Targeting TGF-beta proteins to control animal reproduction. This project aims to develop a suite of novel biologics to control fertility in female mammals. This project expects to demonstrate that targeting a single class of ovarian proteins will enhance or inhibit egg production. The expected outcomes of this project are to (1) transform the breeding of livestock animals, which should provide significant benefits to the agricultural industry, through increased herd/flock sizes, and (2) provide ....Targeting TGF-beta proteins to control animal reproduction. This project aims to develop a suite of novel biologics to control fertility in female mammals. This project expects to demonstrate that targeting a single class of ovarian proteins will enhance or inhibit egg production. The expected outcomes of this project are to (1) transform the breeding of livestock animals, which should provide significant benefits to the agricultural industry, through increased herd/flock sizes, and (2) provide a non-surgical method of contraception in companion/feral species, which should address the large unmet need for fertility control in these animals.
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Proteomic and genetic analysis of subfertile bull spermatozoa. This project aims to identify protein changes on spermatozoa that are highly correlated with the fertility status of bulls. Bull fertility has approached an all-time low as breeding practice has focused predominately on milk production and beef tenderness. This project aims to understand the genetic causes that underpin bull and cattle infertility, and investigate better methods to predict the fertility status of bulls. This project ....Proteomic and genetic analysis of subfertile bull spermatozoa. This project aims to identify protein changes on spermatozoa that are highly correlated with the fertility status of bulls. Bull fertility has approached an all-time low as breeding practice has focused predominately on milk production and beef tenderness. This project aims to understand the genetic causes that underpin bull and cattle infertility, and investigate better methods to predict the fertility status of bulls. This project expects to contribute to better clinical management of cattle. This information can then be used for the development of a better diagnostic assay for both the dairy and beef industry.Read moreRead less
Evolution of intelligence in small brains: how to navigate the messy natural outdoors smartly. This project unravels how small-brained desert ants navigate expertly using simple and coarse-grade visual cues, focusing on 1) how they use skylines, where the tops of terrestrial objects meet the sky, and 2) how they search efficiently for goals. The outcomes will be invaluable for designing robots that can navigate in the messy natural outdoors.
Becoming expert navigators with tiny brains: Learning in desert ants. Desert ants with tiny brains learn to use their surrounding visual landscape to navigate. This project investigates in detail how they do that in a few carefully orchestrated trips around their nest called learning walks. Desert ants are known now to use magnetic cues to orient during their learning walks. The project also probes the role that magnetic cues play in the ants’ learning, as well as the sensory basis of the percep ....Becoming expert navigators with tiny brains: Learning in desert ants. Desert ants with tiny brains learn to use their surrounding visual landscape to navigate. This project investigates in detail how they do that in a few carefully orchestrated trips around their nest called learning walks. Desert ants are known now to use magnetic cues to orient during their learning walks. The project also probes the role that magnetic cues play in the ants’ learning, as well as the sensory basis of the perception of magnetic cues. Geomagnetic cues in the area of the nest will be artificially manipulated to test how ants use this cue. Probing the use of magnetic cues has potential benefits for projects of artificial autonomous navigation in situations when visual cues are unavailable, such as exploring a deep mine.
