New drugs for malaria that target histone deacetylases. There is no vaccine for malaria and current drugs are failing, contributing to millions of malaria-related deaths each year. The aim of this project is to develop new drugs to address this significant global health issue. This project will focus on drugs that act in novel ways to existing malaria drugs by targeting enzymes that are involved in altering gene expression in the parasite. These kinds of enzymes are recognised drug targets in ot ....New drugs for malaria that target histone deacetylases. There is no vaccine for malaria and current drugs are failing, contributing to millions of malaria-related deaths each year. The aim of this project is to develop new drugs to address this significant global health issue. This project will focus on drugs that act in novel ways to existing malaria drugs by targeting enzymes that are involved in altering gene expression in the parasite. These kinds of enzymes are recognised drug targets in other diseases such as cancer. The outcomes of this project will include advances in malaria drug development that build on Australian drug discovery efforts, seeding further funding opportunities from industry and other sources and contributing research training and capacity building in Australia.Read moreRead less
How bacteria cause disease in the urinary tract. This project will investigate the virulence properties of uropathogenic Escherichia coli, the major causative agent of urinary tract infections (UTI) in humans. The results will help to understand how these bacterial pathogens cause disease and will impact strategies aimed at the prevention and treatment of chronic and recurrent UTI.
Activation of invasion in Toxoplasma. Host cell invasion is critical for the establishment and maintenance of infection by the single-celled parasite Toxoplasma gondii, the causative agent of Toxoplasmosis. This project will use the latest molecular techniques to understand how invasion is activated and will define a new set of drug targets to treat Toxoplasmosis and related diseases.
Improving School Engagement of African Refugee Students . Using a multimethod research design, this project aims to investigate the problem of school disengagement among African students from refugee backgrounds. By building new knowledge that can inform policy responses and school practices, this project contributes to improving educational attainment and integration outcomes of refugee students in Australia. Expected outcomes of the project include new insights on causes and manifestations of ....Improving School Engagement of African Refugee Students . Using a multimethod research design, this project aims to investigate the problem of school disengagement among African students from refugee backgrounds. By building new knowledge that can inform policy responses and school practices, this project contributes to improving educational attainment and integration outcomes of refugee students in Australia. Expected outcomes of the project include new insights on causes and manifestations of school disengagement among African refugee students and a Framework of Engagement that outlines viable strategies for addressing the challenge. The study should return tangible benefits through raising the academic outcome, economic participation, and wellbeing of students from refugee backgrounds.Read moreRead less
New Colombo Plan: Australian students’ learning in and engagement with Asia. This project aims to undertake a national investigation of Australian STEM students’ learning in and engagement with Asia through the New Colombo Plan and its effects on their identity, career directions and future aspirations. Australia’s future is increasingly connected with Asia with about 80 per cent of Australia’s trade and a majority of its biggest service export of over $22 billion, international education, with ....New Colombo Plan: Australian students’ learning in and engagement with Asia. This project aims to undertake a national investigation of Australian STEM students’ learning in and engagement with Asia through the New Colombo Plan and its effects on their identity, career directions and future aspirations. Australia’s future is increasingly connected with Asia with about 80 per cent of Australia’s trade and a majority of its biggest service export of over $22 billion, international education, with this region. The expected outcome of the project is to provide essential empirical knowledge and theoretical insights linked with Australia’s needs to develop policies and practices to optimise Australian students’ learning in Asia. The benefits include enhancing Australia’s human capital and relationships with Asia.Read moreRead less
New models as tools for defining mechanisms of microbe survival in the urogenital tract. Bacteria that infect the human urogenital tract can cause serious disease and these infections represent a large cost to the health-care system world-wide. This study will focus on how bacteria survive in the human urogenital tract and this will impact on strategies aimed at preventing and treating these infections.
DNA end resection: from basic mechanisms to genome editing. The project aims to understand processes underlying genome editing, a bioengineering process that introduces specific mutations into genomic DNA. Homologous recombination and nonhomologous end-joining pathways play a crucial role in repairing broken DNA strands, which are a toxic form of DNA damage. The proteins that function in the repair process have been recently identified, but it remains unclear how they function on a mechanistic l ....DNA end resection: from basic mechanisms to genome editing. The project aims to understand processes underlying genome editing, a bioengineering process that introduces specific mutations into genomic DNA. Homologous recombination and nonhomologous end-joining pathways play a crucial role in repairing broken DNA strands, which are a toxic form of DNA damage. The proteins that function in the repair process have been recently identified, but it remains unclear how they function on a mechanistic level and how either of the two main pathways is selected. The project aims to define how the activity of a key control protein, Sae2 (Sporulation in the Absence of Spo Eleven), is regulated by posttranslational modifications, and how this activates homologous recombination. The project plans to first use Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast as a model and then to extend research into the human system in an attempt to improve the efficiency of genome editing. Read moreRead less
Mechanisms of human immunodeficiency virus entry into cells. This project will develop an understanding of how human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) evolves in people to become better able to infect, and hence destroy, cells of the immune system. It is expected that new knowledge into how HIV alters the way it interacts with these cells will reveal insights for the design of vaccines, drugs and new diagnostic tests.
Unravelling early self-regulation: A longitudinal study. National data show persistent issues in Australian children's social-emotional vulnerability. Research shows we have had limited success shifting these trajectories through current education and intervention efforts. In short, we understand enough about self-regulation to establish it as a priority target in early childhood, yet not enough to meaningfully alter current trajectories. This project will develop a ‘big picture’ theory of child ....Unravelling early self-regulation: A longitudinal study. National data show persistent issues in Australian children's social-emotional vulnerability. Research shows we have had limited success shifting these trajectories through current education and intervention efforts. In short, we understand enough about self-regulation to establish it as a priority target in early childhood, yet not enough to meaningfully alter current trajectories. This project will develop a ‘big picture’ theory of children’s self-regulation abilities and change, supported by Australia’s first longitudinal study of early self-regulation, from preschool into early primary school (ages 4 to 6). This robust theory of change is expected to better position ongoing education and intervention efforts to succeed.Read moreRead less
Education policy, mobility and Artificial Intelligence. This project aims to contribute to emerging responses to the introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into education. Artificial Intelligence is an increasingly common part of contemporary life, but AI is being introduced into education systems and schools much faster than research on its effects and guidelines on its use. This project will investigate how the use of AI creates new governance connections between education systems and te ....Education policy, mobility and Artificial Intelligence. This project aims to contribute to emerging responses to the introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into education. Artificial Intelligence is an increasingly common part of contemporary life, but AI is being introduced into education systems and schools much faster than research on its effects and guidelines on its use. This project will investigate how the use of AI creates new governance connections between education systems and technology companies. The project expects to provide scholars, industry and end-users with knowledge about the opportunities and risks of AI in education.
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