A sustainable cellular factory for the production of antibiotics by photosynthetic bacteria. The range and rate of natural product discovery is the limiting factor in developing new pharmaceuticals. Traditional methods for the screening of these compounds or for their chemical synthesis are rapidly becoming inadequate as an increasing number of specific therapies, for cancers and infectious diseases for instance, are required. The research proposed will enable the design and production of "unnat ....A sustainable cellular factory for the production of antibiotics by photosynthetic bacteria. The range and rate of natural product discovery is the limiting factor in developing new pharmaceuticals. Traditional methods for the screening of these compounds or for their chemical synthesis are rapidly becoming inadequate as an increasing number of specific therapies, for cancers and infectious diseases for instance, are required. The research proposed will enable the design and production of "unnatural" products, including novel antibiotics, via combinatorial biosynthesis in photosynthetic microorgansims. The outcomes include graduate student training and Australian innovation in an enormous global market that is awaiting the next generation of medicines and associated pharmaceutical production technologies.Read moreRead less
Enantioselective nitrilases from filamentous fungi. The optical characteristics (chirality) of chemical precursors are important for many fine chemicals. Chiral intermediates are in high demand by the pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries for the preparation of bulk drug intermediates and agricultural products. Nitriles are attractive starting points but their conversion to corresponding amides and carboxylic acids generates significant wastes. Their hydrolysis can be performed under mil ....Enantioselective nitrilases from filamentous fungi. The optical characteristics (chirality) of chemical precursors are important for many fine chemicals. Chiral intermediates are in high demand by the pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries for the preparation of bulk drug intermediates and agricultural products. Nitriles are attractive starting points but their conversion to corresponding amides and carboxylic acids generates significant wastes. Their hydrolysis can be performed under mild conditions by enzymes termed nitrilases. We will work on fungal nitrilases as they present a globally attractive, yet untapped commercial target. The outcome for Applimex will be a suite of biocatalysts specific for the production of key intermediates for drug and agrochemical syntheses.Read moreRead less
Genetic modification and lyophilisation of microorganisms for the generation of bacteriological internal quality controls. The development of internal quality control micro-organisms in precise numbers is necessary for the evolution of standard methodology in microbiology, which until now, remains obsolete, because it relies on inaccurate methods to produce quantitative and qualitative results. The research described here is largely based on molecular techniques to genetically tag micro-organism ....Genetic modification and lyophilisation of microorganisms for the generation of bacteriological internal quality controls. The development of internal quality control micro-organisms in precise numbers is necessary for the evolution of standard methodology in microbiology, which until now, remains obsolete, because it relies on inaccurate methods to produce quantitative and qualitative results. The research described here is largely based on molecular techniques to genetically tag micro-organisms with fluorescent proteins and pigment producing enzymes, and on the manipulation of growth and storage conditions to maximize the survival of micro-organisms during lyophilisation. Successful completion and application of the proposed project through existing patents owned by BTF, will revolutionise the way microbiological tests are performed worldwide.Read moreRead less
Engineering of anti-platelet antibodies for the diagnosis and therapy of infants with bleeding disorders. Foeto-maternal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (FMAIT) is a serious clinical condition where infants suffer potentially fatal bleeding disorders from 14 weeks gestation to 1-2 weeks post delivery. The cause of the disease is through maternal antibodies destroying foetal platelets. Our aim is to produce human antibodies, which will be used as diagnostic agents to screen for the condition in preg ....Engineering of anti-platelet antibodies for the diagnosis and therapy of infants with bleeding disorders. Foeto-maternal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (FMAIT) is a serious clinical condition where infants suffer potentially fatal bleeding disorders from 14 weeks gestation to 1-2 weeks post delivery. The cause of the disease is through maternal antibodies destroying foetal platelets. Our aim is to produce human antibodies, which will be used as diagnostic agents to screen for the condition in pregnant women, and to further develop such antibodies for therapy. Identification of mothers at risk of FMAIT and the development of a specific therapy are vital to the management and prevention of this serious condition.Read moreRead less
Improving the sustainability of Australia's water resources: an effective approach for diagnosing and treating foulants on water recycling membrane filters. By determining ways to diagnose and treat fouling problems we will have effectively solved a critical problem in the water recycling industry. By creating more efficient and sustainable ways of using water, we will transform the effectiveness of a wealth of Australian industries that increasingly rely on the efficient use of water (e.g. mini ....Improving the sustainability of Australia's water resources: an effective approach for diagnosing and treating foulants on water recycling membrane filters. By determining ways to diagnose and treat fouling problems we will have effectively solved a critical problem in the water recycling industry. By creating more efficient and sustainable ways of using water, we will transform the effectiveness of a wealth of Australian industries that increasingly rely on the efficient use of water (e.g. mining, agriculture, textiles, energy). By reducing the demand for water (by effectively recycling it), and the energy requirements (by efficiently recycling it), we will increase national wealth and provide significant social and environmental benefits to all Australians.Read moreRead less
