Development of metal probes for the selective recognition of DNA. Transition metal complexes with large aromatic ligands have recently been shown to bind DNA by intercalation. However, controversy continues over their base sequence and groove selectivity. We will synthesise a range of chiral metal complexes and screen these against combinatorial oligonucleotide libraries to determine their base sequence selectivity. The information obtained will help us design better intercalators that can be us ....Development of metal probes for the selective recognition of DNA. Transition metal complexes with large aromatic ligands have recently been shown to bind DNA by intercalation. However, controversy continues over their base sequence and groove selectivity. We will synthesise a range of chiral metal complexes and screen these against combinatorial oligonucleotide libraries to determine their base sequence selectivity. The information obtained will help us design better intercalators that can be used as sensitive molecular probes and may find application as antitumour drugs. Binding interaction between the complex and DNA will be studied by NMR spectroscopy.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0775676
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$290,000.00
Summary
An X-ray Diffraction Facility for Molecular Structure Determination. Characterisation of new chemical compounds demands proof of molecular structure. Whether for the identification of a new drug candidate, a material with novel properties or in the exploration of previously unknown types of compounds, X-ray crystallography is the definitive technique for this purpose. This proposal is for an X-ray diffractometer that will significantly enhance the capabilities of all synthetic and natural produc ....An X-ray Diffraction Facility for Molecular Structure Determination. Characterisation of new chemical compounds demands proof of molecular structure. Whether for the identification of a new drug candidate, a material with novel properties or in the exploration of previously unknown types of compounds, X-ray crystallography is the definitive technique for this purpose. This proposal is for an X-ray diffractometer that will significantly enhance the capabilities of all synthetic and natural products chemistry research programs undertaken at the Universities of Queensland and Newcastle, all currently in receipt of ARC funding. This research is aligned with the ARC National Research Priorities, of Promoting and Maintaining Good Health and Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries.Read moreRead less
Nanoprobe and Microprobe Structural and Spectroscopic Studies in Biomedical Research. Breakthrough microprobe and nanoprobe technologies, involving X-ray, visible and infrared light can focus into different components of mammalian cells in order to interrogate the biochemistry that is occurring therein. Each of the different wavelengths of light provides complementary biochemical information that enables multi-layered information on changes in cells that occur as a function of drug treatments a ....Nanoprobe and Microprobe Structural and Spectroscopic Studies in Biomedical Research. Breakthrough microprobe and nanoprobe technologies, involving X-ray, visible and infrared light can focus into different components of mammalian cells in order to interrogate the biochemistry that is occurring therein. Each of the different wavelengths of light provides complementary biochemical information that enables multi-layered information on changes in cells that occur as a function of drug treatments and disease processes. This will provide unprecedented information as to where drugs go and how they are transformed inside cells that, in turn, may revolutionalise the way in which new drugs are designed that have higher specificity and lower side effects.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0346733
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$399,466.00
Summary
Ultra-Sensitive CCD Diffractometer with High Intensity X-ray Photon Generator. X-ray photon diffraction from single crystals provides the most accurate, precise and detailed three dimensional chemical structure information. It is however often difficult to obtain crystals of complex chemical assemblies, such as those used in nanotechnology and photon technology, suitable for diffraction analysis using equipment currently available at Australian chemical crystal structure facilities. The collab ....Ultra-Sensitive CCD Diffractometer with High Intensity X-ray Photon Generator. X-ray photon diffraction from single crystals provides the most accurate, precise and detailed three dimensional chemical structure information. It is however often difficult to obtain crystals of complex chemical assemblies, such as those used in nanotechnology and photon technology, suitable for diffraction analysis using equipment currently available at Australian chemical crystal structure facilities. The collaborating institutions seek to overcome this problem by purchasing a high sensitivity CCD area detector coupled to an intense laboratory source of X-ray photons. The installation of the equipment would be the first of its kind at an Australian facility and only the fourth worldwide.Read moreRead less
Contributions to the foundations upon which true crystal engineering of functional solids will be based. The emerging area of crystal engineering promises to provide access to sophisticated materials tailored for specific applications. A major thrust of the proposed work is concerned with controlling the interactions and thus the arrangement of small molecular building blocks used to construct such materials. Through a variety of novel approaches that are proposed, we expect that our research wo ....Contributions to the foundations upon which true crystal engineering of functional solids will be based. The emerging area of crystal engineering promises to provide access to sophisticated materials tailored for specific applications. A major thrust of the proposed work is concerned with controlling the interactions and thus the arrangement of small molecular building blocks used to construct such materials. Through a variety of novel approaches that are proposed, we expect that our research work will provide a valuable scientific contribution to the development of crystal engineering, whilst affording an excellent training ground for the sorts of scientists upon whom Australia's future prosperity will depend.Read moreRead less
