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A microfluidic approach to study the mechanobiology of ageing blood vessels. This project aims to study the effect of the stiffening of ageing arteries in endothelial cells. It explores the changes that occur in endothelial cells using a unique microfluidic technology with tuneable wall stiffness to mimic the biophysical and biochemical properties of ageing arteries. The expected outcome is the identification of the cellular mechanisms that control endothelial responses to arterial stiffening. T ....A microfluidic approach to study the mechanobiology of ageing blood vessels. This project aims to study the effect of the stiffening of ageing arteries in endothelial cells. It explores the changes that occur in endothelial cells using a unique microfluidic technology with tuneable wall stiffness to mimic the biophysical and biochemical properties of ageing arteries. The expected outcome is the identification of the cellular mechanisms that control endothelial responses to arterial stiffening. This should provide the fundamental knowledge required to assist in the development of new therapies to tackle age-related conditions such as cardiovascular disease and dementia.Read moreRead less
Tuning the activating stimulus of voltage-gated sodium channels. This proposal aims to advance fundamental knowledge about how proteins (ion channels) found on the surface of neurons (brain cells and nerves) function as molecular conduits of cell-to-cell electrical communication. We aim to study how molecular probes and structural parts of these proteins affect the local chemical environment of ion channels, and how this leads to fine tuning of the ion channel's sensitivity to the stimulus that ....Tuning the activating stimulus of voltage-gated sodium channels. This proposal aims to advance fundamental knowledge about how proteins (ion channels) found on the surface of neurons (brain cells and nerves) function as molecular conduits of cell-to-cell electrical communication. We aim to study how molecular probes and structural parts of these proteins affect the local chemical environment of ion channels, and how this leads to fine tuning of the ion channel's sensitivity to the stimulus that activates them (cell membrane voltage).
The conceptual knowledge gained from this project would advance our understanding of a fundamental physiological process and facilitate the development of drugs that regulate ion channel function, such as anti-epileptics, analgesics and insecticides.Read moreRead less
Organising Intracellular Compartments by Formation of Transport Carriers. This project aims to investigate the cellular components which generate carriers that transport material between compartments within the cell. The process of sorting proteins and sending them to the right place is a fundamental mechanism critical to understand how individual proteins function as the move around within cells. The generated knowledge about how cells organise themselves through the movement of proteins betwee ....Organising Intracellular Compartments by Formation of Transport Carriers. This project aims to investigate the cellular components which generate carriers that transport material between compartments within the cell. The process of sorting proteins and sending them to the right place is a fundamental mechanism critical to understand how individual proteins function as the move around within cells. The generated knowledge about how cells organise themselves through the movement of proteins between endosomal intracellular compartments will provide significant benefits by enhancing our capacity to understand this conserved cellular pathway which ensures the integrity of all cellular processes including signalling, communication, homeostasis and development.Read moreRead less
An active ion transport pathway exploited by coronaviruses. Cells have active transport “pumps” that are regulators of a variety of cellular processes. This project aims to understand how a specific ion pump is exploited by coronaviruses when they infect animal cells. These studies will provide new mechanistic insights into how coronaviruses alter calcium signalling in cells and how a specific ion pump regulates a variety of key processes during coronavirus infection. This work will greatly enha ....An active ion transport pathway exploited by coronaviruses. Cells have active transport “pumps” that are regulators of a variety of cellular processes. This project aims to understand how a specific ion pump is exploited by coronaviruses when they infect animal cells. These studies will provide new mechanistic insights into how coronaviruses alter calcium signalling in cells and how a specific ion pump regulates a variety of key processes during coronavirus infection. This work will greatly enhance our understanding of the intersection between ion pumps and viruses.Read moreRead less
A new class of sodium channel toxin from ant venoms . Ants are diverse and ubiquitous and the ability of certain species to sting is familiar to many of us. Yet we know remarkably little about the chemistry underlying these stings. We recently discovered that the venoms of ants, including common Australian species, harbour a novel and unique class of sodium channel toxins. Building on this discovery, the aim of this project will be to perform an in-depth characterisation of the effects of these ....A new class of sodium channel toxin from ant venoms . Ants are diverse and ubiquitous and the ability of certain species to sting is familiar to many of us. Yet we know remarkably little about the chemistry underlying these stings. We recently discovered that the venoms of ants, including common Australian species, harbour a novel and unique class of sodium channel toxins. Building on this discovery, the aim of this project will be to perform an in-depth characterisation of the effects of these toxins on sodium channels and to uncover the diversity and breadth of this toxin class in ant venoms. The outcome of this project will be novel insights into the chemistry of ant venoms and new insights into sodium channel function.Read moreRead less
