New dispersants for improved agrochemical and allied formulations. This project will deliver substantial benefits for national regional communities and the environment through improved agrochemical dispersion, and reduced pesticide and water use. This project will deliver improved products for agrochemicals and animal food, bringing significant agricultural advantages to Australia. This will help Huntsman with cutting-edge technologies in manufacturing agrochemical and related products for the n ....New dispersants for improved agrochemical and allied formulations. This project will deliver substantial benefits for national regional communities and the environment through improved agrochemical dispersion, and reduced pesticide and water use. This project will deliver improved products for agrochemicals and animal food, bringing significant agricultural advantages to Australia. This will help Huntsman with cutting-edge technologies in manufacturing agrochemical and related products for the national and global markets. We will provide advanced training for postgraduate and research personnel that will be sought-after by the agrochemical and allied industries.Read moreRead less
In vitro expression and crystallization of proteins from the thermohalophile, Halothermothrix orenii. The project proposal is to develop enabling state-of-the-art protein technologies for biotechnology. We will for the first time develop a rapid and high throughput technique for the expression, purification and crystallisation of proteins from the extreme thermohalophile, Halothermothrix orenii. This important break through in protein technology will assist in determining structure and function ....In vitro expression and crystallization of proteins from the thermohalophile, Halothermothrix orenii. The project proposal is to develop enabling state-of-the-art protein technologies for biotechnology. We will for the first time develop a rapid and high throughput technique for the expression, purification and crystallisation of proteins from the extreme thermohalophile, Halothermothrix orenii. This important break through in protein technology will assist in determining structure and function relationships of thermohalophilic proteins. It is expected that such an understanding together with comparative bioinformatics will assist researchers to develop "designer proteins" with improved functions for different uses in biotechnology. It is also expected that this technology will be amenable for use with other thermohalophilic microbes.Read moreRead less
Elucidating the chemical and biophysical basis for the bioactivity of cyclotides: ultra-stable proteins from plants. The national/community benefits that are expected to arise from this research are economic and social in nature. In particular, this project has the potential to increase the national capacity for the development of peptides (mini-proteins) as anti-cancer drugs. With blockbuster protein-based drugs having sales in excess of $10 billion per annum this proposal has the potential for ....Elucidating the chemical and biophysical basis for the bioactivity of cyclotides: ultra-stable proteins from plants. The national/community benefits that are expected to arise from this research are economic and social in nature. In particular, this project has the potential to increase the national capacity for the development of peptides (mini-proteins) as anti-cancer drugs. With blockbuster protein-based drugs having sales in excess of $10 billion per annum this proposal has the potential for very significant economic benefits for Australia. As well as these economic benefits a novel therapeutic agent for cancer would have enormous social benefits for Australia by decreasing the number of individuals affected and thereby reducing the subsequent emotional and physical distress associated with cancer. Read moreRead less
Bacterial monooxygenases as new biocatalysts. Using enzymes for synthesis of new pharmaceuticals is of increasing importance. Monooxygenases are particularly interesting because of their capacity to perform chemically difficult reactions thus increasing potential to make new pharmaceuticals. We have shown that an enormous pool of diverse and novel monooxygenases exists in naturally occurring bacteria. These enzymes are naturally important in pollutant degradation and regulating the emissions of ....Bacterial monooxygenases as new biocatalysts. Using enzymes for synthesis of new pharmaceuticals is of increasing importance. Monooxygenases are particularly interesting because of their capacity to perform chemically difficult reactions thus increasing potential to make new pharmaceuticals. We have shown that an enormous pool of diverse and novel monooxygenases exists in naturally occurring bacteria. These enzymes are naturally important in pollutant degradation and regulating the emissions of greenhouse gases. We will develop these enzymes for biotechnology by characterizing structural features that influence catalytic properties relevant to challenges in pharmaceutical synthesis. The outcomes will enable their engineering for specific applications in synthesis of new drugs.Read moreRead less
An evaluation of novel aluminosilicate materials based on modified kaolins for environmental applications. We have shown that simple and inexpensive modification of kaolin produces materials that adsorb large amounts of ammonium (N) and phosphate (P). We intend to evaluate and develop these materials for water treatment, so as to reduce N, P inputs into rivers and wetlands. The materials can then be used as fertilisers. Similarly addition of the materials to sandy soils to reduce leaching losses ....An evaluation of novel aluminosilicate materials based on modified kaolins for environmental applications. We have shown that simple and inexpensive modification of kaolin produces materials that adsorb large amounts of ammonium (N) and phosphate (P). We intend to evaluate and develop these materials for water treatment, so as to reduce N, P inputs into rivers and wetlands. The materials can then be used as fertilisers. Similarly addition of the materials to sandy soils to reduce leaching losses of N, P from fertilisers will be investigated. The major outcome of this research will be effective and inexpensive procedures for reducing eutrophication due to N, P from waste water and fertilisers.Read moreRead less
