Molecular and genetic analysis of epigenetic components in a model plant. Australia is a major exporter of agricultural food crops thus producers must maintain their competitive advantage in order to compete on the world stage. Food crops unfortunately have large, complex genomes that are not sequenced and a generation time of months that makes research outcomes slow to achieve. This project proposes to utilise a model plant that has a small completely sequenced genome and a short generation tim ....Molecular and genetic analysis of epigenetic components in a model plant. Australia is a major exporter of agricultural food crops thus producers must maintain their competitive advantage in order to compete on the world stage. Food crops unfortunately have large, complex genomes that are not sequenced and a generation time of months that makes research outcomes slow to achieve. This project proposes to utilise a model plant that has a small completely sequenced genome and a short generation time making it ideal to study the fundamental biological process of RNA silencing. Discoveries and outcomes from this project may have the potential to benefit Australian crops, ecosystems and human health.Read moreRead less
ARC Centre of Excellence - In Plant Energy Biology (CPEB). Plant cell metabolism underlies the synthesis of important products in crops, and subtle changes in metabolism can enhance germination rates, early seedling vigour, biomass/yield, and tolerance to harsh environments. Research in CPEB will focus on control of this metabolism. Its expertise will enhance Australia's participation in major international research efforts directly relevant to sustainable agriculture in a country with fragile/ ....ARC Centre of Excellence - In Plant Energy Biology (CPEB). Plant cell metabolism underlies the synthesis of important products in crops, and subtle changes in metabolism can enhance germination rates, early seedling vigour, biomass/yield, and tolerance to harsh environments. Research in CPEB will focus on control of this metabolism. Its expertise will enhance Australia's participation in major international research efforts directly relevant to sustainable agriculture in a country with fragile/degrading ecosystems. The research will provide new approaches for enhancing quality metabolite traits important for human health. It will further strengthen our international leadership in plant energy science, and will strengthen Australia's research training in systems biology to influence plant function.Read moreRead less
Predicting Renal, Ophthalmic And Heart Events In The Aboriginal Community: The PROPHECY Diabetes Multi-Omics Cohort Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,955,505.00
Summary
Diabetes is at epidemic levels in Indigenous Australians, impairing quality of life, and contributing to poor health. This is a result of rapid development of kidney, heart and eye complications. We have established a large long-term population study among Aboriginal communities within South Australia and will explore the burden, natural history and the social, psychological, environmental, clinical and genomic predictors of diabetes and its complications.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0668155
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$350,000.00
Summary
Instrumentation for combined seismic and electromagnetic Earth sounding. The set of geophysical recorders will provide the means to enhance understanding of the structure of the Australian continent in 3-D. The interpretation of multiple images of Earth structure will help to link features in the crust and mantle beneath, and provide controls on the evolution and assembly of the present continent, with a major contribution to possible geotransects as recommended in the 2003 National Strategic Pl ....Instrumentation for combined seismic and electromagnetic Earth sounding. The set of geophysical recorders will provide the means to enhance understanding of the structure of the Australian continent in 3-D. The interpretation of multiple images of Earth structure will help to link features in the crust and mantle beneath, and provide controls on the evolution and assembly of the present continent, with a major contribution to possible geotransects as recommended in the 2003 National Strategic Plan for the Geosciences. Combining seismic and electromagnetic methods will provide both geochemeical and geophysical constaints, e.g., on zones of alteration and shear with the potential for deep mineralisation. Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354908
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000.00
Summary
