Mathematical models and bioinformatic analyses of bacterial genome evolution. Bacteria are vital agents in earth's biosphere, breaking down and synthesising a wide variety of compounds. Some bacteria cause disease; others are exploited for a range of biotechnological applications. Bacteria have a remarkable ability to survive and thrive in changing conditions. For example, pathogenic bacteria confronted by antibiotics easily evolve resistance to them. With the reality of climate change, we expec ....Mathematical models and bioinformatic analyses of bacterial genome evolution. Bacteria are vital agents in earth's biosphere, breaking down and synthesising a wide variety of compounds. Some bacteria cause disease; others are exploited for a range of biotechnological applications. Bacteria have a remarkable ability to survive and thrive in changing conditions. For example, pathogenic bacteria confronted by antibiotics easily evolve resistance to them. With the reality of climate change, we expect more rapid shifts in the structure of bacterial communities, possibly leading to the emergence of new pathogens. The benefits of this project are to discover how the genetic structure of bacteria confer this flexibility, and to help keep Australia at the forefront of research in bioinformatics and mathematical biology.
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Bayesian Statistical Inference for Implicitly defined Probability Models. Bayesian statistics has recently been used to provide solutions for a large number of hitherto intractable problems in science and technology. The success of Bayesian statistics has mainly been due to the application of so-called Markov chain Monte Carlo computational techniques. We aim to improve these algorithms, by providing fast, simple and efficient computational implementations. We will use the results to give ins ....Bayesian Statistical Inference for Implicitly defined Probability Models. Bayesian statistics has recently been used to provide solutions for a large number of hitherto intractable problems in science and technology. The success of Bayesian statistics has mainly been due to the application of so-called Markov chain Monte Carlo computational techniques. We aim to improve these algorithms, by providing fast, simple and efficient computational implementations. We will use the results to give insight by carefully quantifying and modelling uncertainty for such topics as the transmission rate of infectious diseases, the spatial distribution of plant and animal species, investigating biological theory for the genome of a virus, and changes in human fertility.Read moreRead less
Disulfide Bonds and Protein Folding. This work will advance our understanding of protein folding, which has important implications in biotechnology, impacting on commercial production of recombinant proteins (for pharmaceutical and biomedical applications) and on 1000s of research laboratories worldwide that use recombinant technologies. This research could also contribute to medicine (new treatments for diseases of protein misfolding like Alzheimer's), and to membrane protein structural biology ....Disulfide Bonds and Protein Folding. This work will advance our understanding of protein folding, which has important implications in biotechnology, impacting on commercial production of recombinant proteins (for pharmaceutical and biomedical applications) and on 1000s of research laboratories worldwide that use recombinant technologies. This research could also contribute to medicine (new treatments for diseases of protein misfolding like Alzheimer's), and to membrane protein structural biology. This work could yield economic benefits in the long-term through patentable outcomes and will benefit the community by producing high impact research papers, providing training to Australians and forging links with renowned international scientists.Read moreRead less
Simulating viral evolution and genetic complexity. This project has direct relevance to understanding the growth of viral infections, and therefore has possible practical applications in disease research and control. Examples of these are emerging diseases in humans such as those caused by HIV-1, SARS coronavirus and Dengue virus, which cause considerable human suffering throughout the world. A major part of current research into these diseases involves attempts to model the evolutionary geneti ....Simulating viral evolution and genetic complexity. This project has direct relevance to understanding the growth of viral infections, and therefore has possible practical applications in disease research and control. Examples of these are emerging diseases in humans such as those caused by HIV-1, SARS coronavirus and Dengue virus, which cause considerable human suffering throughout the world. A major part of current research into these diseases involves attempts to model the evolutionary genetics and dynamics of virus populations in order to understand how to control epidemics, develop vaccines and design drugs. The research program is designed to provide new computational modelling tools for this purpose, which may have wider applications as well.
