SKELETAL MUSCLE: REVERSIBLE TEMEPERATURE-INDUCED UNCOUPLING OF CONTRACTION FROM THE ACTIVATOR Ca2+ AND TUBULAR SYSTEM ROLES IN MUSCLE FUNCTION REGULATION. Skeletal muscles represent the largest organ in the body of vertebrates and are responsible for major functions including maintaining posture and locomotion. Skeletal muscles are also a major source of heat production. The project focuses on temperature-induced effects on the ability of the skeletal muscle to contract in warm blooded animals, ....SKELETAL MUSCLE: REVERSIBLE TEMEPERATURE-INDUCED UNCOUPLING OF CONTRACTION FROM THE ACTIVATOR Ca2+ AND TUBULAR SYSTEM ROLES IN MUSCLE FUNCTION REGULATION. Skeletal muscles represent the largest organ in the body of vertebrates and are responsible for major functions including maintaining posture and locomotion. Skeletal muscles are also a major source of heat production. The project focuses on temperature-induced effects on the ability of the skeletal muscle to contract in warm blooded animals, including marsupials, and on the complex roles played by a cellular structure unique to the muscle fibre, the tubular system, with respect to regulation of muscle function at physiological temperatures. The project will test hypotheses that will have far-reaching implications for muscle physiology, cell biology and evolutionary biology.Read moreRead less
Oxidative stress-induced alterations of the host erythrocyte by the malaria parasite. The malaria parasite spends part of its lifecycle inside the red blood cells of its host. During this time, the parasite modifies many of the features of the red blood cell and subjects it to high levels of oxidative stress. We will use and develop a variety of fluorescence and microscopic techniques to understand the molecular basis of the alterations in the organization of membrane proteins in malaria parasit ....Oxidative stress-induced alterations of the host erythrocyte by the malaria parasite. The malaria parasite spends part of its lifecycle inside the red blood cells of its host. During this time, the parasite modifies many of the features of the red blood cell and subjects it to high levels of oxidative stress. We will use and develop a variety of fluorescence and microscopic techniques to understand the molecular basis of the alterations in the organization of membrane proteins in malaria parasite-infected red blood cells. We will examine the roles of oxidative stress and of parasite proteins in modulating the properties of the host cell membrane.Read moreRead less
Development of nanoporous materials for capture and release of oxygen. This project aims to develop new materials to make lighter, more efficient oxygen concentrators. The project will combine materials that can capture oxygen with particles that can be magnetically heated, making it possible to release the oxygen rapidly and efficiently when needed. Expected outcomes from this project include new composite materials and better understanding of how gases are trapped and released within composite ....Development of nanoporous materials for capture and release of oxygen. This project aims to develop new materials to make lighter, more efficient oxygen concentrators. The project will combine materials that can capture oxygen with particles that can be magnetically heated, making it possible to release the oxygen rapidly and efficiently when needed. Expected outcomes from this project include new composite materials and better understanding of how gases are trapped and released within composite materials. Benefits from this project may include oxygen concentrators that are more portable and have longer battery life, both with industrial and medical applications.Read moreRead less
Probing membrane rafts using surface-selective multi-dimensional microscopy. The results of this project will provide fundamental insights into the role played by domains in cell membranes in the regulation of membrane protein function. These insights will create new avenues in the biotechnology industry for development of novel therapeutics aimed at disruption of membrane protein-protein interactions that cause aberant cell signalling in disease states such as cancer.
