Methylation Sensitive Genes And The Transition To Allergic Disease: A Twin Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$493,843.00
Summary
Australia has amongst the highest reported prevalence allergic conditions (including asthma) in the world. Despite this, little is known about how these conditions arise. Mounting evidence implicates environmentally induced disruption of the genetic blueprint via a process known as epigenetics. We are combining the strengths of a unique collection of identical twins where one of a pair is sensitive to house dust mite, with cutting edge genomics, to characterise the pathways leading to allergy in ....Australia has amongst the highest reported prevalence allergic conditions (including asthma) in the world. Despite this, little is known about how these conditions arise. Mounting evidence implicates environmentally induced disruption of the genetic blueprint via a process known as epigenetics. We are combining the strengths of a unique collection of identical twins where one of a pair is sensitive to house dust mite, with cutting edge genomics, to characterise the pathways leading to allergy in children.Read moreRead less
Efficient PV-Thermal Micro-concentrator. Australia must reduce its dependence on carbon sources for electricity, heating, and cooling. The PV-thermal hybrid micro-concentrator development will deliver a light-weight, low-profile, cost-effective system that can be installed in almost any situation, with versatile output that can deliver electricity at grid parity as well as providing water heating, space heating, industrial process heat, and solar cooling capabilities. The nation will benefit thr ....Efficient PV-Thermal Micro-concentrator. Australia must reduce its dependence on carbon sources for electricity, heating, and cooling. The PV-thermal hybrid micro-concentrator development will deliver a light-weight, low-profile, cost-effective system that can be installed in almost any situation, with versatile output that can deliver electricity at grid parity as well as providing water heating, space heating, industrial process heat, and solar cooling capabilities. The nation will benefit through enhanced energy independence, international research recognition, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Further, successful commercialisation of this technology will enhance Australia's research standing and provide a good royalty income that will fund future research and development.Read moreRead less
Advanced Sliver Solar Cells. The expected outcome of the proposed research is the development of second generation Sliver solar cell technology, encouraging large commercial impact, which would be of substantial benefit to Australia in terms of export income and employment. Origin Energy has committed >$60 million to the development and commercialisation of the first generation Sliver cell technology. Substantial further commercial investment is expected during scale-up for full scale manufactur ....Advanced Sliver Solar Cells. The expected outcome of the proposed research is the development of second generation Sliver solar cell technology, encouraging large commercial impact, which would be of substantial benefit to Australia in terms of export income and employment. Origin Energy has committed >$60 million to the development and commercialisation of the first generation Sliver cell technology. Substantial further commercial investment is expected during scale-up for full scale manufacturing.
Successful implementation of technology developed during the research will result in the displacement of fossil fuel technologies and corresponding greenhouse gas emissions reduction, assisting Government in its objective to make major cuts to greenhouse gas emissions.
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Uncovering The Basis Of Inflammatory And Immunodeficiency Diseases
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$15,718,075.00
Summary
A world-class team from 3 institutions, spanning disciplines of clinical and experimental immunology, therapeutics, signalling and genetics, will identify how immune and inflammatory responses are controlled in both health and disease. The major outcomes of this work will be the generation of new knowledge, concepts and approaches to diagnose, prevent and treat the major human health problems of autoimmune diseases, inflammation, allergy and immunodeficiency.
Engineering stable, efficient perovskite solar cells. This project aims to address and resolve a critical issue facing perovskite solar cells which have enormous potential as a future technology for the large-scale generation of cheap, clean electricity: their instability under actual operating conditions. The project is expected to make significant fundamental advances in compositional, structural and interface engineering. This project will benefit the environment by paving the way for the wi ....Engineering stable, efficient perovskite solar cells. This project aims to address and resolve a critical issue facing perovskite solar cells which have enormous potential as a future technology for the large-scale generation of cheap, clean electricity: their instability under actual operating conditions. The project is expected to make significant fundamental advances in compositional, structural and interface engineering. This project will benefit the environment by paving the way for the widespread adoption of cheaper and more efficient solar cells.Read moreRead less
It is feasible to sequence patient genomes but we need to know more about how genetic variants cause complex disease. We have sequenced genomes from patients with immune deficiency and will test the idea that genetic variation causes consistent changes in particular white blood cells, thus providing a bridge between genomic information and clinical diagnosis. Outcomes will include more accurate diagnosis, better understanding of immunity, and a strategy for using whole genome information.
Investigating B Cell Development, Maintenance And High-affinity Antibody Production By ENU Mutagenesis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$408,388.00
Summary
B cells are essential for the protection against infections. This application aims to identify new genes that are crucial for the development or function of B cells and will investigate how mutations in newly discovered genes contribute to defects in the development and function of B cells and the pathogenesis of B cell leukaemia.
Dynamic Trafficking Of Amino Acid Transporters At Synapses And Their Role In Regulating Neurotransmission
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$421,219.00
Summary
Brain cells release chemical neurotransmitters to activate their neighbours. The most abundant neurotransmitter is glutamate, which mediates most of the communication in the brain. Following release, this neurotransmitter must be rapidly recycled to prevent levels being depleted and neurotransmission failing. The subject of this grant is to understand what molecules and pathways are used to recycle glutamate in the brain, and how its supply is controlled to sustain continual brain activation.
Perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells: a pathway to 30 per cent efficiency. This project aims to develop a new type of solar cell that is much more efficient than today’s commercial silicon solar cells. Increasing cell efficiency is one of the most effective ways to reduce the cost of solar electricity, but silicon cells are approaching practical and theoretical limits. This project expects to boost the efficiency of silicon solar cells by adding a low-cost solar cell on top to create a tandem d ....Perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells: a pathway to 30 per cent efficiency. This project aims to develop a new type of solar cell that is much more efficient than today’s commercial silicon solar cells. Increasing cell efficiency is one of the most effective ways to reduce the cost of solar electricity, but silicon cells are approaching practical and theoretical limits. This project expects to boost the efficiency of silicon solar cells by adding a low-cost solar cell on top to create a tandem device. The expected outcome is a solar cell that can convert more than 30 per cent of incident sunlight into electricity, compared to 20-25 per cent for current cells. Developing cheap, high efficiency solar cells should further reduce the cost of solar electricity, and accelerate the uptake of clean energy.Read moreRead less
Alpha-particles linked to recombinant antibodies targeting tumour cells have potential to effectively treat tumours while minimising normal tissue side effects. We will explore a novel alpha-particle therapy approach to solid tumours, by delivering 225Ac directly into tumour cells, or into cells that support the tumour (microenvironment). This approach will hopefully result in development of a new approach to treatment of cancers that are resistant to conventional therapies.