Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0883030
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$450,000.00
Summary
High-Resolution Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) Platform for Characterisation at the Nanometre-Level. The Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) is designed to provide fundamental insights into physical and biological systems though characterisation and analysis of structures on nanometre length scales. This versatile instrument will support a wide range of research projects covering all four national research priorities. These range from the characterisation of ....High-Resolution Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) Platform for Characterisation at the Nanometre-Level. The Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) is designed to provide fundamental insights into physical and biological systems though characterisation and analysis of structures on nanometre length scales. This versatile instrument will support a wide range of research projects covering all four national research priorities. These range from the characterisation of light alloys to boost and intensify Australia's aluminium, magnesium and titanium alloy industries, to tissue engineering for the repair of human elastic tissues in skin, artery, bladder and lung, to the study of microtubules in plant cells for genetic manipulation of plants to withstand environmental stresses such as drought or salinity.Read moreRead less
Astrophotonics: exploiting a new technological frontier to probe back to the Dark Ages. Photonics, a key research strength in Australia, emerged from the telecommunications industry. But this exciting field has now begun to foster new scientific disciplines. One of the most recent is astrophotonics, a field at the interface of photonics and another Australian research strength, astronomy. Astrophotonics will deliver cutting-edge technologies to ensure Australia's astronomical lead in the next de ....Astrophotonics: exploiting a new technological frontier to probe back to the Dark Ages. Photonics, a key research strength in Australia, emerged from the telecommunications industry. But this exciting field has now begun to foster new scientific disciplines. One of the most recent is astrophotonics, a field at the interface of photonics and another Australian research strength, astronomy. Astrophotonics will deliver cutting-edge technologies to ensure Australia's astronomical lead in the next decade. These new facilities will serve as a vital stepping stone to the Giant Magellan Telescope, a $500M project promising enormous economic, engineering and scientific opportunities for Australia. Astrophotonics will also lead to innovative technology transfer to fields such as medical science, optical computing and sensor technology.Read moreRead less
Gamma-ray burst astronomy in the Swift era and beyond. The study of gamma-ray bursts is one of the most active and exciting fields in astrophysics, and touches on subjects that are of interest to all humans: e.g., to what extent was life on Earth shaped by cataclysmic explosions in our Galaxy? Australia's ROTSE-III telescope is the only facility in the southern hemisphere capable of rapidly (within 10 seconds) finding optical light from gamma-ray bursts. It will provide Australian astronomers ....Gamma-ray burst astronomy in the Swift era and beyond. The study of gamma-ray bursts is one of the most active and exciting fields in astrophysics, and touches on subjects that are of interest to all humans: e.g., to what extent was life on Earth shaped by cataclysmic explosions in our Galaxy? Australia's ROTSE-III telescope is the only facility in the southern hemisphere capable of rapidly (within 10 seconds) finding optical light from gamma-ray bursts. It will provide Australian astronomers with a competitive advantage in this high-profile field. The project will involve and inspire some of our best physics and engineering students.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0775546
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$370,000.00
Summary
Construction of the blue-arm of the ANU 2.3m telescope Wide-Field Spectrograph. The new blue and red arms of the WiFeS spectrograph on the SSO 2.3m telescope utilizes new optical techniques and advances in detector technology to provide unique capabilities for front-line research and student training. The novel integral field units on WiFeS extract spectra across the face of faint, distant galaxies enabling the dynamics of the stellar and gas content to be analysed in unprecedented detail. Anoth ....Construction of the blue-arm of the ANU 2.3m telescope Wide-Field Spectrograph. The new blue and red arms of the WiFeS spectrograph on the SSO 2.3m telescope utilizes new optical techniques and advances in detector technology to provide unique capabilities for front-line research and student training. The novel integral field units on WiFeS extract spectra across the face of faint, distant galaxies enabling the dynamics of the stellar and gas content to be analysed in unprecedented detail. Another important project will be to follow-up interesting objects discovered by the new SkyMapper telescope and establish those that need to be observed on 8 m telescopes such as Gemini, Magellan or VLT. Read moreRead less
Development of direct-write focussed electron beam processing techniques for nano-fabrication applications. The burgeoning disciplines of nanotechnology and biotechnology have the potential to deliver breakthroughs in science and engineering that will revolutionise many aspects of everyday life. Progress in these emerging fields, however, requires parallel advances in the techniques used to fabricate, manipulate and characterise materials and devices at the nanoscale. This project will provide s ....Development of direct-write focussed electron beam processing techniques for nano-fabrication applications. The burgeoning disciplines of nanotechnology and biotechnology have the potential to deliver breakthroughs in science and engineering that will revolutionise many aspects of everyday life. Progress in these emerging fields, however, requires parallel advances in the techniques used to fabricate, manipulate and characterise materials and devices at the nanoscale. This project will provide such enabling tools and fill a major gap in the research infrastructure urgently required by these exciting new technologies.Read moreRead less