Designing the surface and structural properties of MFI zeolite membranes for low energy ion-selective desalination. Desalination is being established in response to climate change and growing demands on existing supplies. Fresh water from infinitely abundant ocean sources using little energy input will benefit communities by providing affordably a vital resource with minimal greenhouse gas emissions. Fresh water from current desalination costs $2 per kl, being a major expense for a vital resourc ....Designing the surface and structural properties of MFI zeolite membranes for low energy ion-selective desalination. Desalination is being established in response to climate change and growing demands on existing supplies. Fresh water from infinitely abundant ocean sources using little energy input will benefit communities by providing affordably a vital resource with minimal greenhouse gas emissions. Fresh water from current desalination costs $2 per kl, being a major expense for a vital resource normally $0.2 per kl. As energy input accounts for half of the desalination cost, the smart ion-selective membrane to be developed in this project has the capability to reduce desalinated water price by 50%. Such an advancement derived from fundamental material properties is a novel contribution to both science and membrane desalinationRead moreRead less
The functional organisation of the trans-Golgi network: From cultured cells to physiological systems. This research will result in a better understanding of the secretory pathway of all eukaryotic cells, a process of broad biological and biomedical significance. It will impact on cell biology in the broadest sense, from membrane biogenesis to lipid domain organization, as well as membrane transport, protein structure and protein targeting. Furthermore, this work will utilize and develop fronti ....The functional organisation of the trans-Golgi network: From cultured cells to physiological systems. This research will result in a better understanding of the secretory pathway of all eukaryotic cells, a process of broad biological and biomedical significance. It will impact on cell biology in the broadest sense, from membrane biogenesis to lipid domain organization, as well as membrane transport, protein structure and protein targeting. Furthermore, this work will utilize and develop frontier technologies of live cell imaging and RNA interference as a genetic tool to investigate functions of a protein family. By training post-graduate students and post-doctoral staff, it will contribute to the expertise of cell biology in Australia. International collaborations will enhance connections between Australia and overseas research.Read moreRead less
Advanced hierarchical materials for separation applications. The proposed project represents an international collaboration between Monash University and Fudan University and builds on the research strengths within these two Institutions in nano-materials research and applications. The proposed research will lead to a new class of materials for use in the chemical and biological industries, making their operation more efficient and permitting new separations to be performed. The research will ....Advanced hierarchical materials for separation applications. The proposed project represents an international collaboration between Monash University and Fudan University and builds on the research strengths within these two Institutions in nano-materials research and applications. The proposed research will lead to a new class of materials for use in the chemical and biological industries, making their operation more efficient and permitting new separations to be performed. The research will also pioneer new techniques for use in nano-engineering materials and falls within one of Australia's National Research Priorities: Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries.Read moreRead less
The structure and function of the trans-Golgi network: role of golgins and G proteins. This research will provide a better understanding of the secretory pathway of all eukaryotic cells, a process of broad biological and biomedical significance. It will also contribute to a better understanding of how a cell works, including how cell membranes are organization, how the transport processes of the cell are regulated and how proteins are targeted to their intracellular destination. Further, this ....The structure and function of the trans-Golgi network: role of golgins and G proteins. This research will provide a better understanding of the secretory pathway of all eukaryotic cells, a process of broad biological and biomedical significance. It will also contribute to a better understanding of how a cell works, including how cell membranes are organization, how the transport processes of the cell are regulated and how proteins are targeted to their intracellular destination. Further, this work will utilize the frontier technology of RNA interference as a genetic tool to investigate functions of genes. By training post-graduate students and post-doctoral staff, it will contribute to the expertise of cell biology in Australia. International collaborations will enhance connections with overseas researchers.Read moreRead less
New Extraction Membranes and Beads for Use in Industrial Separation. This project involves the development and testing of new polymeric membranes and beads exhibiting high efficiency in the recovery of metal ions from hydrometallurgical solutions. These membranes and beads will also allow effective removal of toxic metal contaminants from wastewater streams before discharge into the environment and clean-up of contaminated natural waters. The research will ultimately lead to: (a) interactions wi ....New Extraction Membranes and Beads for Use in Industrial Separation. This project involves the development and testing of new polymeric membranes and beads exhibiting high efficiency in the recovery of metal ions from hydrometallurgical solutions. These membranes and beads will also allow effective removal of toxic metal contaminants from wastewater streams before discharge into the environment and clean-up of contaminated natural waters. The research will ultimately lead to: (a) interactions with Australian companies involved in metal processing, metal finishing and hydrometallurgy with beneficial effects to Australian industry; (b) training of high quality scientists; and (c) more efficient environmental protection and remediation thus helping to maintain Australia environmentally sustainable.Read moreRead less
The role of a novel family of Golgi proteins in maintaining the structure and function of the trans-Golgi network. The secretory pathway of eukaryotic cells is fundamental for proper cell growth. The Golgi apparatus is a key organelle of this pathway where newly made proteins are selectively packaged into membrane-bound transport vehicles and then shipped to their correct destination, such as the surface of the cell. This research aims to understand the mechanism by which these cargo-loaded tr ....The role of a novel family of Golgi proteins in maintaining the structure and function of the trans-Golgi network. The secretory pathway of eukaryotic cells is fundamental for proper cell growth. The Golgi apparatus is a key organelle of this pathway where newly made proteins are selectively packaged into membrane-bound transport vehicles and then shipped to their correct destination, such as the surface of the cell. This research aims to understand the mechanism by which these cargo-loaded transport vehicles are generated from the Golgi apparatus. This information is of fundamental importance in understanding how a cell survives and grows, and is necessary to allow a rational basis for the engineering of secreted recombinant molecules.Read moreRead less