Engineering nanomaterial interactions with the cell surface. This Fellowship aims to advance understanding of the endothelial cell surface, a key tissue barrier, and its interactions with nanomaterials. Enabled by cross-disciplinary collaboration, it expects to develop knowledge in matrix biology of the cell surface and materials as well as new methods to analyse their interactions. This is expected to unravel causal relationships between nanomaterial features and interactions at the cell surfac ....Engineering nanomaterial interactions with the cell surface. This Fellowship aims to advance understanding of the endothelial cell surface, a key tissue barrier, and its interactions with nanomaterials. Enabled by cross-disciplinary collaboration, it expects to develop knowledge in matrix biology of the cell surface and materials as well as new methods to analyse their interactions. This is expected to unravel causal relationships between nanomaterial features and interactions at the cell surface which will be integrated to engineer optimised materials. This will address the current and critical challenges of nanomaterial technologies in the efficient and targeted interactions with cells with long-term benefits for the consumer, biotechnology and healthcare sectors.Read moreRead less
T cell recognition and control of virus: the balance between T cell receptor diversity and degeneracy. T cells provide an important line of defence in the immune system's resistance against infectious diseases. However, changes to the T cell population during prolonged infection, and with age, can compromise the immune system's ability to fight effectively viral infections. The proposed research will greatly improve our understanding of the recognition and control of viral infections by T cells. ....T cell recognition and control of virus: the balance between T cell receptor diversity and degeneracy. T cells provide an important line of defence in the immune system's resistance against infectious diseases. However, changes to the T cell population during prolonged infection, and with age, can compromise the immune system's ability to fight effectively viral infections. The proposed research will greatly improve our understanding of the recognition and control of viral infections by T cells. The insights gained from this research will enable us to exploit key features of T cell responses to improve the outcome of viral infections in elderly individuals and to develop better vaccines for protection against a range of infectious diseases that affect the Australian population, including HIV and Hepatitis C.Read moreRead less
Targeting brain lipid homeostasis to treat Alzheimer's disease. Dementia affects approximately 250,000 people in Australia at an estimated cost (in 2002) of $6.6 billion per annum. The major cause of dementia (accounting for approximately 70% of all cases) is Alzheimer's disease (AD); a progressive neurodegenerative illness for which there is no curative or disease-stalling treatment. Due to increases in life expectancy, the incidence of AD is predicted to triple by 2050 unless disease-modifying ....Targeting brain lipid homeostasis to treat Alzheimer's disease. Dementia affects approximately 250,000 people in Australia at an estimated cost (in 2002) of $6.6 billion per annum. The major cause of dementia (accounting for approximately 70% of all cases) is Alzheimer's disease (AD); a progressive neurodegenerative illness for which there is no curative or disease-stalling treatment. Due to increases in life expectancy, the incidence of AD is predicted to triple by 2050 unless disease-modifying treatments are developed. This research program will provide novel realistic pharmaceutical approaches to treat AD. Even if the onset of AD could be delayed by a few years the personal and financial benefits would be enormous. The potential for this research to generate commercially viable Australian intellectual property is also significant.Read moreRead less
Investigation of novel mechanisms for the regulation of sperm-oocyte interactions. Through work with national and international collaborators, this project aims to provide unprecedented insights into how spermatozoa recognise and bind to an oocyte. The approach is based on strong preliminary data indicating that molecular chaperones play a key role in the functional remodelling of the spermatozoon by promoting the assembly of multimeric oocyte receptor complexes. Through the use of state-of-the ....Investigation of novel mechanisms for the regulation of sperm-oocyte interactions. Through work with national and international collaborators, this project aims to provide unprecedented insights into how spermatozoa recognise and bind to an oocyte. The approach is based on strong preliminary data indicating that molecular chaperones play a key role in the functional remodelling of the spermatozoon by promoting the assembly of multimeric oocyte receptor complexes. Through the use of state-of-the-art cell biology and proteomic technologies, the project aims to investigate how molecular chaperones orchestrate these changes and in doing so, improve understanding of the fertilisation cascade and open up new contraceptive strategies.Read moreRead less
Unraveling the role of N-acetyl-aspartate in normal brain function and disease. The purpose of this project is to define the role of the predominating brain chemical N-acetyl-aspartate for normal nerve cell function and as toxic agent causing neurological illness and severe mental health problems. Findings of this research will enhance the design of novel therapies involving pharmacological and genetic treatment.