Practical application of gene silencing: is delivery of long double stranded ribonucleic acid (dsRNA) by plant cells efficient in conferring host resistance to parasitic nematodes? Nematode that attack plants cause $120 billion of crop losses worldwide. Chemicals used for their control are being phased out because of environmental concerns, and natural resistance is limited. The aim of this project is to use Australian IP to develop a new form of resistance to nematodes based on knowledge of th ....Practical application of gene silencing: is delivery of long double stranded ribonucleic acid (dsRNA) by plant cells efficient in conferring host resistance to parasitic nematodes? Nematode that attack plants cause $120 billion of crop losses worldwide. Chemicals used for their control are being phased out because of environmental concerns, and natural resistance is limited. The aim of this project is to use Australian IP to develop a new form of resistance to nematodes based on knowledge of the host-pathogen interactions. A successful outcome could contribute an additional 5-20% increase in crop yields (depending on the crop) through inherent resistance of crops to nematode pests. This would benefit rural communities and the national economy, and could also generate international royalties.Read moreRead less
Targeted mining for new drugs against parasitic nematodes of animals - a synergy of integrated, frontier technologies and a committed partnership with industry. This project will: develop a quality scientific and technological program in national priority areas, leading to a strong basic research, new concepts and the enhanced international collaborative links; strengthen links between basic and applied research, and academia and industry; develop excellence via pan-Australian collaborations, re ....Targeted mining for new drugs against parasitic nematodes of animals - a synergy of integrated, frontier technologies and a committed partnership with industry. This project will: develop a quality scientific and technological program in national priority areas, leading to a strong basic research, new concepts and the enhanced international collaborative links; strengthen links between basic and applied research, and academia and industry; develop excellence via pan-Australian collaborations, resulting in a more efficient use of resources in a national and international context; enhance the skills-base in biology, biotechnology and bioinformatics; increase global visibility with increased investment in Australian science; improved animal welfare and production via better control of infectious diseases; commercial products with benefits to agricultural producers in regional and rural communities.Read moreRead less
Enhanced biocatalysis in organic solvents for pharmaceutical biotransformation. Enzymes such as hydrolases play an important role in biotechnology because of their extreme versatility with respect to substrate specificity and stereoselectivity. The use of lipases as catalysts for optical isomer-specific organic reactions is often limited by unacceptably low enantioselectivities. We will investigate recombinant enzymes cloned from thermophilic lipolytic bacteria for synthetic reactions in orga ....Enhanced biocatalysis in organic solvents for pharmaceutical biotransformation. Enzymes such as hydrolases play an important role in biotechnology because of their extreme versatility with respect to substrate specificity and stereoselectivity. The use of lipases as catalysts for optical isomer-specific organic reactions is often limited by unacceptably low enantioselectivities. We will investigate recombinant enzymes cloned from thermophilic lipolytic bacteria for synthetic reactions in organic solvents, especially chiral resolution of mixtures in the production of pharmaceutical intermediates. Genetic improvement of lipase enantiospecificity and regioselectivity will be achieved using in vitro evolution by recombination and screening. The outcome will be cost-effective production superior biocatalysts with specifically enhanced regiospecific, enantioselective and hydrolytic characteristics.
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Bayesian methodology for analysis of genome data with focus on the livestock industry. The aim is to develop statistical methods for the design and analysis of genome data with focus on the special needs of the livestock industry. This will significantly contribute to profitability, quality, genetic improvement and genetic knowledge in a key national industry, improve Australia's international and national profile in the key research area of bioinformatics, and encourage optimisation of current ....Bayesian methodology for analysis of genome data with focus on the livestock industry. The aim is to develop statistical methods for the design and analysis of genome data with focus on the special needs of the livestock industry. This will significantly contribute to profitability, quality, genetic improvement and genetic knowledge in a key national industry, improve Australia's international and national profile in the key research area of bioinformatics, and encourage optimisation of current information. Outcomes include a toolkit of applicable statistical methods, statistically valid algorithms, marketable methods for gene discovery, technology transfer, training and publications.Read moreRead less
Uncovering the genetic basis for saxitoxin production in Australian marine and freshwater systems: novel molecular tools for management. In Australia, toxic algal blooms have had a devastating impact on marine and freshwater resources. In collaboration with a biotechnology company, this project will use an innovative method to design a molecular genetic tool to monitor, research and potentially mitigate the effects of saxitoxin production on water supplies and aquaculture industries. In working ....Uncovering the genetic basis for saxitoxin production in Australian marine and freshwater systems: novel molecular tools for management. In Australia, toxic algal blooms have had a devastating impact on marine and freshwater resources. In collaboration with a biotechnology company, this project will use an innovative method to design a molecular genetic tool to monitor, research and potentially mitigate the effects of saxitoxin production on water supplies and aquaculture industries. In working with monitoring authorities throughout Australia, we will produce a specific, sensitive and cost-effective technology that will ultimately be applicable worldwide. Read moreRead less