Health And Fertility Of Young Men Conceived Using Intra-cytoplasmic Sperm Injection
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$362,570.00
Summary
The injection of a single sperm into the egg (ICSI) has been the main IVF treatment for men with poor sperm quality since 1993 but is now often used for other types of infertility. Concern has been raised about the health of the children. We will approach >800 parents and their adult sons conceived using ICSI and will assess his general health and development, and fertility. This work will improve patient counselling and practice guidelines, and direct research into the safety of ICSI.
A Longitudinal Study Of Psychopathology In People With Intellectual Disability
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$999,803.00
Summary
This project will further develop the research opportunities of an internationally unique 15 year follow up study of the mental health of young Australians with ID. We have shown that this group has 2-3 times the risk of suffering serious emotional and behavioural problems that are an added heavy burden on the individual, their family and carers and the community. These problems often are not recognised but are as common as schizophrenia in the community. The study will continue to use a combina ....This project will further develop the research opportunities of an internationally unique 15 year follow up study of the mental health of young Australians with ID. We have shown that this group has 2-3 times the risk of suffering serious emotional and behavioural problems that are an added heavy burden on the individual, their family and carers and the community. These problems often are not recognised but are as common as schizophrenia in the community. The study will continue to use a combination of questionnaire survey and in depth interviews of the young adults and their families or carers to track the course of their mental health. The study commenced in 1990 with nearly 1000 young people with ID aged 4-18 years and their progress has been reviewed every 2-3 years in over 75% of the original group. During the next 5 years we plan to follow their mental health during the critical stage of young adult life. During this time there is the greatest risk of mental illnesses such as depression and schizophrenia and the stresses of adjusting to new daily occupations, independent living or residential care and social contact away from the family. We will be able to study the specific emotional and behavioural problems faced by young adults with the main known causes of ID such as Down, Fragile X, Prader Willi and William Syndromes, as well as those who have autism. The great benefit of a long term follow up study is that it allows us to study the links between earlier family environmental, psychological and biological factors and subsequent mental health problems. We can also demonstrate the impact that mental illness in a young person with ID has on the family and parental mental health. The findings have implications for better diagnosis, improved care and management, early intervention and prevention of these common severe and under recognized mental health problems in this disadvantaged group of young Australians and their families and carers.Read moreRead less
Genetic control of floral architecture. Different flowers have different designs, and so the design must ultimately be controlled by genes. We have identified a gene that keeps sepals separate, and promotes the initiation of petals. We think it does this by a novel growth suppression mechanism, and will now deduce its molecular and cellular basis. This will help maintain Australia's strength in fundamental plant biology. Also, by understanding how sepals and petals arise in a model laboratory sp ....Genetic control of floral architecture. Different flowers have different designs, and so the design must ultimately be controlled by genes. We have identified a gene that keeps sepals separate, and promotes the initiation of petals. We think it does this by a novel growth suppression mechanism, and will now deduce its molecular and cellular basis. This will help maintain Australia's strength in fundamental plant biology. Also, by understanding how sepals and petals arise in a model laboratory species, we can generalise for many species, including economic plants. Thus it may be possible to make designer crops through targeted genetic changes to their floral structure.Read moreRead less
Control of plant organ development by the PETAL LOSS gene of Arabidopsis. We have discovered a new gene in the model laboratory plant Arabidopsis thaliana that is involved in sepal and petal development. It encodes a transcription factor that apparently acts by repressing growth in the inter-sepal zone of flowers where petals arise. We now aim to determine how this growth suppression occurs, and whether it extends to leaves where the gene is also expressed. Control of the initiation and sculptur ....Control of plant organ development by the PETAL LOSS gene of Arabidopsis. We have discovered a new gene in the model laboratory plant Arabidopsis thaliana that is involved in sepal and petal development. It encodes a transcription factor that apparently acts by repressing growth in the inter-sepal zone of flowers where petals arise. We now aim to determine how this growth suppression occurs, and whether it extends to leaves where the gene is also expressed. Control of the initiation and sculpturing of plant organs by site-specific inhibition of growth is a newly discovered mechanism that may be useful in manipulating plant architecture.Read moreRead less
Understanding how auxin and dorsoventral patterning are coordinated in plants. This study will help reveal for the first time how the outgrowth of leaves, flowers and floral organs is coordinated by tissue patterning genes and the plant growth hormone auxin. All plants grow in this way, and our findings, made using a model laboratory plant, will be applicable to crop species as well. Thus we will both expand our core knowledge of how multicellular organisms are constructed, and also generate pos ....Understanding how auxin and dorsoventral patterning are coordinated in plants. This study will help reveal for the first time how the outgrowth of leaves, flowers and floral organs is coordinated by tissue patterning genes and the plant growth hormone auxin. All plants grow in this way, and our findings, made using a model laboratory plant, will be applicable to crop species as well. Thus we will both expand our core knowledge of how multicellular organisms are constructed, and also generate possibilities for modifying the patterns of leaf and flower development in agricultural and horticultural species. Crops with larger leaves, or flowers of different structure, may result.Read moreRead less
