Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0561030
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$441,100.00
Summary
Developmental Imaging Facility. This application seeks to establish a facility to undertake expression profiling in vertebrate tissues on a genomic scale and at the highest resolution. Undertaking large scale projects of this nature requires specialised robotics and dedicated infrastructure for microscopy and tissue preparation. This facility will be the first of its type in Australia will permit researchers to perform genomic scale in situ screens, many as part of large international initiative ....Developmental Imaging Facility. This application seeks to establish a facility to undertake expression profiling in vertebrate tissues on a genomic scale and at the highest resolution. Undertaking large scale projects of this nature requires specialised robotics and dedicated infrastructure for microscopy and tissue preparation. This facility will be the first of its type in Australia will permit researchers to perform genomic scale in situ screens, many as part of large international initiatives in developmental and cellular biology. This large-scale, high-resolution expression profiling infrastructure is required to maintain international competitiveness and will dramatically improve our gene discovery, functional assessment and understanding of vertebrate development.Read moreRead less
A shared genetic basis for development of the nervous system and glands. Fruit flies possess strikingly similar versions of the genes that promote normal human development. The list of systems with genetic parallels between humans and fruit flies includes the respiratory and circulatory systems; cardiovascular development and disease; sleep; learning and memory; brain development and disease; taste, sight, smell and hearing. This project could add at least some human glands, the mucous-secreting ....A shared genetic basis for development of the nervous system and glands. Fruit flies possess strikingly similar versions of the genes that promote normal human development. The list of systems with genetic parallels between humans and fruit flies includes the respiratory and circulatory systems; cardiovascular development and disease; sleep; learning and memory; brain development and disease; taste, sight, smell and hearing. This project could add at least some human glands, the mucous-secreting goblet cells, to this list, providing a potentially useful model for studying human diseases associated with gland dysfunction. Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0668450
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$150,000.00
Summary
Upgrade of comparative phenotypical and functional cell analysis at James Cook University. North Queensland is a fast growing region with significant need for the development of a world-class research facility. James Cook University has recently established the Comparative Genomics Centre at the School of Pharmacy and Molecular Sciences, which will contribute to education and basic research in the region. The research outcomes from the projects of the Comparative Genomics Centre and affiliated l ....Upgrade of comparative phenotypical and functional cell analysis at James Cook University. North Queensland is a fast growing region with significant need for the development of a world-class research facility. James Cook University has recently established the Comparative Genomics Centre at the School of Pharmacy and Molecular Sciences, which will contribute to education and basic research in the region. The research outcomes from the projects of the Comparative Genomics Centre and affiliated laboratories facilitated by the analytical flow cytometer will support the definition and identification of the interactions between genetic and environmental factors in disease and will help to attract researchers. Results from this work will aid the search for therapies for specific health problems.Read moreRead less
How do interactions between axon guidance molecules bring about directed axon growth? This project deals with a fundamental, yet poorly understood biological problem at the cutting edge of international science - how axons navigate to their targets. A better understanding of this basic biological process will greatly assist the development of therapies to treat a wide range of clinical conditions in which axonal connections between neurons are disrupted by trauma or disease.