Electro-active and migratory peptides in lipid bilayers: NMR and biophysical studies. All living things are characterized by the separation of inner space from the surrounding medium by a self-assembling membrane. Selective entry and exit of water, ions and solutes is a defining feature of each type of cell. Some proteins sense the voltage difference across the cell membrane and open or close in response to voltage changes. Others, like bacterial toxins assemble in the membrane as pores, while o ....Electro-active and migratory peptides in lipid bilayers: NMR and biophysical studies. All living things are characterized by the separation of inner space from the surrounding medium by a self-assembling membrane. Selective entry and exit of water, ions and solutes is a defining feature of each type of cell. Some proteins sense the voltage difference across the cell membrane and open or close in response to voltage changes. Others, like bacterial toxins assemble in the membrane as pores, while other peptides migrate across the membrane piggy-backing their peptide cargo. The aim is to understand the molecular mechanisms in examples of these membrane-active peptides and proteins with a view to enabling rational intervention into their operation in situ in normal and disease states.Read moreRead less
Development of a Novel and Quantitative Approach to Phase Imaging with Applications to Functional Nanomaterials. This project will improve and apply an innovative approach to obtaining phase information from electron microscopy images, currently being commercialised by IATIA Ltd. We will develop the approach so that it is fully quantitative, even at the nanoscale, and explore the effect of experimental parameters such as beam coherence, aberrations, specimen contamination and diffraction. We wil ....Development of a Novel and Quantitative Approach to Phase Imaging with Applications to Functional Nanomaterials. This project will improve and apply an innovative approach to obtaining phase information from electron microscopy images, currently being commercialised by IATIA Ltd. We will develop the approach so that it is fully quantitative, even at the nanoscale, and explore the effect of experimental parameters such as beam coherence, aberrations, specimen contamination and diffraction. We will apply the method to both physical and molecular nanomaterials, including a new class of self-organising molecules. Phase imaging can visualise the structures, polarities, charge and conductivity distributions in these materials and so assist in the development of new materials and devices.Read moreRead less
NMR studies of membrane proteins and peptides in novel amphiphilic mesophases. Membrane proteins are the next frontier in structural biology. Our goal is the structural and mechanistic characterization of the proteins and peptides from platypus venom and a cardiac potassium ion channel, HERG, that has a particular role in the suppression of cardiac arrhythmias. To do this we will refine and develop methods using amphiphilic mesophases and micelles and state-of-the-art NMR spectroscopy. Electrop ....NMR studies of membrane proteins and peptides in novel amphiphilic mesophases. Membrane proteins are the next frontier in structural biology. Our goal is the structural and mechanistic characterization of the proteins and peptides from platypus venom and a cardiac potassium ion channel, HERG, that has a particular role in the suppression of cardiac arrhythmias. To do this we will refine and develop methods using amphiphilic mesophases and micelles and state-of-the-art NMR spectroscopy. Electrophysiological analysis of ion channels and interactions with toxins will relate NMR structures to function. The NMR methodologies we develop will have broad applicability to membrane proteins in general.
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Protein chips for the high-throughput study of immune complexes by mass spectrometry. Mass spectrometry is a core enabling technology for proteomics with proteins identified by molecular weight, mass maps and sequencing within the confines of a mass spectrometer. We have found conditions under which it is possible to preserve and detect protein complexes by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry that has promising implications for the high-throughput screening of p ....Protein chips for the high-throughput study of immune complexes by mass spectrometry. Mass spectrometry is a core enabling technology for proteomics with proteins identified by molecular weight, mass maps and sequencing within the confines of a mass spectrometer. We have found conditions under which it is possible to preserve and detect protein complexes by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry that has promising implications for the high-throughput screening of protein-protein interactions. Technologies pioneered by the applicant will be advanced to achieve the high-throughput analysis of antibody complexes with native gel recovered protein antigens across emerging strains of the influenza virus by means of miniature protein chips.Read moreRead less
Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies of complex cellular responses: isotopomer sub-spaces, 'lost' ATP and 'tunable' anisotropy. Red blood cells (RBCs) transport oxygen around the body but they have other roles that are mediated by complex interconnecting metabolic pathways that generate myriad metabolites including ATP. A longstanding conundrum is the inability to account for ~60% of ATP turnover in human RBCs. Processes that may consume this 'lost' ATP, include autonomous motion of the cel ....Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies of complex cellular responses: isotopomer sub-spaces, 'lost' ATP and 'tunable' anisotropy. Red blood cells (RBCs) transport oxygen around the body but they have other roles that are mediated by complex interconnecting metabolic pathways that generate myriad metabolites including ATP. A longstanding conundrum is the inability to account for ~60% of ATP turnover in human RBCs. Processes that may consume this 'lost' ATP, include autonomous motion of the cell membrane called 'flickering', and maintenance of the biconcave-disc shape. NMR spectroscopy of quadrupolar nuclei in chiral aligned media, and isotopomer analysis will be used to define the kinetics of metabolism and membrane processes and thus help define the molecular basis of major blood disorders. Read moreRead less