Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200100119
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$424,607.00
Summary
Manipulation of non-wetting droplets for cell culture. We have recently discovered an innovative and interdisciplinary approach for manipulating non-wetting droplets called “liquid marbles” as a platform for three-dimensional cell culture. This project aims to elucidate the fundamental physics underpinning the electrostatic handling concept of this platform technology. The project is expected to deliver an inexpensive but sophisticated cell culture platform that is well-suited for high-throughpu ....Manipulation of non-wetting droplets for cell culture. We have recently discovered an innovative and interdisciplinary approach for manipulating non-wetting droplets called “liquid marbles” as a platform for three-dimensional cell culture. This project aims to elucidate the fundamental physics underpinning the electrostatic handling concept of this platform technology. The project is expected to deliver an inexpensive but sophisticated cell culture platform that is well-suited for high-throughput drug screening and preparing cells for implantation therapy. Significant benefits for end users in pharmaceutical industry, life sciences research and hospitals are expected from the project and the application of the developed technology.Read moreRead less
Establishing Design Principles Of Polymers For Intracellular Delivery . Engineered polymers have played a central role in the field of bionanotechnology by enabling targeted nanoscale cell interactions. Progress in the field of intracellular delivery is currently affected by a major bottleneck due to the absence of effective polymers that is applicable across the range of bimolecular cargoes. In essence depending on the type of cargo: DNA, RNA or protien, the polymer needs programmability. The l ....Establishing Design Principles Of Polymers For Intracellular Delivery . Engineered polymers have played a central role in the field of bionanotechnology by enabling targeted nanoscale cell interactions. Progress in the field of intracellular delivery is currently affected by a major bottleneck due to the absence of effective polymers that is applicable across the range of bimolecular cargoes. In essence depending on the type of cargo: DNA, RNA or protien, the polymer needs programmability. The limited tunability of traditional polymers agents makes them unsuitable for this particular application. The multidisciplinary project addresses this significant problem by engineering novel sequences of defined polymer based nanoscale agents to achieve efficient delivery in cells.Read moreRead less
Understanding the properties of layered nanostructures using in-situ TEM. This project aims to support the practical applications of layered nanostructure-based devices and systems. The development of layered chalcogenide nanostructures is a global research focus due to their potential applications in the energy sector. However, their structure–property link is unclear due to the lack of direct correlation between their structure and properties. This project aims to establish the intrinsic struc ....Understanding the properties of layered nanostructures using in-situ TEM. This project aims to support the practical applications of layered nanostructure-based devices and systems. The development of layered chalcogenide nanostructures is a global research focus due to their potential applications in the energy sector. However, their structure–property link is unclear due to the lack of direct correlation between their structure and properties. This project aims to establish the intrinsic structure–property link by closely correlating the structure (and structural variations) and properties (and varied properties) simultaneously determined from individual nanostructures inside a transmission electron microscope. Expected project outcomes may advance the knowledge base, and provide guidelines for the development of nanostructure-based devices for their high-performance applications, especially in the energy sector.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100128
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$450,000.00
Summary
Engineering microenvironments to regulate osteocyte 3D networks in vitro. Most knowledge of bone is based on only a fraction of cells found in bone because the majority of cells in our bones (called osteocyte cell networks) cannot easily be grown or studied outside the body. This results in the inability to understand how the bone organ functions. Using bioinspired engineering, this project will use advanced biomaterials to biofabricate, for the first time, osteocyte cell networks in vitro. By u ....Engineering microenvironments to regulate osteocyte 3D networks in vitro. Most knowledge of bone is based on only a fraction of cells found in bone because the majority of cells in our bones (called osteocyte cell networks) cannot easily be grown or studied outside the body. This results in the inability to understand how the bone organ functions. Using bioinspired engineering, this project will use advanced biomaterials to biofabricate, for the first time, osteocyte cell networks in vitro. By unravelling how they are formed and controlled by manipulating their microenvironment, we will discover how different types of bones are formed. The benefits will be a valuable tool for the bone research community, allowing unresolved questions to be addressed in the future, such as how bone forms, repairs, and remodels.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE120100121
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$270,000.00
Summary
An integrated system for characterisation of mechanical behaviour of bio- and nanomaterials at micro and nano scales in Queensland. Australia's material sciences will benefit from a new integrated system capable of microforce and nanomechanical testing of biomaterials, polymers and thin films, medical devices and electronics at the micro and nano scales. This facility will support ground-breaking research. It will help promote strategic collaboration and ensure the competitiveness of related and ....An integrated system for characterisation of mechanical behaviour of bio- and nanomaterials at micro and nano scales in Queensland. Australia's material sciences will benefit from a new integrated system capable of microforce and nanomechanical testing of biomaterials, polymers and thin films, medical devices and electronics at the micro and nano scales. This facility will support ground-breaking research. It will help promote strategic collaboration and ensure the competitiveness of related and emerging industries.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE160100168
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$650,000.00