Deciphering genome function in animal development. The normal development of an embryo depends on complex and finely tuned gene regulatory mechanisms. In this Fellowship, I will use sophisticated new technologies to discover which of our 30,000 genes is important for embryonic development, reveal the roles of these genes, and identify the control mechanisms that can go awry to cause birth defects. Our research will suggest new ways to diagnose and deal with these conditions, and will be applicab ....Deciphering genome function in animal development. The normal development of an embryo depends on complex and finely tuned gene regulatory mechanisms. In this Fellowship, I will use sophisticated new technologies to discover which of our 30,000 genes is important for embryonic development, reveal the roles of these genes, and identify the control mechanisms that can go awry to cause birth defects. Our research will suggest new ways to diagnose and deal with these conditions, and will be applicable to stem cell technologies, tissue regeneration, cancer biology, conservation, pest management and livestock breeding, thus delivering significant economic and social benefits to Australia. Read moreRead less
Molecular genetic analyses of trinucleotide repeat expansions. Several neuronal diseases like Huntington's disease, Frederick's ataxia and fragile X syndrome are caused by expansion of trinucleotide repeat sequences in the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). These diseases show progressive severity in subsequent generations. Here we use a simple plant model with a very similar DNA mutation to study the genetic basis of repeat expansions over several generations across populations. This proposal will im ....Molecular genetic analyses of trinucleotide repeat expansions. Several neuronal diseases like Huntington's disease, Frederick's ataxia and fragile X syndrome are caused by expansion of trinucleotide repeat sequences in the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). These diseases show progressive severity in subsequent generations. Here we use a simple plant model with a very similar DNA mutation to study the genetic basis of repeat expansions over several generations across populations. This proposal will improve our mechanistic understanding of genetic diseases in populations. In addition, this proposal is expected to lead to identification of potential targets and technologies that would be of interest to Australian industry.Read moreRead less
Olfactory signal transduction in Drosophila melanogaster. This project will strengthen Australia's research capabilities in the areas of molecular neurobiology and neurogenetics. The project will equip students with the intellectual and technical skills needed to work in priority areas such as genomics and biotechnology, as well as in medical and agricultural research, and education. The research has possible long term applications in modifying the behaviour of insects of agricultural or medical ....Olfactory signal transduction in Drosophila melanogaster. This project will strengthen Australia's research capabilities in the areas of molecular neurobiology and neurogenetics. The project will equip students with the intellectual and technical skills needed to work in priority areas such as genomics and biotechnology, as well as in medical and agricultural research, and education. The research has possible long term applications in modifying the behaviour of insects of agricultural or medical importance. For example, by inhibiting the ability of insects to perceive specific odours it may ultimately be possible to prevent insects that carry disease from identifying target animals, or plant pests from locating their host plants.Read moreRead less
Gene regulatory networks in heart development. In humans, structural and functional malformations of the heart are very common and are associated with a high economic and emotional burden. In this project, we will study how genetic networks initiate and control heart development at a molecular level. We will establish and employ state-of-the-art technologies and bioinformatics tools to explore the function of cardiac regulatory genes in detail. Our work will contribute both to discover new cardi ....Gene regulatory networks in heart development. In humans, structural and functional malformations of the heart are very common and are associated with a high economic and emotional burden. In this project, we will study how genetic networks initiate and control heart development at a molecular level. We will establish and employ state-of-the-art technologies and bioinformatics tools to explore the function of cardiac regulatory genes in detail. Our work will contribute both to discover new cardiac pathways for a better understanding of heart formation and disease, and to develop advanced techniques that will contribute to strengthen Australian basic and strategic research.Read moreRead less
A shipload of consequences: studying the impact of Old World diseases on native South American populations via ancient DNA. This pioneering project will give the first real-time picture of the genetic changes induced by epidemics in human populations. This will reveal important new information about the likely impact of future epidemics on the genetic diversity of the immune system in modern human populations and will be of substantial use in building epidemiological models. By proposing to comb ....A shipload of consequences: studying the impact of Old World diseases on native South American populations via ancient DNA. This pioneering project will give the first real-time picture of the genetic changes induced by epidemics in human populations. This will reveal important new information about the likely impact of future epidemics on the genetic diversity of the immune system in modern human populations and will be of substantial use in building epidemiological models. By proposing to combine state-of-the-art science with global problems of humanity, we will address Australia's interests in expanding scientific expertise beyond its borders and place Australia at the leading edge of disease impact studies.Read moreRead less
Olfactory signalling and coding in Drosophila and other insects. Animals rely on olfactory cues to detect food, danger, and others of the same species. The olfactory systems of Drosophila and other insects are simpler than those of mammals, yet complex enough to offer fascinating systems for studying neural information processing. This project aims to investigate the role of the Drosophila odorant receptors in olfactory coding, and to use multiple approaches to isolate components of the poorly u ....Olfactory signalling and coding in Drosophila and other insects. Animals rely on olfactory cues to detect food, danger, and others of the same species. The olfactory systems of Drosophila and other insects are simpler than those of mammals, yet complex enough to offer fascinating systems for studying neural information processing. This project aims to investigate the role of the Drosophila odorant receptors in olfactory coding, and to use multiple approaches to isolate components of the poorly understood insect olfactory signal transduction pathway. In addition, the role of the NO/cGMP pathway in olfactory signalling will be studied using an olfactory mutant that has nitric oxide synthase defects.Read moreRead less