Enzymatic synthesis, microencapsulation and biological evaluation of a new class of omega-3 derived functional food ingredients. Inflammatory mediated diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and Alzheimer's disease are major causes of death in Australia. Rates of these diseases are rising over time, partly due to poor diet including low consumption levels of healthy omega-3 fatty acids from fish. This project aims to develop healthy food ingredients from natu ....Enzymatic synthesis, microencapsulation and biological evaluation of a new class of omega-3 derived functional food ingredients. Inflammatory mediated diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and Alzheimer's disease are major causes of death in Australia. Rates of these diseases are rising over time, partly due to poor diet including low consumption levels of healthy omega-3 fatty acids from fish. This project aims to develop healthy food ingredients from naturally occurring omega-3 fatty acid derivatives that are more stable to oxidation and more biologically active than fish derived omega-3 fatty acids. The development of these omega-3 derivatives as functional food ingredients could provide an additional strategy for helping to prevent the rapid increase in inflammatory mediated diseases in the Australian population.Read moreRead less
Exploiting novel yeast attributes to produce industrial strains with better fermentative and processing qualities. Food and beverage fermentations are problematic processes, largely due to limitations of the yeast being used. This laboratory has indentified in individual yeast strains highly desirable fermentative characteristics or else the ability to over-produce compounds that benefit product processing. Pursuing the commercial potential of these findings is the specific objective of this pro ....Exploiting novel yeast attributes to produce industrial strains with better fermentative and processing qualities. Food and beverage fermentations are problematic processes, largely due to limitations of the yeast being used. This laboratory has indentified in individual yeast strains highly desirable fermentative characteristics or else the ability to over-produce compounds that benefit product processing. Pursuing the commercial potential of these findings is the specific objective of this proposal. Thus we will extend our collaboration with Coopers Brewery through this new project area with the aims of a) producing optimised, hybrid (non-GMO) strains with combinations of desirable fermentation properties, b) develop novel processing or quality-enhancing treatments while c) generating a high caliber PhD graduate with extensive industry experience.Read moreRead less
Role of alanine aminotransferase in improved nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in cereals. The use of nitrogen-based fertilisers by crop plants is poor where efficiencies (nitrogen taken up to that applied) is often less than 40%. Nitrogen not used is often lost to the environment through leaching and or volatilisation. Improving nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in agriculture will decrease overall nitrogen fertiliser use and minimise its environmental footprint. This project will characterise a nov ....Role of alanine aminotransferase in improved nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in cereals. The use of nitrogen-based fertilisers by crop plants is poor where efficiencies (nitrogen taken up to that applied) is often less than 40%. Nitrogen not used is often lost to the environment through leaching and or volatilisation. Improving nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in agriculture will decrease overall nitrogen fertiliser use and minimise its environmental footprint. This project will characterise a novel NUE technology that when transferred to plants significantly improves NUE. We will define the phenotype at the molecular, biochemical and physiological levels to maximise its adoption to other agricultural crops such as wheat, barley and maize.Read moreRead less
Characterisation of the oxygen-sensing asparaginyl hydroxylase, FIH-1, and hydroxylase-specific antagonists. This research will provide fundamental information on how cells and whole organisms can sense and respond accordingly to oxygen deficiency. This information is fundamental for our understanding of embryo development and adult life in different environments, and central to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases such as stroke, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. This research will contrib ....Characterisation of the oxygen-sensing asparaginyl hydroxylase, FIH-1, and hydroxylase-specific antagonists. This research will provide fundamental information on how cells and whole organisms can sense and respond accordingly to oxygen deficiency. This information is fundamental for our understanding of embryo development and adult life in different environments, and central to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases such as stroke, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. This research will contribute to our basic knowledge of these processes, provide invaluable information about the specific genes and proteins involved, and provide direct information about the therapeutic potential of specific drugs or inhibitors designed to target this oxygen response in human disease.Read moreRead less
Regulation of Cellulose Biosynthesis in Commercially Important Cereal Crop Species. The long term strategic research alliance with DuPont Pioneer will lead to the development of breakthrough science in emerging technologies that are relevant: a) to agricultural production, b) to human health and c) to renewable bio-fuel production from crop residues. The alliance will attract significant international investment in Australian research and foster an intellectual environment for world-class resear ....Regulation of Cellulose Biosynthesis in Commercially Important Cereal Crop Species. The long term strategic research alliance with DuPont Pioneer will lead to the development of breakthrough science in emerging technologies that are relevant: a) to agricultural production, b) to human health and c) to renewable bio-fuel production from crop residues. The alliance will attract significant international investment in Australian research and foster an intellectual environment for world-class research training of postgraduate students and postdoctoral scientists, in both a higher education and an industry context.Read moreRead less
Determining the regulation of vitamin D metabolism. The proposed project will lead to a better understanding of factors that influence the biological function of vitamin D. This will impact in several areas of human health and will provide new avenues for the development of preventative approaches and treatment of cancer. This project is based on the use of 'Frontier Technologies' that will be applied to elucidate basic biological questions.