Summary
Facility for Characterisation of BioNanomaterials. Facility for characterisation of bionanomaterials:
The facility for characterisation of bionanomaterials aims to provide researchers with access to an integrated facility for advanced characterisation of nanomaterials from inception to application in biomedicine. Nanotechnology has contributed to significant advances across a range of disciplines and is increasingly used in biomedical applications. The facility aims to allow detailed examinatio ....Facility for Characterisation of BioNanomaterials. Facility for characterisation of bionanomaterials:
The facility for characterisation of bionanomaterials aims to provide researchers with access to an integrated facility for advanced characterisation of nanomaterials from inception to application in biomedicine. Nanotechnology has contributed to significant advances across a range of disciplines and is increasingly used in biomedical applications. The facility aims to allow detailed examination of how nanomaterials interact in biological systems; from individual nanoparticles to whole animals, and through developing this fundamental understanding provide the means to produce new and highly effective nanomaterials for biomedical applications. The facility plans to support programs using nanomaterials for molecular imaging and intelligent drug delivery, while developing greater understanding of how to create more effective nanobiomaterials.Read moreRead less
Bioengineering self-assembly of innovative core-shell nanomaterials . This project aims to generate new knowledge in nanoscale bioengineering. It expects to develop a disruptive platform technology for design and manufacture of advanced nanomaterials to provide solutions for unmet needs in industry. It will explore an innovative bioengineering concept that merges biopolymer synthesis with virus-like particle self-assembly to produce innovative tunable core-shell nanomaterials. Expected outcomes ....Bioengineering self-assembly of innovative core-shell nanomaterials . This project aims to generate new knowledge in nanoscale bioengineering. It expects to develop a disruptive platform technology for design and manufacture of advanced nanomaterials to provide solutions for unmet needs in industry. It will explore an innovative bioengineering concept that merges biopolymer synthesis with virus-like particle self-assembly to produce innovative tunable core-shell nanomaterials. Expected outcomes are the development of advanced techniques for design and manufacture of innovate nanomaterials with enhanced stability and performance. This innovative platform technology for precision engineering of high-performance nanomaterials should provide significant benefits for biotechnological and agricultural industries.Read moreRead less
Protein structure prediction by deep long-range learning. This project aims to address the challenging problem of protein structure prediction by developing deep long-range learning methods. The project expects to advance protein structure prediction by capturing the long-range interactions through whole sequence learning, rather than short window-based learning. Expected outcomes include next-generation machine-learning techniques for predicting one, two and three-dimensional protein structures ....Protein structure prediction by deep long-range learning. This project aims to address the challenging problem of protein structure prediction by developing deep long-range learning methods. The project expects to advance protein structure prediction by capturing the long-range interactions through whole sequence learning, rather than short window-based learning. Expected outcomes include next-generation machine-learning techniques for predicting one, two and three-dimensional protein structures from their sequences. The expected outcomes should provide significant benefits by computationally determining protein structures beyond homologous sequences, and enabling structure-based drug discovery to disease-causing protein targets previously inaccessible to biotech and pharmaceutical companies.Read moreRead less
Capturing full-spectrum of solar energy using TiO2 ordered suprastructures. The project aims to develop a titanium dioxide (TiO2) semiconductor that can use full-spectrum solar energy. Solar-driven photocatalytic processes have important applications in water decontamination and energy production. Their effectiveness is dictated by the semiconductor’s absorbance and conversion of photoenergy to chemical energy. Being inexpensive, chemically and mechanically robust, TiO2 is the most promising mat ....Capturing full-spectrum of solar energy using TiO2 ordered suprastructures. The project aims to develop a titanium dioxide (TiO2) semiconductor that can use full-spectrum solar energy. Solar-driven photocatalytic processes have important applications in water decontamination and energy production. Their effectiveness is dictated by the semiconductor’s absorbance and conversion of photoenergy to chemical energy. Being inexpensive, chemically and mechanically robust, TiO2 is the most promising material for the semiconductor. However, unmodified TiO2 only absorbs ultraviolet light (5 per cent of solar energy). With current progress made in visible absorbance, this project aims to significantly improve TiO2’s absorbance in near infrared by doping with upconversion lanthanides and rendering colloidal crystal suprastructures that can trap light.Read moreRead less
Stretchable Organic Transistors for Wearable Electronics and Robotics. The project aims to address the challenges of fabricating stretchable organic transistors for applications in wearable electronics and robotics through the development of new semiconducting polymers with stretchability and integrating them into novel, stretchable organic transistor configurations. The project will take a molecular engineering approach to the complex needs of this challenge by combining appropriate chemical f ....Stretchable Organic Transistors for Wearable Electronics and Robotics. The project aims to address the challenges of fabricating stretchable organic transistors for applications in wearable electronics and robotics through the development of new semiconducting polymers with stretchability and integrating them into novel, stretchable organic transistor configurations. The project will take a molecular engineering approach to the complex needs of this challenge by combining appropriate chemical functionality which provides high charge carrier mobility with judiciously placed flexible spacers and side chains to provide mechanical dexterity. These novel polymers will be integrated into transistor structures and their fabricated arrays deposited on stretchable substrates will be used for a real world applications.Read moreRead less