Characterising the transport and delivery of oligonucleotides . Short RNA and DNA molecules represent a class of macromolecules that have great potential, but to facilitate their trafficking across cellular and membrane barriers into specific sites of action is challenging. This project aims to develop and apply novel imaging approaches to track them in cells and tissues. Expected outcomes include better understanding of the trafficking across cellular and membrane barriers, and improved imaging ....Characterising the transport and delivery of oligonucleotides . Short RNA and DNA molecules represent a class of macromolecules that have great potential, but to facilitate their trafficking across cellular and membrane barriers into specific sites of action is challenging. This project aims to develop and apply novel imaging approaches to track them in cells and tissues. Expected outcomes include better understanding of the trafficking across cellular and membrane barriers, and improved imaging tools that could be used to further study the molecular mechanisms of accumulation, metabolism and trafficking of these molecules. This project should provide new strategies to target these molecules to specific cells and tissues, which have significant social and economic benefits to the Australian community.Read moreRead less
Gut Absorption of Constrained Peptides for Local and Systemic Targeting. Aims: This project aims to investigate how peptides are absorbed across the intestinal wall and distributed to organs and fluids in a rodent model by combining bio-analysis and pharmacokinetics with high-resolution microscopy and imaging.
Significance: This project expects to generate the most comprehensive survey to date of the pathways and mechanisms of peptide absorption, biodistribution and immune cell targeting, by ....Gut Absorption of Constrained Peptides for Local and Systemic Targeting. Aims: This project aims to investigate how peptides are absorbed across the intestinal wall and distributed to organs and fluids in a rodent model by combining bio-analysis and pharmacokinetics with high-resolution microscopy and imaging.
Significance: This project expects to generate the most comprehensive survey to date of the pathways and mechanisms of peptide absorption, biodistribution and immune cell targeting, by implementing innovative approaches.
Expected Outcomes: Expected outcomes include significant new knowledge and a new multi-disciplinary platform for measuring peptide absorption.
Benefits: This should provide significant benefits by informing the future design of peptides for supplements, therapeutics and carriers. Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE120100224
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$250,000.00
Summary
Multi-mode fluorescence microscope for visualising the dynamics of cellular processes at the single-molecule level. Fluorescence is the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light of a different wavelength. This fluorescence microscopy facility will allow the visualisation of the dynamic processes that define life at the molecular level. This insight will help us understand cellular function and how it is impaired in various diseases including cancer and neurodegenerative disorders ....Multi-mode fluorescence microscope for visualising the dynamics of cellular processes at the single-molecule level. Fluorescence is the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light of a different wavelength. This fluorescence microscopy facility will allow the visualisation of the dynamic processes that define life at the molecular level. This insight will help us understand cellular function and how it is impaired in various diseases including cancer and neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160100293
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$372,000.00
Summary
Cracking the phosphoinositide code. This project seeks to determine how protein interactions with membrane lipids regulate recruitment to cellular organelles, providing new insight into the complex pathways of cellular homeostasis. Controlling the distribution of proteins within cells is critical for cell signalling and membrane trafficking. This is orchestrated by the interaction of specific protein modules with lipids on the surface of different organelles. The phox homology (PX) domain is a l ....Cracking the phosphoinositide code. This project seeks to determine how protein interactions with membrane lipids regulate recruitment to cellular organelles, providing new insight into the complex pathways of cellular homeostasis. Controlling the distribution of proteins within cells is critical for cell signalling and membrane trafficking. This is orchestrated by the interaction of specific protein modules with lipids on the surface of different organelles. The phox homology (PX) domain is a lipid-binding module found in numerous proteins essential for normal cell trafficking and homeostasis, and perturbed in many conditions including immune dysfunction and cancer. This project plans to investigate molecular determinants of PX-lipid association, generating knowledge about protein-membrane interactions required for cellular function. These insights may underpin future drug design.Read moreRead less
Assembly and stability of human voltage-gated potassium channels. The Kv11.1 voltage-gated potassium channel is an important regulator of cardiac function and a problem for the pharmaceutical industry due to its promiscuity with respect to drug binding. This project aims to investigate how Kv11.1 channels fold and assemble into tetramers and what stabilizes them in the cell membrane. Borrowing from insights gained from the structural analysis of G-Protein coupled receptors, the project intends t ....Assembly and stability of human voltage-gated potassium channels. The Kv11.1 voltage-gated potassium channel is an important regulator of cardiac function and a problem for the pharmaceutical industry due to its promiscuity with respect to drug binding. This project aims to investigate how Kv11.1 channels fold and assemble into tetramers and what stabilizes them in the cell membrane. Borrowing from insights gained from the structural analysis of G-Protein coupled receptors, the project intends to apply a novel protein stabilization strategy to facilitate the structural analysis of Kv11.1 channels. The successful completion of the project could reveal important insights into how these molecular machines work as well as enable atomic level studies of how drugs interact and bind to these channels.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE140100118
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$370,000.00
Summary
Regional flow cytometry facility. Flow cytometry facility: This project will establish a flow cytometry facility, featuring the latest technology in two separate complementary machines, one an analyser the other a cell sorter. This facility will provide urgently needed replacement of aging infrastructure, and will also provide researchers with new capabilities that will lead to substantial research advances across many diverse fields.