Radical redox indicators. This project aims to synthesise the first examples of advanced biological imaging agents that can reversibly respond to the oxidative status of living cells. Novel mitochondrially-targeted, fluorescent probes will be derived from several well-established families of biological dyes through the introduction of a stable free radical within the parent structure. The design of the new imaging agents aims to both enhance retention in, and restrict the fluorescence response t ....Radical redox indicators. This project aims to synthesise the first examples of advanced biological imaging agents that can reversibly respond to the oxidative status of living cells. Novel mitochondrially-targeted, fluorescent probes will be derived from several well-established families of biological dyes through the introduction of a stable free radical within the parent structure. The design of the new imaging agents aims to both enhance retention in, and restrict the fluorescence response to, the mitochondria so that changes in oxidation and reduction can be monitored. The probes will provide an innovative new means to assess reactive species and associated oxidative stress, thus delivering a new methodology to aid research into mitochondrial chemical biology.Read moreRead less
Opening Up Access to L-Sugars through a Synergy of Experiment and Theory. This project aims to address a major bottleneck in the science of carbohydrates by developing the first broad-scope synthetic routes to L-sugars. L-sugars are critical components of many biologically and commercially significant molecules, but knowledge of their functional roles is impeded by the fact that most L-sugars are expensive or difficult to make. This project expects to develop expeditious routes to L-sugars via a ....Opening Up Access to L-Sugars through a Synergy of Experiment and Theory. This project aims to address a major bottleneck in the science of carbohydrates by developing the first broad-scope synthetic routes to L-sugars. L-sugars are critical components of many biologically and commercially significant molecules, but knowledge of their functional roles is impeded by the fact that most L-sugars are expensive or difficult to make. This project expects to develop expeditious routes to L-sugars via an innovative combination of synthetic and theoretical chemistry. Expected outcomes include a markedly increased capacity to access pure samples of L-sugar-based biomolecules, as needed for studying their biological functions. Significant benefits in the development of vaccines, diagnostics and biomaterials are anticipated.Read moreRead less
Discovering new organic chemistry using an inorganic touch. This project aims to discover new organic chemistry by treating carbon like a metal atom. Advances in fundamental organic chemistry have been important in developing products, including medicines, plastics and television display technology. Much research activity relies on applying existing organic chemistry, but inventing genuinely new organic chemistry is more difficult. By viewing carbon as a metal, this project will try to solve imp ....Discovering new organic chemistry using an inorganic touch. This project aims to discover new organic chemistry by treating carbon like a metal atom. Advances in fundamental organic chemistry have been important in developing products, including medicines, plastics and television display technology. Much research activity relies on applying existing organic chemistry, but inventing genuinely new organic chemistry is more difficult. By viewing carbon as a metal, this project will try to solve important problems in organic chemistry that have been unresolved for decades, and synthesise valuable chemicals normally generated using expensive precious metal catalysts.Read moreRead less
Eradicating bacterial biofilms with nitroxide-antimicrobial hybrids. This project aims to develop new antimicrobials to address the rise of drug-resistant infections and resilient bacterial communities called biofilms. We aim to break new ground in our fundamental knowledge of antimicrobial mechanisms and exploit this understanding by fusing cellular/molecular microbiology and synthetic chemistry approaches. We seek to gain an in-depth understanding of how nitroxides induce bacterial biofilm dis ....Eradicating bacterial biofilms with nitroxide-antimicrobial hybrids. This project aims to develop new antimicrobials to address the rise of drug-resistant infections and resilient bacterial communities called biofilms. We aim to break new ground in our fundamental knowledge of antimicrobial mechanisms and exploit this understanding by fusing cellular/molecular microbiology and synthetic chemistry approaches. We seek to gain an in-depth understanding of how nitroxides induce bacterial biofilm dispersal, which is critical for the discovery of anti-biofilm molecules that do not fail due to resistance development. These breakthroughs should induce a step-change in our ability to reduce the occurrence of biofilm-related infection in fields ranging from medical and veterinary to biotechnology and agriculture.Read moreRead less
Thioamide ligations: new technologies for peptide and protein synthesis. This project aims to develop novel amide-bond forming reactions for the chemical synthesis of peptides and proteins. New peptide ligation strategies, including an asparagine-based ligation and a residue-independent ligation will be developed that exploit the recent discovery of silver-promoted coupling reactions of thioamides. A novel late-stage, chemo-selective assembly of N-glycosylated asparagine residues in peptides and ....Thioamide ligations: new technologies for peptide and protein synthesis. This project aims to develop novel amide-bond forming reactions for the chemical synthesis of peptides and proteins. New peptide ligation strategies, including an asparagine-based ligation and a residue-independent ligation will be developed that exploit the recent discovery of silver-promoted coupling reactions of thioamides. A novel late-stage, chemo-selective assembly of N-glycosylated asparagine residues in peptides and proteins will also be developed. The outcomes of this research will lead to breakthroughs in synthetic methodologies for the assembly and functionalisation of peptides and proteins, thereby enabling access to a range of homogeneous, post translationally modified proteins though total chemical synthesis. These research outcomes will expand Australia's research capability and global competitiveness in the field of biotechnology, delivering significant benefits to the third largest manufacturing sector in Australia.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200100949
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$425,364.00
Summary