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Overcoming limits of miniaturisation to enhance spatial memory capacities. Ensuring optimal efficiency at the smallest possible physical limit is a challenge for technical systems, which has been elegantly solved by biological systems. This project aims to identify how insects with miniature brains enhance their memory capacities. It will leverage previous ARC funded research on navigation of Australian ants and apply sophisticated analytical tools to quantify the neural connectivity in the brai ....Overcoming limits of miniaturisation to enhance spatial memory capacities. Ensuring optimal efficiency at the smallest possible physical limit is a challenge for technical systems, which has been elegantly solved by biological systems. This project aims to identify how insects with miniature brains enhance their memory capacities. It will leverage previous ARC funded research on navigation of Australian ants and apply sophisticated analytical tools to quantify the neural connectivity in the brain in the context of spatial memory. Expected outcomes include understanding how expensive neural tissue can be miniaturised for efficient spatial navigation, identifying the consequences of miniaturisation for developing miniature and autonomous agents, enhancing research capacity and institutional collaborations.Read moreRead less
Use of quinone adducted peptides in the regulation of fertility. This project describes a novel strategy for the non-surgical induction of sterility in male and female mammals with applications in the fields of biotechnology, veterinary medicine and the humane control of pest animal species. The approach is dependent upon the known sensitivity of the germ line to oxidative stress. The strategy rests upon the demonstration that quinone-adducted peptides will selectively bind to non-renewable cel ....Use of quinone adducted peptides in the regulation of fertility. This project describes a novel strategy for the non-surgical induction of sterility in male and female mammals with applications in the fields of biotechnology, veterinary medicine and the humane control of pest animal species. The approach is dependent upon the known sensitivity of the germ line to oxidative stress. The strategy rests upon the demonstration that quinone-adducted peptides will selectively bind to non-renewable cell types in the ovary and testis and redox cycle at the cell surface generating a highly localised state of oxidative stress. This stress will then recapitulate the impact of radiation on reproductive tissues by selectively compromising the viability of the germ line, inducing a state of sterility.Read moreRead less
How brains become lateralised. This project aims to understand how the left and right sides of the brain become specialised for different cognitive functions, a phenomenon called lateralisation. Lateralisation is one of the least understood organisational principles of the brain, yet is crucial to the way we think and behave. Manifested most clearly as handedness, the brain is lateralised for many cognitive tasks such as language, reasoning, memory and emotion. However, the developmental origin ....How brains become lateralised. This project aims to understand how the left and right sides of the brain become specialised for different cognitive functions, a phenomenon called lateralisation. Lateralisation is one of the least understood organisational principles of the brain, yet is crucial to the way we think and behave. Manifested most clearly as handedness, the brain is lateralised for many cognitive tasks such as language, reasoning, memory and emotion. However, the developmental origin and anatomical substrate of most cognitive asymmetries are unknown. This project will use a chick model of brain lateralisation to quantify and localise to specific brain circuits the patterns of differential gene expression that give rise to anatomical and functional asymmetries.Read moreRead less
Trade-offs underlying the evolution of female mating strategies. Multiple mating by females (polyandry) is a fundamental problem in behavioural ecology. The project will utilise an Australian species of stingless bee to quantify both the costs and the most probable benefits of polyandry. This will provide insight into the trade-offs underlying the evolution of mating strategies in this species and in general. Stingless bees are important members of many Australian ecosystems and have consider ....Trade-offs underlying the evolution of female mating strategies. Multiple mating by females (polyandry) is a fundamental problem in behavioural ecology. The project will utilise an Australian species of stingless bee to quantify both the costs and the most probable benefits of polyandry. This will provide insight into the trade-offs underlying the evolution of mating strategies in this species and in general. Stingless bees are important members of many Australian ecosystems and have considerable economic potential as well. The knowledge gained during the project will also substantially aid the development and management of the commercial use of stingless bees, which will have both ecological and economic benefits to Australia.Read moreRead less
Beyond pineal melatonin: sensing the seasons without the eye. The project will identify the causal connection between seasonal breeding in animals and a recently recognised brain biochemical pathway by applying experimental treatments mimicking seasonal environmental changes in a mutant and wild-type nematode worm model. Through experimentation we will identify useful biological targets that might be manipulated to enhance control of seasonal breeding in managed animals. With better control of r ....Beyond pineal melatonin: sensing the seasons without the eye. The project will identify the causal connection between seasonal breeding in animals and a recently recognised brain biochemical pathway by applying experimental treatments mimicking seasonal environmental changes in a mutant and wild-type nematode worm model. Through experimentation we will identify useful biological targets that might be manipulated to enhance control of seasonal breeding in managed animals. With better control of reproductive output in animals, farmers and managers can increase and/or decrease reproductive output as needed in managed species including livestock and vertebrate pests. This will enhance the use of precious land resources and minimize ecological damage from overbreeding.Read moreRead less
The role of dopamine in the regulation of worker sterility in the honey bee. This project will open new doors into the knowledge of honey bees' sterility. We will not only show that certain genes control honey bee sterility but also that there is interactions between these genes and environmental cues such as the pheromones released by the queen. The project will provide significant material for a better understanding of honey bees society. Honey bees remain the most important pollinator world w ....The role of dopamine in the regulation of worker sterility in the honey bee. This project will open new doors into the knowledge of honey bees' sterility. We will not only show that certain genes control honey bee sterility but also that there is interactions between these genes and environmental cues such as the pheromones released by the queen. The project will provide significant material for a better understanding of honey bees society. Honey bees remain the most important pollinator world wide, and their conservation is a major concern both to agriculturalists and the general public. The project will be of immense scientific interest, and likely to be regarded as a major breakthrough. The project will also foster a strong intellectual collaboration between New Zealand and Australia.Read moreRead less