Exploring protease inhibitors in placental development and maturation. The placenta is essential for reproduction in many diverse species. This project aims to elucidate fundamental contributions of protease inhibitors and the proteases they target to placental development and maturation. It is expected to generate new knowledge around whether SPINTS play a fundamental role in disparate animals that independently derived a placenta, suggesting convergent genetic evolution. The project is expect ....Exploring protease inhibitors in placental development and maturation. The placenta is essential for reproduction in many diverse species. This project aims to elucidate fundamental contributions of protease inhibitors and the proteases they target to placental development and maturation. It is expected to generate new knowledge around whether SPINTS play a fundamental role in disparate animals that independently derived a placenta, suggesting convergent genetic evolution. The project is expected to result in disciplinary collaboration, produce novel models, and promote future projects in many species. The project should result in significant benefits toward advancing knowledge in reproductive biology, have economic and commercial benefits, and further enhance Australia's outstanding reputation in the field.Read moreRead less
Improving the Sustainability of Australian Livestock Production Systems. The sustainability of livestock production systems must urgently be improved. This Future Fellowship builds upon Dr Zamira Gibb's portfolio of high-impact research to deliver extension and adoption activities which will improve the outcomes of cattle and horse selective breeding programs; allowing the dissemination of low-methane genetics to remote Northern Australian cattle breeding regions, reducing wastage of breeding ho ....Improving the Sustainability of Australian Livestock Production Systems. The sustainability of livestock production systems must urgently be improved. This Future Fellowship builds upon Dr Zamira Gibb's portfolio of high-impact research to deliver extension and adoption activities which will improve the outcomes of cattle and horse selective breeding programs; allowing the dissemination of low-methane genetics to remote Northern Australian cattle breeding regions, reducing wastage of breeding horses and dairy cattle, and improving foal heath and offspring longevity. This project will address the environmental, ethical, and economic concerns which threaten the sustainability of these culturally significant livestock industries which are the cornerstone of everyday life in regional communities. Read moreRead less
Compromised fertility in contemporary Indonesia. This project will benefit the community by informing service provision for infertility treatment, and by identifying the potential for prevention strategies. It will consolidate Australia's position at the forefront of research into assisted reproductive technologies, through the extension of this expertise to our near neighbours. It will contribute to the current gap in knowledge of infertility in Southeast Asia and in developing countries more b ....Compromised fertility in contemporary Indonesia. This project will benefit the community by informing service provision for infertility treatment, and by identifying the potential for prevention strategies. It will consolidate Australia's position at the forefront of research into assisted reproductive technologies, through the extension of this expertise to our near neighbours. It will contribute to the current gap in knowledge of infertility in Southeast Asia and in developing countries more broadly, and advance research on infertility conducted from human rights and anthropological perspectives. The project will reinforce the relevance of the United Nations definition of reproductive health, for all people regardless of whether they live in highly or lesser developed nations.Read moreRead less
DNA repair: a critical quality control mechanism in the female germ line. This project aims to investigate the fundamental biological mechanisms required for the production of high quality gametes, which underpin female fertility and the propagation of all sexually reproducing species. By taking advantage of unique mouse and avian models, this project expects to define the role of the DNA repair protein TOP3A in the successful completion of meiosis and it's requirement for the survival and genet ....DNA repair: a critical quality control mechanism in the female germ line. This project aims to investigate the fundamental biological mechanisms required for the production of high quality gametes, which underpin female fertility and the propagation of all sexually reproducing species. By taking advantage of unique mouse and avian models, this project expects to define the role of the DNA repair protein TOP3A in the successful completion of meiosis and it's requirement for the survival and genetic integrity of gametes throughout their lifespan. In doing so, the intended outcome of this project is to dramatically improve our understanding of quality control in the female germ line. This should provide significant benefits to Australia by positioning it as a world leader in the field of Reproductive Science.Read moreRead less
Regulation of tissue morphogenesis in reproductive function and metastatic cancer. Infertility, endocrine and metabolic disorders and reproductive cancers are all increasing medical problems and principal contributors to morbidity and mortality in the Australian community. This research takes the novel approach of investigating the mechanisms of dynamic remodeling in reproductive organs. Novel hormonally controlled mechanisms of tissue remodeling unique to reproductive organs and cancers in ad ....Regulation of tissue morphogenesis in reproductive function and metastatic cancer. Infertility, endocrine and metabolic disorders and reproductive cancers are all increasing medical problems and principal contributors to morbidity and mortality in the Australian community. This research takes the novel approach of investigating the mechanisms of dynamic remodeling in reproductive organs. Novel hormonally controlled mechanisms of tissue remodeling unique to reproductive organs and cancers in adults have been discovered. The results are being applied to new medical alternatives for infertile patients and new diagnostics and therapeutics for patients with metastatic cancers. The information is also being applied to improve reproductive efficiency in animal production industries.Read moreRead less
Defining the impact of Environmental Endocrine Disruptors on the sustainability of
Australia’s Native Marsupials. Environmental endocrine disrupting chemicals (EEDs) from introduced plants, pesticides and wastewater are dramatically increasing in the Australian environment. EEDs have been shown to cause dramatic reproductive and developmental abnormalities in vertebrates ranging from fish to humans. This project plans to investigate the impact that these chemicals might have on marsupial devel ....Defining the impact of Environmental Endocrine Disruptors on the sustainability of
Australia’s Native Marsupials. Environmental endocrine disrupting chemicals (EEDs) from introduced plants, pesticides and wastewater are dramatically increasing in the Australian environment. EEDs have been shown to cause dramatic reproductive and developmental abnormalities in vertebrates ranging from fish to humans. This project plans to investigate the impact that these chemicals might have on marsupial development. Marsupials have a unique reproductive strategy and how this might affect their ability to respond to EEDs is unknown. This project aims to define the effects of three of the predominant EED risks for marsupials in the Australian environment; estradiol, genistein and atrazine.Read moreRead less
Building child health through maternal wellbeing. Chronic diseases partly originate in the health & social circumstances of previous generations, during pregnancy, and in conditions during infancy and childhood. This project will draw from three community studies the researcher established to investigate how aspects of women's health affect their children's health and identify new opportunities for disease prevention.