The Insect-Plant Chemical Ecology Network (IPCEN). We bring together plant molecular biology, entomology and analytical chemistry to transform three leading fields of Australian research into an advanced science with far reaching capabilities in innovative research and applied outcomes. Expertise studying the biochemical pathways that produce specific plant compounds and expertise in insect recognition and response to these chemicals will be brought together. This will lead to new research outco ....The Insect-Plant Chemical Ecology Network (IPCEN). We bring together plant molecular biology, entomology and analytical chemistry to transform three leading fields of Australian research into an advanced science with far reaching capabilities in innovative research and applied outcomes. Expertise studying the biochemical pathways that produce specific plant compounds and expertise in insect recognition and response to these chemicals will be brought together. This will lead to new research outcomes and solutions to problems in agriculture, horticulture, forestry and protection of Australia's native flora. Researchers are struggling to create these links, constrained by disciplinary boundaries and geographical isolation. Key industries and researchers already support this proposal.Read moreRead less
The origins of electroreception and nocturnality in the earliest known jawed vertebrates and their bearing on vertebrate diversification. This project aims to discover primary new data to pinpoint the timing, anatomical origins and phylogenetic significance when two key sensory systems first appeared in modern vertebrates: electroreception and specialised nocturnal vision. Such abilities today allow high diversity of vertebrates to co-exist within the same geographical range, for example on trop ....The origins of electroreception and nocturnality in the earliest known jawed vertebrates and their bearing on vertebrate diversification. This project aims to discover primary new data to pinpoint the timing, anatomical origins and phylogenetic significance when two key sensory systems first appeared in modern vertebrates: electroreception and specialised nocturnal vision. Such abilities today allow high diversity of vertebrates to co-exist within the same geographical range, for example on tropical reefs or rainforest communities, through careful temporal niche partitioning where reliance on other sensory systems takes over from vision and olfaction as the principal method of prey detection. This project aims to elucidate how the modern fish diversity was shaped by such significant early evolutionary events.Read moreRead less
Plasma touches life: advancing plasma technologies for the life sciences. The aim of this project is to develop a mechanistic understanding of how electrically excited gas (plasma) jets deliver reactive oxygen and nitrogen species into tissue, ensuring safety and precision in their use to combat disease. Overcoming barriers in delivery is intended to help realise the full potential of plasma in the life sciences. The project is expected to generate new knowledge across physics, chemistry and bio ....Plasma touches life: advancing plasma technologies for the life sciences. The aim of this project is to develop a mechanistic understanding of how electrically excited gas (plasma) jets deliver reactive oxygen and nitrogen species into tissue, ensuring safety and precision in their use to combat disease. Overcoming barriers in delivery is intended to help realise the full potential of plasma in the life sciences. The project is expected to generate new knowledge across physics, chemistry and biology, leading to new approaches for the future development of plasma technologies. This should provide significant benefits by expanding the human capacity of research in plasma, and in growing the advanced manufacturing of plasma devices for future applications in engineering, biology and health.Read moreRead less
Resolving evolutionary problems at the fish-tetrapod transition. The project aims to investigate very early Australian tetrapod trackways and conduct fieldwork to resolve the place of origin and timing of the evolution of the first tetrapods. The evolution of fishes to tetrapods was one of the key events in evolution. Studies on Northern Hemisphere fossils place an origin for the group around 380 million years ago. Australian fossils suggest a much older origin. New micro computed tomography dat ....Resolving evolutionary problems at the fish-tetrapod transition. The project aims to investigate very early Australian tetrapod trackways and conduct fieldwork to resolve the place of origin and timing of the evolution of the first tetrapods. The evolution of fishes to tetrapods was one of the key events in evolution. Studies on Northern Hemisphere fossils place an origin for the group around 380 million years ago. Australian fossils suggest a much older origin. New micro computed tomography data from Australian 3-D fossil fishes, combined with study of rare tetrapod gill arch bones, would enable us to determine the origins of tetrapod air-breathing and its ecological setting. The project may facilitate a rewriting of vertebrate evolution's most significant first step.Read moreRead less
Identifying components of a novel imprinting mechanism that regulates seed size in plants. Australia is a major exporter of agricultural food crops thus producers must maintain their competitive advantage in order to compete on the world stage. This project will study a fundamental biological process of seed development as seeds are a major food staple and an important export product for Australian farmers.