Metal-free strategies for sustainable light-driven synthesis. Innovation in synthetic chemistry drives the discovery of new life-saving drugs, agrochemicals and functional materials. This project aims to use visible light to access underexploited reactive intermediates and harness their unique reactivity in new sustainable synthetic transformations. The new chemical processes are expected to deliver increased economy, efficiency and precision in the synthesis of bioactive molecules that are inac ....Metal-free strategies for sustainable light-driven synthesis. Innovation in synthetic chemistry drives the discovery of new life-saving drugs, agrochemicals and functional materials. This project aims to use visible light to access underexploited reactive intermediates and harness their unique reactivity in new sustainable synthetic transformations. The new chemical processes are expected to deliver increased economy, efficiency and precision in the synthesis of bioactive molecules that are inaccessible or challenging to prepare with existing technologies. The conceptual and practical outcomes of this project are expected to benefit both academia and industry as the use of hazardous and expensive metal catalysts can be avoided, reducing chemical waste and simplifying purification.Read moreRead less
Enhanced Synthetic Efficiency For Molecular Complexity and Diversity. This project aims to introduce new, broad-spectrum strategies that permit more efficient and selective ways to access complex organic molecules. The approach involves maximising the molecule-building potential of some of the smallest accessible molecular building blocks. Significant outcomes expected from this work include much shorter chemical syntheses of important organic substances and much improved, broad scope synthetic ....Enhanced Synthetic Efficiency For Molecular Complexity and Diversity. This project aims to introduce new, broad-spectrum strategies that permit more efficient and selective ways to access complex organic molecules. The approach involves maximising the molecule-building potential of some of the smallest accessible molecular building blocks. Significant outcomes expected from this work include much shorter chemical syntheses of important organic substances and much improved, broad scope synthetic methods. The concepts introduced by this work aims to benefit industry and manufacturing by introducing more efficient methods for fine chemical manufacture, while simultaneously lowering energy use and producing less waste.Read moreRead less
Developing next generation click chemistry. This project aims to develop next generation click chemistry as an enabling synthetic technology for creating functional molecules. Click-philosophy, that 'all searches must be restricted to molecules that are easy to make', is a key requirement for rapid discovery of useful functional materials, medicines and molecular tools. Click linkers make this possible, and the project will develop a new range of asymmetric 3D-Connectors based upon readily avail ....Developing next generation click chemistry. This project aims to develop next generation click chemistry as an enabling synthetic technology for creating functional molecules. Click-philosophy, that 'all searches must be restricted to molecules that are easy to make', is a key requirement for rapid discovery of useful functional materials, medicines and molecular tools. Click linkers make this possible, and the project will develop a new range of asymmetric 3D-Connectors based upon readily available, yet unexplored main group gasses, and will demonstrate their usefulness in several applications including the synthesis of new polymers. The project will also develop the first general asymmetric Click reaction, which will have significant impact in biological applications and materials science. This project will result in the development of new synthetic chemistry technology that will have a global impact, which will add value to the knowledge economy of Australia and contribute skills and training to the next generation of Australian scientists.Read moreRead less
New Discoveries in Organic Synthesis Inspired by the Efficiency of Nature. Nature can assemble complex organic molecules from simple starting materials with apparent ease, but the laboratory synthesis of these natural products is very difficult. This project aims to mimic the way in which Nature constructs organic compounds and thus develop more efficient, greener synthetic processes in which there is a rapid build up of molecular complexity via “biomimetic” reactions. We will integrate this app ....New Discoveries in Organic Synthesis Inspired by the Efficiency of Nature. Nature can assemble complex organic molecules from simple starting materials with apparent ease, but the laboratory synthesis of these natural products is very difficult. This project aims to mimic the way in which Nature constructs organic compounds and thus develop more efficient, greener synthetic processes in which there is a rapid build up of molecular complexity via “biomimetic” reactions. We will integrate this approach with modern methods of catalysis, including electrochemistry, photochemistry and biocatalysis. As a result, this work will expand the chemical space available to synthetic chemists working in the pharmaceutical industry. A further benefit is the training of the next generation of Australian synthetic chemists. Read moreRead less
Industrial Transformation Training Centres - Grant ID: IC190100034
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,574,272.00
Summary
ARC Training Centre for Green Chemistry in Manufacturing. Globally, there is demand for products that are effective, safe and environmentally benign. The ARC Training Centre for Green Chemistry in Manufacturing aims to utilise local and global experts to provide the next generation of Australian chemists and engineers, with skills to develop innovative products and processes that are intrinsically safe and benign. It will provide collaborating partners and the broader manufacturing industry with ....ARC Training Centre for Green Chemistry in Manufacturing. Globally, there is demand for products that are effective, safe and environmentally benign. The ARC Training Centre for Green Chemistry in Manufacturing aims to utilise local and global experts to provide the next generation of Australian chemists and engineers, with skills to develop innovative products and processes that are intrinsically safe and benign. It will provide collaborating partners and the broader manufacturing industry with new products and processes with strong export potential, and the ability to respond to the market pressures, underpinned by green chemistry and sustainable principles. Resulting benefits include increased competitiveness for Australia's manufacturing industry, jobs, social as well as environmental benefitsRead moreRead less