Fragment based screening to deliver drugs targeting tuberculosis and the gametocyte and liver stages of Plasmodium. This project will identify natural products that bind to critical proteins in malaria and tuberculosis to discover new ways to treat these diseases.
Enabling Molecular Plant Breeding for Drought Adaptation Using Genome-to-Phenome Modelling Technologies. Effective molecular plant breeding for improved water productivity of sorghum would generate significant economic and social benefits for rural communities in NE Australia. There is a significant opportunity to expand the sorghum industry in the region. Despite the global financial crisis, global demand for meat continues to increase, generating strong demand from intensive livestock industri ....Enabling Molecular Plant Breeding for Drought Adaptation Using Genome-to-Phenome Modelling Technologies. Effective molecular plant breeding for improved water productivity of sorghum would generate significant economic and social benefits for rural communities in NE Australia. There is a significant opportunity to expand the sorghum industry in the region. Despite the global financial crisis, global demand for meat continues to increase, generating strong demand from intensive livestock industries for feed grain. Price is projected to return to high levels given continuing use of major feed grains for biofuel. A 10% increase in sorghum production would add net value of $48M annually, much via employment. The scientific content of this project positions Australia at the leading edge globally in this emerging research field. Read moreRead less
TraitCapture: Genomic modelling for plant phenomics under environmental stress. This project aims to develop software to integrate new hyper-spectral and 3D growth models of plant phenomics with population genomics to identify heritable developmental traits across varied environments. Genome wide association studies aim to then be used to identify causal genes. Functional structural plant models incorporating genetic variation will be used to predict growth under simulated stress environments. ....TraitCapture: Genomic modelling for plant phenomics under environmental stress. This project aims to develop software to integrate new hyper-spectral and 3D growth models of plant phenomics with population genomics to identify heritable developmental traits across varied environments. Genome wide association studies aim to then be used to identify causal genes. Functional structural plant models incorporating genetic variation will be used to predict growth under simulated stress environments. The research team unites international industry, the Australian Plant Phenomics Facility, and university statistical geneticists. TraitCapture software will use open standards applicable to both controlled and field environments enabling plant breeders to pre-select adaptive traits to increase crop productivity under environmental stress.Read moreRead less
Establishing novel breeding methods for canola improvement. It is imperative to ensure reliable food production in the coming years of climate change and increasing population. Genomics offers the greatest potential to increase food production. This project will apply genomic selection methods to accelerate canola oilseed breeding to ensure continued increases in production of this important food and national export.
Advanced animal breeding in aquaculture: using genome-wide molecular breeding values for rapid animal improvement in the silver-lipped pearl oyster. The primary impediment to achieving rapid genetic progress in aquaculture is an inability to accurately and rapidly identify high-performance animals for selection as parents in animal breeding programs. This project aims to develop an innovative genomic selection breeding system for the silver-lipped pearl oyster to overcome current limitations ass ....Advanced animal breeding in aquaculture: using genome-wide molecular breeding values for rapid animal improvement in the silver-lipped pearl oyster. The primary impediment to achieving rapid genetic progress in aquaculture is an inability to accurately and rapidly identify high-performance animals for selection as parents in animal breeding programs. This project aims to develop an innovative genomic selection breeding system for the silver-lipped pearl oyster to overcome current limitations associated with traditional animal improvement methods. The use of genomic selection will not only transform the Australian pearl oyster industry, but it will also showcase the potential of genomic selection in aquaculture globally. Furthermore, knowledge gained from this project can also be applied to a variety of other Australian aquaculture species to accelerate the uptake of this technology.Read moreRead less
Fertility crisis: harnessing the genomic tension behind pollen fertility in sorghum. Hybrid sorghum varieties yield more grain than inbred varieties but the production seed for farmers can be difficult. This project will identify the genes responsible for a trait that makes hybrid seed production possible and this knowledge will help raise sorghum yields in Australian and in some of the world’s poorest countries.