Regulation of activity-induced glutamate receptor trafficking in neurons. Neurons communicate via synapses, where chemicals (such as glutamate) are released to transmit neuronal signals. This proposal is aimed at understanding the molecular mechanisms of neuronal communication and adaptive plasticity, which are essential for normal brain function. The proposed research will combine biophysical, biochemical, molecular and cell biological assays to elucidate the role of a calcium binding protein i ....Regulation of activity-induced glutamate receptor trafficking in neurons. Neurons communicate via synapses, where chemicals (such as glutamate) are released to transmit neuronal signals. This proposal is aimed at understanding the molecular mechanisms of neuronal communication and adaptive plasticity, which are essential for normal brain function. The proposed research will combine biophysical, biochemical, molecular and cell biological assays to elucidate the role of a calcium binding protein in controlling glutamate receptor trafficking in neurons. The outcomes will enhance our understanding of how neural plasticity is generated and maintained, knowledge that is critical for our understanding of cellular correlates of information, sensory and motor processing, as well as learning, memory and cognition. Read moreRead less
How do apicomplexan parasites steal amino acids from their hosts? The single-celled parasites that cause malaria and toxoplasmosis are adept at stealing nutrients from the host animals that they infect. How they do this is, however, poorly understood. This project seeks to identify the processes by which these parasites scavenge amino acids, an essential class of nutrient, from their hosts. Using innovative experimental approaches, the project aims to identify and characterise the parasite prote ....How do apicomplexan parasites steal amino acids from their hosts? The single-celled parasites that cause malaria and toxoplasmosis are adept at stealing nutrients from the host animals that they infect. How they do this is, however, poorly understood. This project seeks to identify the processes by which these parasites scavenge amino acids, an essential class of nutrient, from their hosts. Using innovative experimental approaches, the project aims to identify and characterise the parasite proteins that mediate the uptake of different amino acids into the parasite. The intended outcomes of the project are to provide comprehensive insights into a fundamental aspect of parasite biology, and inform strategies to treat the diseases caused by these parasites by cutting off their nutrient supply.Read moreRead less
Function and evolution of insect odorant receptors. This project aims to shed light on how insect odorant receptors function by using comparative genomic studies between the genetic model insect Drosophila melanogaster and a pest species, the Australian sheep blowfly. This project expects to generate knowledge of how specific chemicals activate specific receptors in order to excite sensory neurons and drive behaviour, which is not well understood. Expected outcomes include increased understandin ....Function and evolution of insect odorant receptors. This project aims to shed light on how insect odorant receptors function by using comparative genomic studies between the genetic model insect Drosophila melanogaster and a pest species, the Australian sheep blowfly. This project expects to generate knowledge of how specific chemicals activate specific receptors in order to excite sensory neurons and drive behaviour, which is not well understood. Expected outcomes include increased understanding of olfaction in insects, increased national and international collaboration, and outstanding graduate student training. This research will be of significant future benefit in deriving methods to modify the behaviour of insects of agricultural or medical importance, for example the sheep blowfly. Read moreRead less
Discovering novel allosteric probes of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors. This project aims at fostering novel approaches to selectively target vital receptors in the human body, the muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs). By harnessing the design of receptor mutations, compounds synthesis and fluorescent imaging, the project expects to develop new pharmacological tools for a family of receptors essential for the life of all vertebrates. By enriching our understanding of this family of rec ....Discovering novel allosteric probes of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors. This project aims at fostering novel approaches to selectively target vital receptors in the human body, the muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs). By harnessing the design of receptor mutations, compounds synthesis and fluorescent imaging, the project expects to develop new pharmacological tools for a family of receptors essential for the life of all vertebrates. By enriching our understanding of this family of receptor, the project expects to provide significant benefits to the research field by impacting on future drug discovery efforts, not only at mAChRs, but at other structurally related receptors.Read moreRead less
A novel axis of cooperation between innate and adaptive immunity. The project aims to understand how two molecular components of the immune system, Complement and MHC, cooperate to protect the host. Further, these two molecules mediate trogocytosis, a little-studied form of intercellular communication, between two major immune cell types: dendritic cells and B cells. The project will be multidisciplinary, applying high-end microscopy, biochemistry, cell biology and immunology techniques. Person ....A novel axis of cooperation between innate and adaptive immunity. The project aims to understand how two molecular components of the immune system, Complement and MHC, cooperate to protect the host. Further, these two molecules mediate trogocytosis, a little-studied form of intercellular communication, between two major immune cell types: dendritic cells and B cells. The project will be multidisciplinary, applying high-end microscopy, biochemistry, cell biology and immunology techniques. Personnel will be trained in cutting-edge techniques. The project will expand knowledge on basic immunology and cell-cell cooperation. It will generate intellectual property for the biotechnology sector to develop new commercial products that might improve the health of humans and also animals of economic importance.Read moreRead less