Chromosomes are structures that carry genes in all our cells. Every human cell has 46 chromosomes. In the nucleus of eukaryotic cells, DNA is highly folded and compacted with specific proteins into a dynamic polymer called chromatin. Gene expression, chromosome division, DNA replication, and repair all act, not on DNA alone, but on this chromatin template. The discovery that enzymes can (re)organise chromatin into accessible and inaccessible configurations revealed mechanisms that considerably e ....Chromosomes are structures that carry genes in all our cells. Every human cell has 46 chromosomes. In the nucleus of eukaryotic cells, DNA is highly folded and compacted with specific proteins into a dynamic polymer called chromatin. Gene expression, chromosome division, DNA replication, and repair all act, not on DNA alone, but on this chromatin template. The discovery that enzymes can (re)organise chromatin into accessible and inaccessible configurations revealed mechanisms that considerably extend the information potential of the genetic code. In addition, it is now established that chromatin structural features can influence gene expression. In vitro studies support a model in which chromatin functions as a barrier for the access to DNA. Therefore this organization has to be tighly regulated and dynamic to allow the protein-DNA interactions critical for nuclear functions. Importantly genome organisation provides in addition to genetic information another layer of information, so called epigenetic, which by definition means that it is stably inherited throughout cellular divisions, yet it is not encoded genetically. Thus each cell type will display a specific epigenome. We have recently constructed small human minichromosomes, which are much easier to study than the much larger normal chromosomes. The present project proposes to define the epigenetic feature across an entire human chromosome using our minichhromosomes as working models. The outcome will be a significant gain in our knowledge on the processes underlying epigenetic regulation, the organisation of specialised chromatin domain, and behaviour of the chromosomes.Read moreRead less
Adaptive Evolution of BRCA1 in Ancestral Mammals. This project investigates adaptive evolution of BRCA1 in the early radiation of mammals. We will test the hypothesis that the evolution of mammary glands and X chromosome inactivation has resulted in modification of the BRCA1 protein sequence as it aquired new roles in these processes. We will also investigate the importance of these changes inducing compensatory changes in other parts of the protein.
A new energy absorption system for brain injury mitigation. This research aims to propose and investigate a next generation high-energy absorbing helmet pad that will protect the Australian Defence Force soldiers against both ballistic and blast threats. New fundamental knowledge in the area of high-energy absorbing metamaterials will be obtained by using numerical modelling and experimental studies. The expected outcomes of the project include the development of a new wearable energy absorbing ....A new energy absorption system for brain injury mitigation. This research aims to propose and investigate a next generation high-energy absorbing helmet pad that will protect the Australian Defence Force soldiers against both ballistic and blast threats. New fundamental knowledge in the area of high-energy absorbing metamaterials will be obtained by using numerical modelling and experimental studies. The expected outcomes of the project include the development of a new wearable energy absorbing pad which can be used as the next generation combat helmet liners and accessories. The novel high-performance energy absorption system will have a wide range of direct applications in future personal armour, as well as sports gears and elderly healthcare products.Read moreRead less
Taming the intruders: the domestication of Tigger transposable elements in mammals. It has become apparent that most of the DNA that makes us what we are is actually comprised of the remnants of invading parasitic DNA acquired over time. A continual battle exists between host which tries to silence or remove this DNA, and the parasite that tries to multiply and spread. We are currently investigating an intriguing aspect of this process that involves host genomes 'domesticating' parasitic DNA to ....Taming the intruders: the domestication of Tigger transposable elements in mammals. It has become apparent that most of the DNA that makes us what we are is actually comprised of the remnants of invading parasitic DNA acquired over time. A continual battle exists between host which tries to silence or remove this DNA, and the parasite that tries to multiply and spread. We are currently investigating an intriguing aspect of this process that involves host genomes 'domesticating' parasitic DNA to provide novel functions, thereby facilitating the evolution of specific characteristics within species.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354551
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$20,000.00
Summary
ARC Research Network for Renewable Energy. The proposed Research Network will integrate and coordinate the entire research field of renewable energy in Australia. This Network covers a diverse range of technologies, and includes all prominent researchers in the area of renewable energy in Australia. The Network is strengthened by the inclusion of key people from government agencies, industry, industry associations and international research organisations.
Australia is a leading player in the ....ARC Research Network for Renewable Energy. The proposed Research Network will integrate and coordinate the entire research field of renewable energy in Australia. This Network covers a diverse range of technologies, and includes all prominent researchers in the area of renewable energy in Australia. The Network is strengthened by the inclusion of key people from government agencies, industry, industry associations and international research organisations.
Australia is a leading player in the world's renewable energy industry. An effective structure for networking and for the exchange of people, information and research results will maintain and improve Australia's position in this rapidly growing industry.Read moreRead less