individuals to populations: The Ramaciotti Centre for Gene Function Analysis, a consortium of five universities, provides a large number of genomics and transcriptomics analyses. This project will establish an Ion Proton semiconductor-based sequencer and iScan platform to facilitate research breakthroughs in genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, and SNP analysis. Cell screening technology will also be established to allow the rapid analysis of cells of interest, prior to genomic / transcriptomic analysis. The increased data output, and concomitant reduction in analysis cost on the new platforms, will expand the genomics frontier, allowing researchers to fully analyse many strains from a single-celled species or many individuals from a population.Read moreRead less