Electronic and Optical Properties of Doped Titanium Dioxide. Titanium dioxide, is widely used as a white pigment, owing to its high refractive index, second, only after diamond. Yellowing of rutile pigment particles, observed on prolonged exposure to sunlight, is a serious problem that pigment manufacturers would like to overcome. It is proposed that aluminium-doping of rutile limits this discolouration by altering the electronic structure of the rutile particles. This project seeks to identify ....Electronic and Optical Properties of Doped Titanium Dioxide. Titanium dioxide, is widely used as a white pigment, owing to its high refractive index, second, only after diamond. Yellowing of rutile pigment particles, observed on prolonged exposure to sunlight, is a serious problem that pigment manufacturers would like to overcome. It is proposed that aluminium-doping of rutile limits this discolouration by altering the electronic structure of the rutile particles. This project seeks to identify the specific electronic cause of the yellowing process, the nature of the Al defect,it's effect on the electronic structure of rutile, and the electronic perturbations that may occur when other dopants are used.Read moreRead less
Cation Ordering - A Strategy to Prepare Multiferroic Oxides. This project will produce new families of functional metal oxides with technologically relevant properties, especially multiferroic behavior. Such materials are highly sort-after in the rapidly emerging field of spintronics. Through comprehensive experimental studies of a number of such materials this project will enhance the ability of industry to develop new and improved materials.
Control of the Enantiomeric Self-Resolution Process. The availability of enantiopure molecules is crucial in chemistry and medicine. Enantiomeric self-resolution on crystallisation provides pure left- and right-handed molecules from 1:1 mixtures of the two. It is the simplest and cheapest means of obtaining enantiopure molecules, but its occurrence in any given case cannot normally be
predicted. The understanding and control of the self-resolution process gained through this project will repre ....Control of the Enantiomeric Self-Resolution Process. The availability of enantiopure molecules is crucial in chemistry and medicine. Enantiomeric self-resolution on crystallisation provides pure left- and right-handed molecules from 1:1 mixtures of the two. It is the simplest and cheapest means of obtaining enantiopure molecules, but its occurrence in any given case cannot normally be
predicted. The understanding and control of the self-resolution process gained through this project will represent a major breakthrough in organic and pharmaceutical chemistry. This technological advance will make pure handed molecules available readily and cheaply, thereby allowing chemical, pharmaceutical and biological developments to be made by Australian industry.
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A reliable physical model of molecular motion in crystals. The scientific benefits would flow, in the first instance, to the large national and international communities of scientists whose research makes use of the results of X-ray diffraction experiments. Applications of the research to amino acids and peptides will benefit investigations into the structure and molecular dynamics of biological systems, including proteins and enzymes. Studies of charge densities in crystals will obtain a standa ....A reliable physical model of molecular motion in crystals. The scientific benefits would flow, in the first instance, to the large national and international communities of scientists whose research makes use of the results of X-ray diffraction experiments. Applications of the research to amino acids and peptides will benefit investigations into the structure and molecular dynamics of biological systems, including proteins and enzymes. Studies of charge densities in crystals will obtain a standard tool for improved modelling of molecular motion, resulting in physically more realistic charge density functions, and hence greater insight into the relationship between properties of crystals and their constituent molecules.Read moreRead less
Crowns, cages and cavities: Insights into host-guest chemistry from experimental charge density analysis of supramolecular crystals. Supramolecular systems - molecular aggregates - underpin the design and development of materials for a vast number of potential applications, in areas as diverse as catalysis, targeted drug delivery, gas storage, chemical separation, electro-optics and nonlinear optics. They also serve as models for complex phenomena such as self-assembly and ligand-receptor bindin ....Crowns, cages and cavities: Insights into host-guest chemistry from experimental charge density analysis of supramolecular crystals. Supramolecular systems - molecular aggregates - underpin the design and development of materials for a vast number of potential applications, in areas as diverse as catalysis, targeted drug delivery, gas storage, chemical separation, electro-optics and nonlinear optics. They also serve as models for complex phenomena such as self-assembly and ligand-receptor binding. Outcomes will impact on several of the nation's articulated research priorities and, through involvement of postdoctoral fellows and postgraduate students in an international collaboration of this nature, the project contributes directly to producing graduates and researchers familiar with state-of-the-art experimental facilities, both within Australia and overseas.Read moreRead less