Male Infertility And Defective Sperm-oocyte Interaction
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$244,614.00
Summary
Infertility affects 15% of people and although not usually ill, they are extremely distressed by the condition. In vitro fertilisation (IVF) with normal sperm and intracytoplasmic sperm injection for sperm defects, can assist such patients have a family, but these treatments are expensive and not always successful. The causes of male infertility are largely unknown, diagnostic methods are crude and there is usually no treatment to promote natural conception. Conventional semen analysis provides ....Infertility affects 15% of people and although not usually ill, they are extremely distressed by the condition. In vitro fertilisation (IVF) with normal sperm and intracytoplasmic sperm injection for sperm defects, can assist such patients have a family, but these treatments are expensive and not always successful. The causes of male infertility are largely unknown, diagnostic methods are crude and there is usually no treatment to promote natural conception. Conventional semen analysis provides limited information on fertilising ability. Our work over 15 years has shown that many patients go undiagnosed, particularly those with defects impairing fertilisation. During human fertilisation, sperm bind to the zona pellucida, a coat around the egg, via the membrane over a cap like structure on the sperm head called the acrosome. Binding of a sperm triggers the acrosome reaction, the process by which the membranes covering the acrosome fuse and the acrosomal contents are released. The sperm then penetrates the zona pellucida, binds to the membrane of the egg and is taken into the cytoplasm. We have developed tests to assess sperm binding to the zona pellucida and the acrosome reaction using eggs that failed to fertilise during clinical IVF. These tests show defects of sperm binding to the zona pellucida and the zona pellucida induced acrosome reaction are present in over 25% of patients without other obvious causes for their infertility. The men are severely infertile but have normal sperm by conventional tests. In this project we will determine if there are changes in membrane proteins in sperm which do not bind to the zona pellucida or undergo the acrosome reaction. We will categorise patients on the responses of their sperm to activation of key enzymes and other regulatory molecules involved in the fertilisation process. This will allow us to select subjects for further examination of protein abnormalities and genetic causes of the conditions.Read moreRead less
Discovery And Mechanisms Of Host Cell Factors In HIV Uncoating
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$635,098.00
Summary
HIV entry into the host cell involves release of its capsid, a protein shell protecting the viral genome. The capsid hijacks host proteins to cloak itself from cellular defenses while the cell has evolved sensors that can block viral infection. This proposal aims to discover proteins involved in this arms race between host and virus and decipher how they control capsid disassembly. This insight will help design new drugs against HIV infection and new ways to deliver genes for gene therapies.
Engaging Augmented Reality on 3D Head Up Displays to Reduce Risky Driving. This project aims to reduce risky driving behaviours through novel augmented reality applications for three-dimensional head-up displays, making safe driving more engaging so that drivers will take less risk. Over 1 million people are killed and 50 million are seriously injured on roads each year worldwide. Risky driving behaviours (speeding and distracted driving) are major causes. This project intends to produce novel i ....Engaging Augmented Reality on 3D Head Up Displays to Reduce Risky Driving. This project aims to reduce risky driving behaviours through novel augmented reality applications for three-dimensional head-up displays, making safe driving more engaging so that drivers will take less risk. Over 1 million people are killed and 50 million are seriously injured on roads each year worldwide. Risky driving behaviours (speeding and distracted driving) are major causes. This project intends to produce novel in-car interaction design implementations, provide important visual design guidelines for future display technologies, and provide novel road safety interventions.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140101542
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$395,220.00
Summary
Risky Gadgets to the Rescue: Designing Personal Ubicomp Devices to Foster Safer Driving Behaviours in Young Males. Young males are over-represented in road crashes. Part of the problem is their proneness to boredom, a hardwired personality factor that can lead to risky driving or distractions. This project aims to design innovative ubiquitous computing technologies that make safe driving more stimulating and pleasurable. This research will inform the future design of personal ubiquitous devices ....Risky Gadgets to the Rescue: Designing Personal Ubicomp Devices to Foster Safer Driving Behaviours in Young Males. Young males are over-represented in road crashes. Part of the problem is their proneness to boredom, a hardwired personality factor that can lead to risky driving or distractions. This project aims to design innovative ubiquitous computing technologies that make safe driving more stimulating and pleasurable. This research will inform the future design of personal ubiquitous devices that pose a threat to road safety, by replacing the stimuli from risky driving with safer stimuli and simulating risk to increase risk perception when it is actually not present. This project aims to reduce risky driving behaviours, and, in the process, advance our knowledge about the role of boredom in the road safety context.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190101151
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$398,000.00
Summary
Designing augmented eating interfaces to promote mindful eating. This project aims to develop and test novel augmented eating interfaces in order to address the contradiction between the concept of mindful eating (no distractions) and the reality of screen cultures (eating with screens). Eating while watching screens can be problematic because it can cause overeating, which can manifest into bigger health concerns such as obesity and heart disease. This project expects to generate new knowledge ....Designing augmented eating interfaces to promote mindful eating. This project aims to develop and test novel augmented eating interfaces in order to address the contradiction between the concept of mindful eating (no distractions) and the reality of screen cultures (eating with screens). Eating while watching screens can be problematic because it can cause overeating, which can manifest into bigger health concerns such as obesity and heart disease. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the field of human-food interaction. It presents two new augmented eating systems and a socio-technological study of these systems in use within Australian households. The expected outcomes include a framework on how to design interactive systems that encourage mindful eating without compromising the pleasures of screen-based media and the eating experience, and a greater theoretical understanding of how to support mindful eating in everyday practice.Read moreRead less
Co-designing Innovations in Digital Storytelling with Older Adults. This project aims to investigate how emerging technologies can be leveraged to provide innovative ways for older adults to create and share their life stories to foster social wellbeing. Later life can be a time of considerable change, leaving people feeling disconnected from the people, places, and life events that are important to them. Autobiographical storytelling can help create links with one's past, but little is known ab ....Co-designing Innovations in Digital Storytelling with Older Adults. This project aims to investigate how emerging technologies can be leveraged to provide innovative ways for older adults to create and share their life stories to foster social wellbeing. Later life can be a time of considerable change, leaving people feeling disconnected from the people, places, and life events that are important to them. Autobiographical storytelling can help create links with one's past, but little is known about how technologies such as digital games and virtual reality can be used to enable older adults to share stories about their lives in a way that supports ongoing social interactions. This project is expected to co-design new forms of digital storytelling to improve social wellbeing of older adults. Read moreRead less