Domestication of blue-banded bees for greenhouse pollination. The tomato industry is currently shifting towards production in greenhouses, which allows climate control and improved pest management. A lack of pollinators is an obstacle to this move. This project will establish protocols for large-scale use of native blue-banded bees as pollinators in greenhouses, especially for tomatoes. Pollination by native bees increases fruit weight by 15%, comparable to the effects of bumblebees used overs ....Domestication of blue-banded bees for greenhouse pollination. The tomato industry is currently shifting towards production in greenhouses, which allows climate control and improved pest management. A lack of pollinators is an obstacle to this move. This project will establish protocols for large-scale use of native blue-banded bees as pollinators in greenhouses, especially for tomatoes. Pollination by native bees increases fruit weight by 15%, comparable to the effects of bumblebees used overseas. Significant economic, environmental and health benefits are expected from this project. The outcome will satisfy an industry need and remove an environmental threat by finding indigenous substitutes for alien bumblebees.Read moreRead less
Dissecting insect gut function to understand insecticide detoxification. Massive quantities of chemical insecticides are used daily to control the insect pests that threaten agriculture, human health and the welfare of domestic pets. Insects readily evolve resistance to these chemicals reducing the effectiveness of pest control, increasing the amount of chemical used and increasing costs to consumers. This project examines the way in which insects adapt to the extreme stress imposed on them by ....Dissecting insect gut function to understand insecticide detoxification. Massive quantities of chemical insecticides are used daily to control the insect pests that threaten agriculture, human health and the welfare of domestic pets. Insects readily evolve resistance to these chemicals reducing the effectiveness of pest control, increasing the amount of chemical used and increasing costs to consumers. This project examines the way in which insects adapt to the extreme stress imposed on them by chemical insecticides. A thorough understanding of this adaptation process is required before insecticide resistance can be effectively managed or prevented. Read moreRead less
Accelerating pulse breeding using machine learning. Advances in genomics and high throughput phenotyping are generating vast quantities of data that can be applied for crop improvement, however the lack of computational analysis tools and approaches limits the full exploitation of this data. Pulse legumes are currently under utilised in Australian agriculture due to poor adaptation, however they offer significant benefits both for soil improvement and the production of high protein crops. This p ....Accelerating pulse breeding using machine learning. Advances in genomics and high throughput phenotyping are generating vast quantities of data that can be applied for crop improvement, however the lack of computational analysis tools and approaches limits the full exploitation of this data. Pulse legumes are currently under utilised in Australian agriculture due to poor adaptation, however they offer significant benefits both for soil improvement and the production of high protein crops. This project will develop machine learning (ML) tools for the analysis of pulse legume crop traits and their association with genomic variation to accelerate the breeding of high performance pulse legumes for Australian growers.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0989474
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$200,000.00
Summary
Organic Synthesis and Reaction Processing Facility. Chemical synthesis is not only an important activity in its own right but one that provides compounds required in biology and physics. This enterprise is thus pivotal to many activities associated with a modern economy. Accordingly, it is vital to maintain a cutting-edge capacity in synthetic organic chemistry. The requested equipment will be assembled to create a state-of-the-art facility serving the needs of some sixty researchers engaged in ....Organic Synthesis and Reaction Processing Facility. Chemical synthesis is not only an important activity in its own right but one that provides compounds required in biology and physics. This enterprise is thus pivotal to many activities associated with a modern economy. Accordingly, it is vital to maintain a cutting-edge capacity in synthetic organic chemistry. The requested equipment will be assembled to create a state-of-the-art facility serving the needs of some sixty researchers engaged in diverse aspects of organic synthesis including those associated with the development of new antibiotics, drug delivery systems and molecular machines.Read moreRead less
Functional and regulatory analysis of n-acetylcholine receptors, key targets of insecticides. Agriculture is one of Australia's mainstay industries and a major user of insecticides. However, current insecticides suffer a number of significant deficiencies, including collateral damage in the environment and insect resistance. One of the major targets for insecticides are a class of neuronal receptors, found in organisms ranging from worms to man. Our work will provide a detailed biological unders ....Functional and regulatory analysis of n-acetylcholine receptors, key targets of insecticides. Agriculture is one of Australia's mainstay industries and a major user of insecticides. However, current insecticides suffer a number of significant deficiencies, including collateral damage in the environment and insect resistance. One of the major targets for insecticides are a class of neuronal receptors, found in organisms ranging from worms to man. Our work will provide a detailed biological understanding of these receptors leading to better ways of developing new insecticides. Similar receptors in humans are the target for nicotine and associated with neurological disorders such as schizophrenia and autism. Thus our work will also increase our understanding of important human receptors associated with disease.Read moreRead less