Development of efficient CRISPR gene drives in mice. This project aims to generate new tools for vertebrate pest management through development of cutting-edge gene drive technology in mice. Vertebrate pests cost Australia over $1 billion each year in agricultural losses and environmental damage and novel strategies are required to tackle this challenge. Newly developed “gene drives”, which can rapidly spread through populations, have enormous potential for the sustained management and even erad ....Development of efficient CRISPR gene drives in mice. This project aims to generate new tools for vertebrate pest management through development of cutting-edge gene drive technology in mice. Vertebrate pests cost Australia over $1 billion each year in agricultural losses and environmental damage and novel strategies are required to tackle this challenge. Newly developed “gene drives”, which can rapidly spread through populations, have enormous potential for the sustained management and even eradication of pests. This project aims to develop gene drive technology in mice as a prototypical vertebrate pest species. The project will potentially deliver valuable tools that directly impact Australia’s Science and Research Priority on Food.Read moreRead less
Potential of gene drives to eliminate incursions of Drosophila suzukii. This project aims to test the efficacy and evolutionary stability of different types of gene drives, and model whether gene drives can be used to eliminate incursions of Drosophila suzukii into Australia. It is now possible to use genome editing technology to alter populations of organisms using ‘gene drives’. Multiple strategies have been conceived with a major distinction between those that aim to eliminate populations ver ....Potential of gene drives to eliminate incursions of Drosophila suzukii. This project aims to test the efficacy and evolutionary stability of different types of gene drives, and model whether gene drives can be used to eliminate incursions of Drosophila suzukii into Australia. It is now possible to use genome editing technology to alter populations of organisms using ‘gene drives’. Multiple strategies have been conceived with a major distinction between those that aim to eliminate populations versus those that aim to modify populations. This project will examine these strategies in two fly species, the model, Drosophila melanogaster and the devastating pest of horticulture, Drosophila suzukii. The project expects to assess a gene drive strategy to control the invasive pest that threatens the Australian soft-skinned fruit industries.Read moreRead less
High-resolution multiscale modelling of pandemics: COVID-19 and beyond. The project aims to develop high-resolution computational models for pandemic mitigation and control, focussing on the novel coronavirus and its emerging variants, and leveraging demographic, genomic and epidemiological data. It expects to rigorously compare multi-scale effects of complex vaccination and social distancing strategies and quantify optimal responses under the COVID-19 induced uncertainty. The intended outcomes ....High-resolution multiscale modelling of pandemics: COVID-19 and beyond. The project aims to develop high-resolution computational models for pandemic mitigation and control, focussing on the novel coronavirus and its emerging variants, and leveraging demographic, genomic and epidemiological data. It expects to rigorously compare multi-scale effects of complex vaccination and social distancing strategies and quantify optimal responses under the COVID-19 induced uncertainty. The intended outcomes include computational models of how the most infectious viral variants emerge and spread in presence of interventions, how to predict the outbreaks, and which are the most vulnerable communities. This should make a significant economic and social impact, improving population health while maintaining a resilient economy.Read moreRead less
Quantifying emergence and dynamics of foodborne epidemics in Australia. The project aims to greatly improve the accuracy and scope of computational epidemiological models predicting emergence and evolution of foodborne diseases in Australia. It expects to reveal key pathways for both biological evolution of microorganisms, and their spread though food supply chains and human interactions. The intended outcomes include discovering how the most dominant strains of foodborne infection emerge and se ....Quantifying emergence and dynamics of foodborne epidemics in Australia. The project aims to greatly improve the accuracy and scope of computational epidemiological models predicting emergence and evolution of foodborne diseases in Australia. It expects to reveal key pathways for both biological evolution of microorganisms, and their spread though food supply chains and human interactions. The intended outcomes include discovering how the most dominant strains of foodborne infection emerge and self-organise in complex networks, how to predict and contain the epidemics closer to their source, and which are the most vulnerable groups and communities. This should make a significant economic and social impact, improving health of the population, while also safeguarding national and international supply chains.Read moreRead less
Optimising plant populations for ecological restoration and resilience. When choosing individual plants for restoration populations, there is potentially a trade-off between maximising genetic diversity (‘adaptability’) and selection for desirable properties (‘adaptation’). This project aims to develop pioneering methods to quantify this trade-off, and facilitate the design of optimised populations, with a focus on two Australian rainforest trees that are being impacted by myrtle rust infection: ....Optimising plant populations for ecological restoration and resilience. When choosing individual plants for restoration populations, there is potentially a trade-off between maximising genetic diversity (‘adaptability’) and selection for desirable properties (‘adaptation’). This project aims to develop pioneering methods to quantify this trade-off, and facilitate the design of optimised populations, with a focus on two Australian rainforest trees that are being impacted by myrtle rust infection: Rhodamnia argentea and Rhodamnia rubescens. By studying the genetic variation in each species, and how this relates to myrtle rust resistance and climate, this project aims to design populations that are genetically diverse, maximally resistant to myrtle rust, and adapted to future climate.Read moreRead less