Control points in nitrogen uptake: enhancing the response of cereals to nitrogen supply and demand. Vast amounts of nitrogen fertiliser are applied to cereal crops to maintain yields. By uncovering what limits nitrogen uptake in cereals, this project will provide the scientific basis for improving nitrogen use efficiency and decreasing fertiliser use, with significant economic and environmental benefits.
Physiology and genetics of barley grain germination in the malting and brewing industries. An international research team will provide new scientific information on barley grain germination. This detailed basic knowledge will be immediately applied in breeding programs that are aimed at improving malting and brewing quality in a commercial context. At the same time, the industry's carbon footprint will be significantly reduced.
Exploring genetic diversity to identify new heat tolerance genes in wheat. This project aims to improve the selection and development of heat-tolerant wheat varieties. Heatwaves seriously reduce wheat yields worldwide, and the situation will worsen with climate variation. This project aims to apply a broad genetic scan to identify the main chromosome regions controlling heat tolerance at the sensitive flowering stage in Australian and European wheat varieties. It is expected that this knowledge ....Exploring genetic diversity to identify new heat tolerance genes in wheat. This project aims to improve the selection and development of heat-tolerant wheat varieties. Heatwaves seriously reduce wheat yields worldwide, and the situation will worsen with climate variation. This project aims to apply a broad genetic scan to identify the main chromosome regions controlling heat tolerance at the sensitive flowering stage in Australian and European wheat varieties. It is expected that this knowledge will deliver crucial breeders’ tools to select heat-tolerant varieties. The project also aims to identify genes most likely to control tolerance at these chromosome locations using gene expression profiling data, trait associations and knowledge of heat-tolerance genes from other species. It is expected that these genes will reveal molecular mechanisms of heat tolerance and create new opportunities to engineer superior levels of tolerance in cereals.Read moreRead less
Development of biosensors and bioindicators for gold exploration and processing in Australia. In times of increasing demand for gold and shrinking rates of discovery in Australia, biosensor and bioindicator techniques deliver significant advantages to the Australian mining industry and allow it to retain its international competiveness. The new understanding of the biogeochemical behaviour of gold in soils and other weathered materials developed in a previous ARC Linkage Project enables the deve ....Development of biosensors and bioindicators for gold exploration and processing in Australia. In times of increasing demand for gold and shrinking rates of discovery in Australia, biosensor and bioindicator techniques deliver significant advantages to the Australian mining industry and allow it to retain its international competiveness. The new understanding of the biogeochemical behaviour of gold in soils and other weathered materials developed in a previous ARC Linkage Project enables the development of biosensor and bioindicator technology that will allow mineral explorers to differentiate mineralised from non-mineralised zones using specific (meta) genomic community responses. The new technology will provide cost-efficient and environmentally sustainable techniques for improving exploration success and optimising ore processing.Read moreRead less