Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0560712
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$630,837.00
Summary
State-of-the-art biophysical tools for the characterisation of molecular interactions. In the current era of 'the genome' there is more demand than ever before for the characterisation of the gene products - the oligonucleotides and proteins that carry out the important functions in the cell. The current proposal is to acquire a suite of instrumentation to characterise the kinetics, thermodynamics and overall affinities of interactions between biological macromolecules and their physiological bi ....State-of-the-art biophysical tools for the characterisation of molecular interactions. In the current era of 'the genome' there is more demand than ever before for the characterisation of the gene products - the oligonucleotides and proteins that carry out the important functions in the cell. The current proposal is to acquire a suite of instrumentation to characterise the kinetics, thermodynamics and overall affinities of interactions between biological macromolecules and their physiological binding partners or with novel ligands. This will reveal the role of the macromolecules of interest in the cell, and potentially lead to the discovery of drug molecules which could interfere with molecular interactions underlying disease.Read moreRead less
Structure and dynamics of a multiprotein-mRNA complex involved in the regulation of gene expression. RNA/protein interactions are now recognised as a major control point in the regulation of gene-expression. Proteins such as HuR and the poly(C)-binding proteins (PCBPs) act to stabilise and transport specific messenger (m)RNAs, and thus determine their translation levels. In contrast to such an important function, very little is known about these protein/mRNA interactions at an atomic level. The ....Structure and dynamics of a multiprotein-mRNA complex involved in the regulation of gene expression. RNA/protein interactions are now recognised as a major control point in the regulation of gene-expression. Proteins such as HuR and the poly(C)-binding proteins (PCBPs) act to stabilise and transport specific messenger (m)RNAs, and thus determine their translation levels. In contrast to such an important function, very little is known about these protein/mRNA interactions at an atomic level. The current study will investigate the structural and biophysical properties of a recently discovered HuR/PCBP/mRNA complex implicated in the regulation of androgen receptor expression. This information has the potential to assist in the development of drugs to reduce AR expression in prostate cancer.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0346892
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$689,000.00
Summary
Protein Over-Expression/Purification and Macromolecular Structure Determination by X-Ray Diffraction. This proposal seeks funds for state-of-the-art facilities for protein over-expression and macromolecular X-ray diffraction. This will build upon recent initiatives within the collaborating institutions in the field of Structural Biology. It will enable research groups in Perth to pursue the large-scale production of important proteins and to conduct high-resolution structural studies using X-ray ....Protein Over-Expression/Purification and Macromolecular Structure Determination by X-Ray Diffraction. This proposal seeks funds for state-of-the-art facilities for protein over-expression and macromolecular X-ray diffraction. This will build upon recent initiatives within the collaborating institutions in the field of Structural Biology. It will enable research groups in Perth to pursue the large-scale production of important proteins and to conduct high-resolution structural studies using X-ray crystallographic techniques. This technology, which is one of the most important tools in modern biology, provides unique insights into the chemical mechanisms of biological macromolecules and will significantly enhance a great breadth of biological research in Western Australia.Read moreRead less
Materials World Network for the Study of Macromolecular Ferrofluids. This work will develop an understanding that will allow us to optimise the properties of ferrofluids (magnetic liquids) to suit particular applications. Although the primary application that will be investigated is the treatment of retinal detachment, the results will be applicable to a wide range of applications including ferrofluid-based actuators, electromagnetic micropumps and fluid based valves and sealing systems. During ....Materials World Network for the Study of Macromolecular Ferrofluids. This work will develop an understanding that will allow us to optimise the properties of ferrofluids (magnetic liquids) to suit particular applications. Although the primary application that will be investigated is the treatment of retinal detachment, the results will be applicable to a wide range of applications including ferrofluid-based actuators, electromagnetic micropumps and fluid based valves and sealing systems. During the course of this work, young Australian scientists will be trained in a cross-disciplinary environment in a variety of aspects of both nano- and bio- technology that are a key part of the National Research Priority: Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries.Read moreRead less
Calcification of acrylic hydrogels in abiotic media: mechanism and control. Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (PHEMA) and other acrylic hydrogels are extensively used as biomaterials, yet conclusive evidence exists that they have a propensity to calcify following implantation. This process has undesirable consequences on the functionality of various prostheses. Based on preliminary observations that PHEMA can promote the deposition of calcium minerals from media devoid of biological factors, whic ....Calcification of acrylic hydrogels in abiotic media: mechanism and control. Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (PHEMA) and other acrylic hydrogels are extensively used as biomaterials, yet conclusive evidence exists that they have a propensity to calcify following implantation. This process has undesirable consequences on the functionality of various prostheses. Based on preliminary observations that PHEMA can promote the deposition of calcium minerals from media devoid of biological factors, which appears thus to be an inherent property of the polymer, the project aims at formulating new hypotheses to explain this phenomenon, and to confirm them experimentally. The "chelation" hypothesis will be validated by modifying the structure of polymers, and the "spontaneous precipitation" hypothesis by assessing the effect of solutes on the equilibrium water content of polymers. NMR and FTIR spectrometric techniques will be used to gain further insight into the mechanism of calcification. Methods to prevent the calcification will potentially result from these experiments, however, anticalcification agents will also be incorporated into hydrogels and their effect evaluated in calcification assays.Read moreRead less