Understanding The Role Of The Putative Phospholipid Translocase ATP11c In B Cell Development
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$455,153.00
Summary
The immune system protects humans against recurrent infections with a wide range of pathogens. Formation of antibodies is a crucial element of the immune response. Defects in the production of antibodies can lead to recurrent and often life-threatening infections. This project seeks to understand a genetic defect in mice resulting in an almost complete absence of antibody producing cells, thereby causing a disease that is similar to some forms of human immunodeficiency.
The Molecular Mechanism Of Ion-coupled Transport In The Brain
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$441,407.00
Summary
Cells in the brain communicate through chemical signals called neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitter transporters reside in the membranes of cells and are responsible for regulating levels of these chemicals in the brain. They play an important role in the normal function of the human brain but their dysfunction is responsible for many diseases including Alzheimer's disease and motor neuron disease. It is crucial to understand how these proteins work in both normal and disease states.
The Role Of Presenilin In Metal Homeostasis And Alzheimers Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$86,335.00
Summary
Presenilin, a protein involved in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), may regulate copper and zinc levels. Copper and zinc are essential nutrients however a deficiency or excess can cause disease. Promising metal-altering AD drugs, are in various stages of clinical trial. I aim to characterize the interaction of Presenilin and metals using both mouse and cultured human cell models that are deficient in Presenilin. Understanding this interaction should lead to better drug design and treatment of AD.
Understanding How Bcl-2 Proteins Form The Apoptotic Pores That Kill Cells
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$893,614.00
Summary
Programmed cell death termed apoptosis is a process our bodies use to remove cells that are a threat to our health, e.g. cancer cells. The proteins that regulate cell death are attractive targets for therapeutics that have become resistant to this defence mechanism. This study will reveal how proteins from the Bcl-2 family regulate cell death at the molecular level. Understanding this process will inform the development of drugs aimed at regulating cell death in cancer and other diseases.
What Is The Molecular Mechanism Underlying Cell Death By Necroptosis?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$653,742.00
Summary
Recently, we and others have demonstrated that part of the MLKL protein is able to kill cells. This process is known to cause a number of pathologies, including those arising from stroke. Blocking this type of cell death has thus emerged as an attractive therapeutic strategy. However, precisely how MLKL kills cells remains unclear and controversial. In this project, we will resolve these controversies with the goal of an increased fundamental understanding to aid drug discovery.
The Effective Treatment of Hot Dip Galvanizing Effluent Streams. Hot Dip galvanizing effluent represents a significant environmental hazard. This wastewater is currently trucked offsite and treated by contractors to precipitate a heavy metal sludge that is disposed of through landfill. Industrial Galvanisers, as the largest hot dip galvanizing company within Australia, are keen to eliminate this hazard. We will consider the use of an innovative membrane based process for this purpose; to recover ....The Effective Treatment of Hot Dip Galvanizing Effluent Streams. Hot Dip galvanizing effluent represents a significant environmental hazard. This wastewater is currently trucked offsite and treated by contractors to precipitate a heavy metal sludge that is disposed of through landfill. Industrial Galvanisers, as the largest hot dip galvanizing company within Australia, are keen to eliminate this hazard. We will consider the use of an innovative membrane based process for this purpose; to recover valuable zinc and iron compounds from the effluent and allow the water to be re-utilised. If successful, this project will lead to a pilot plant wastewater treatment plant being constructed at an Industrial Galvanizers site.Read moreRead less
The Treatment Of Galvanizing Wastewater: Delivering An Environmentally And Economically Sustainable Approach. This project will investigate a process to treat wastewater from industrial galvanizing sites around Australia. When implemented, the process will substantially reduce the consumption of acid and fresh water at these sites. Further, the process will recover the zinc content of the wastewater in a saleable form and can also generate ferric chloride for sale as a water treatment chemical. ....The Treatment Of Galvanizing Wastewater: Delivering An Environmentally And Economically Sustainable Approach. This project will investigate a process to treat wastewater from industrial galvanizing sites around Australia. When implemented, the process will substantially reduce the consumption of acid and fresh water at these sites. Further, the process will recover the zinc content of the wastewater in a saleable form and can also generate ferric chloride for sale as a water treatment chemical. The quantity of heavy metals disposed to landfill will also be dramatically reduced. Scientific knowledge of multicomponent liquid-liquid equilibria will be of value to a wider range of solvent extraction processes including zinc and copper metal refining.Read moreRead less
Development of solvent extraction systems for improved sugar quality and yield. The recent collapse in the international sugar price and increased competition amongst producers have highlighted the vulnerability of Australian sugar mills and the regional communities reliant on sugar cane growing to variation in the price of this commodity. Hence, the development of new, more efficient means to produce raw sugar of high quality is of paramount importance to maintain Australia as a low cost produ ....Development of solvent extraction systems for improved sugar quality and yield. The recent collapse in the international sugar price and increased competition amongst producers have highlighted the vulnerability of Australian sugar mills and the regional communities reliant on sugar cane growing to variation in the price of this commodity. Hence, the development of new, more efficient means to produce raw sugar of high quality is of paramount importance to maintain Australia as a low cost producer. This project aims to investigate the use of unique solvent extraction methods to remove deleterious impurities from the raw cane juice in sugar mills with the consequent improvement in both sugar yield and quality.Read moreRead less
A rational approach to a high-resolution structure of the multidrug transporter EmrE. Membrane proteins form only 0.3% of the available protein structures in the protein data bank (PDB), yet 30% of the proteins in the human genome and 50% of human drug targets are membrane proteins. Multidrug transporters are membrane proteins responsible for antibiotic resistance in humans. A high-resolution structure of a multidrug resistance protein, together with comprehensive biochemical characterization, w ....A rational approach to a high-resolution structure of the multidrug transporter EmrE. Membrane proteins form only 0.3% of the available protein structures in the protein data bank (PDB), yet 30% of the proteins in the human genome and 50% of human drug targets are membrane proteins. Multidrug transporters are membrane proteins responsible for antibiotic resistance in humans. A high-resolution structure of a multidrug resistance protein, together with comprehensive biochemical characterization, would enable a detailed understanding of how these protein functions. Potentially it could also aid in the development of specific inhibitors that would prevent EmrE (and perhaps other similar proteins) from carry out its harmful mission. Read moreRead less