Modelling the human nervous system with human pluripotent stem cells. The human nervous system is one of the most complex structures evolved to date. In order to understand how it functions, and dysfunctions in a diseased state, it is fundamental to decipher how it develops to generate various neuronal populations that form this elaborate network. Human stem cells provide a valuable source to study such processes. The aim of this project is to use human stem cells to study how early progenitor c ....Modelling the human nervous system with human pluripotent stem cells. The human nervous system is one of the most complex structures evolved to date. In order to understand how it functions, and dysfunctions in a diseased state, it is fundamental to decipher how it develops to generate various neuronal populations that form this elaborate network. Human stem cells provide a valuable source to study such processes. The aim of this project is to use human stem cells to study how early progenitor cell types that structure the nervous system are generated and how their neuronal derivatives form connectivity and functional synapses. The outcome of these studies is that we will establish a cellular model of human neurogenesis that can be utilised to study developmental disease processes.Read moreRead less
Investigating the role of the innate immune complement system in the abnormal development of the central nervous system. Past research has discovered a surprising link between the immune system, dietary folate deficiency and the development of the embryonic brain. This project will investigate the immune system in the developing brain, in order to understand the causes of developmental defects such as neural tube defects, and the role dietary folate plays in this process.
Synthetic extracellular matrices for control of cellular reprogramming. This project aims to design materials that control the cellular environment for the fast, efficient, and reproducible production of reprogrammed cells in embryo-like architectures. Regenerative medicine has entered a new era, where reprogramming a patient’s cells is now possible for studying and treating disease. The expected outcomes of this project include mechanistic details of cell reprogramming, design rules for 3D prin ....Synthetic extracellular matrices for control of cellular reprogramming. This project aims to design materials that control the cellular environment for the fast, efficient, and reproducible production of reprogrammed cells in embryo-like architectures. Regenerative medicine has entered a new era, where reprogramming a patient’s cells is now possible for studying and treating disease. The expected outcomes of this project include mechanistic details of cell reprogramming, design rules for 3D printing of living cells and commercially viable reprogramming materials. The project expects to contribute fundamental knowledge in materials and biomedical sciences, while providing tools that will benefit commercial ventures in cell and tissue manufacturing.Read moreRead less
Programming physical and biological cues to promote vessel growth . This project aims to engineer new hydrogel-based biomaterials that allow spatio-temporal modulation of physical and biological cues to direct blood vessels growth, as well as compatible with advanced bioprinting platforms. It will generate new knowledge in biomaterials, biofabrication and advanced material processing. Expected outcomes include new knowledge in biomaterial-vascular interaction, novel vascular bioinks, cross-disci ....Programming physical and biological cues to promote vessel growth . This project aims to engineer new hydrogel-based biomaterials that allow spatio-temporal modulation of physical and biological cues to direct blood vessels growth, as well as compatible with advanced bioprinting platforms. It will generate new knowledge in biomaterials, biofabrication and advanced material processing. Expected outcomes include new knowledge in biomaterial-vascular interaction, novel vascular bioinks, cross-disciplinary, international collaboration and research training. This project will provide significant benefit to Australia's scholarly output and reputation, as well as long term benefits to biomedical, veterinary and cosmetic through new materials and cutting-edge manufacturing platforms. Read moreRead less
Engineering biomaterials that actively promote blood vessel growth. This project aims to improve understanding of the effect of biomaterials on vascular growth & to develop new biomimetic materials using natural polymers silk & gelatin. It expects to generate new knowledge in biomaterials, matrix biology & advanced material processing. Expected outcomes include new knowledge & technological advances in biomaterial-driven vascular growth, porous material manufacture, & proteoglycan-mediated grow ....Engineering biomaterials that actively promote blood vessel growth. This project aims to improve understanding of the effect of biomaterials on vascular growth & to develop new biomimetic materials using natural polymers silk & gelatin. It expects to generate new knowledge in biomaterials, matrix biology & advanced material processing. Expected outcomes include new knowledge & technological advances in biomaterial-driven vascular growth, porous material manufacture, & proteoglycan-mediated growth factor signalling, as well as cross-disciplinary, international collaboration & research training. This should provide significant benefit to Australia’s scholarly output & reputation & long term benefits to biomedical, veterinary, cosmetic, & food industries through new materials & processing technologies. Read moreRead less