Some like it hot: invasive species, hybridisation, and a warming world. Temperatures are rising and invasive species are becoming more prevalent. This project aims to understand how climate change and hybridisation between exotic and native marine species leads to rapid adaptation. Using integrative approaches from genomics and physiology and focusing on Australian blue mussels, this proposal will test leading hypotheses about how climate change and hybridisation can enable rapid adaptation and ....Some like it hot: invasive species, hybridisation, and a warming world. Temperatures are rising and invasive species are becoming more prevalent. This project aims to understand how climate change and hybridisation between exotic and native marine species leads to rapid adaptation. Using integrative approaches from genomics and physiology and focusing on Australian blue mussels, this proposal will test leading hypotheses about how climate change and hybridisation can enable rapid adaptation and the spread of exotic species. Outcomes will include strategies for minimising impacts of invasive mussels and boosting warm-temperature adaptation in aquaculture mussels and restored shellfish reefs. This project will yield fundamental insights into how marine species can quickly adapt to warming seas.Read moreRead less
Development of genetic technology for rodent population suppression. Vertebrate pests cost Australia over $1 billion each year in agricultural losses and environmental damage and novel strategies are urgently required to tackle this massive challenge. Newly proposed “gene drives”, which might rapidly spread through populations, have enormous potential for the sustained management and even eradication of pests. Through innovative application of cutting-edge genome editing approaches, this proposa ....Development of genetic technology for rodent population suppression. Vertebrate pests cost Australia over $1 billion each year in agricultural losses and environmental damage and novel strategies are urgently required to tackle this massive challenge. Newly proposed “gene drives”, which might rapidly spread through populations, have enormous potential for the sustained management and even eradication of pests. Through innovative application of cutting-edge genome editing approaches, this proposal aims to develop gene drive technology in mice as a prototypical vertebrate pest species. We will also develop cutting-edge mathematical models of rodent gene drives to identify crucial parameters for efficacious employment and investigate potential for impact on non-target populations.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230100257
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$446,857.00
Summary
Molecular biosecurity: Genomic databanks for managing new pest invasions. This project aims to develop a set of genomics-based approaches for analysing new pest invasions. By producing and analysing genomic databanks for four insect pest species, including three that have recently invaded Australia, this project expects to identify invasion origins and to track new pest incursions within Australia. The project should also provide insights into pest ecology, including movement rates and populatio ....Molecular biosecurity: Genomic databanks for managing new pest invasions. This project aims to develop a set of genomics-based approaches for analysing new pest invasions. By producing and analysing genomic databanks for four insect pest species, including three that have recently invaded Australia, this project expects to identify invasion origins and to track new pest incursions within Australia. The project should also provide insights into pest ecology, including movement rates and population change over time. This information can enable more efficient deployment of biosecurity resources and pave the way for genomics to be used pre-emptively to stop new invasions. This can help make genomics a go-to response to new pest invasions and position Australia at the forefront of genomics-based pest biosecurity.Read moreRead less
Predicting adaptation and range expansion under climate change. This project investigates the repeatability and thereby the predictability of adaptation to climate change by leveraging 1000 genomes sampled over 150 years and multiple climatic gradients in the rapidly adapting, globally invasive, and highly allergenic ragweed. We expect to deepen our understanding of the genetic basis of adaptation and decipher the circumstances under which adaptive genetic change is repeatable, by integrating a ....Predicting adaptation and range expansion under climate change. This project investigates the repeatability and thereby the predictability of adaptation to climate change by leveraging 1000 genomes sampled over 150 years and multiple climatic gradients in the rapidly adapting, globally invasive, and highly allergenic ragweed. We expect to deepen our understanding of the genetic basis of adaptation and decipher the circumstances under which adaptive genetic change is repeatable, by integrating a novel evolutionary model with genomic data. We will develop the capacity to predict species’ distributions and trait evolution under climate change using a powerful empirical dataset. This will provide us with the capacity to anticipate and manage the effects of climate change on noxious and threatened species.Read moreRead less
Neurovascular pericytes in development and brain regeneration. The brain is responsible for a quarter of the body’s metabolism and is thus perfused by an extensive network of blood vessels. Pericytes surround these vessels and interact with neurons, glia, immune cells and neural stem cells of the neurovascular unit. Pericytes influence brain development, function and regeneration but remain enigmatic. This project investigates molecular control of pericyte development, functional coupling of per ....Neurovascular pericytes in development and brain regeneration. The brain is responsible for a quarter of the body’s metabolism and is thus perfused by an extensive network of blood vessels. Pericytes surround these vessels and interact with neurons, glia, immune cells and neural stem cells of the neurovascular unit. Pericytes influence brain development, function and regeneration but remain enigmatic. This project investigates molecular control of pericyte development, functional coupling of pericytes with adjacent cells and pericyte function in tissue regeneration. We aim to produce new fundamental knowledge in brain development, structure, function and evolution. New knowledge generated here may lead to future approaches in stem cell biology, tissue engineering, regeneration and ageing of the brain. Read moreRead less