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Who acquires infection from whom across international borders? New approaches for control of emerging infections through understanding travel patterns. Mathematical modelling of data on travellers traversing Australia's borders and their contact patterns can be used to understand the pathways by which infectious diseases enter and spread in Australia. Currently available social contact data which informs models are inadequate and outdated. Gathering new data relevant to modern society will help ....Who acquires infection from whom across international borders? New approaches for control of emerging infections through understanding travel patterns. Mathematical modelling of data on travellers traversing Australia's borders and their contact patterns can be used to understand the pathways by which infectious diseases enter and spread in Australia. Currently available social contact data which informs models are inadequate and outdated. Gathering new data relevant to modern society will help control future infectious disease threats to our society. Our aim is to collect detailed, unique data on demography, behavioural and social patterns of travellers and residents, and use this to develop mathematical models to evaluate effective control measures for emerging infections in Australia. This study will make a unique contribution to national disease control policy.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0561013
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$220,000.00
Summary
X-ray diffraction System for Protein Crystallography and Structural Biology. Knowledge of protein structures enables researchers to explain cellular function at a molecular level. In particular, it provides essential information to understand the mechanism of diseases, such as cancer or AIDS, and it ultimately leads to the design of better drugs.
An in-house X-ray protein crystallography facility will allow us to determine the structures of key proteins effectively and competitively, opening up ....X-ray diffraction System for Protein Crystallography and Structural Biology. Knowledge of protein structures enables researchers to explain cellular function at a molecular level. In particular, it provides essential information to understand the mechanism of diseases, such as cancer or AIDS, and it ultimately leads to the design of better drugs.
An in-house X-ray protein crystallography facility will allow us to determine the structures of key proteins effectively and competitively, opening up extensive possibilities for multi-disciplinary ground-breaking research.
The University research portfolio has evolved to embrace the revolution in structural biology with numerous projects and collaborations focusing on proteins involved in bacterial infections, degenerative disorders and biotechnological applications.Read moreRead less
Comprehensive transcriptional mapping of emergent division-linked cell fate decisions. This project proposal will lead to a better understanding of the molecular mechanics that drive certain cellular behaviors. To do this, we will use a frontier technology, RNA sequencing, which we think has the potential to revolutionise Australian science and make Australia an even more attractive place for young researchers. The community at large benefits from novel technologies as they create new opportunit ....Comprehensive transcriptional mapping of emergent division-linked cell fate decisions. This project proposal will lead to a better understanding of the molecular mechanics that drive certain cellular behaviors. To do this, we will use a frontier technology, RNA sequencing, which we think has the potential to revolutionise Australian science and make Australia an even more attractive place for young researchers. The community at large benefits from novel technologies as they create new opportunities for university research and attract young minds to the challenges of maths and science.Read moreRead less
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL0992138
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,100,000.00
Summary
Towards antibacterials without resistance. Innovative automation technologies will be used to create and investigate a revolutionary new approach to disable pathogenic superbugs, bacteria resistant to multiple antibiotics. The chemicals created and proteins evaluated in this research program will advance fundamental knowledge about the molecular weapons that bacteria produce to cause disease; deliver social and economic benefits to Australia through the development of potential new antibacterial ....Towards antibacterials without resistance. Innovative automation technologies will be used to create and investigate a revolutionary new approach to disable pathogenic superbugs, bacteria resistant to multiple antibiotics. The chemicals created and proteins evaluated in this research program will advance fundamental knowledge about the molecular weapons that bacteria produce to cause disease; deliver social and economic benefits to Australia through the development of potential new antibacterial treatments; contribute to Australia's continued international leading role in drug discovery research; enhance international links and attract industry investment in Australia; and provide a stimulating research training environment to inspire and motivate the next generation of scientists.Read moreRead less
New approaches to inhibition of activity of HIV integrase. This project aims to assist in the development of novel anti-HIV drugs that will benefit the 17000 Australians and more than 33 million people worldwide who are currently suffering with this terrible disease. The project will utilise state-of-the-art approaches in structure-based drug design to identify and synthesise compounds as leads for the development of anti-HIV drugs. Furthermore, the project will provide invaluable training for t ....New approaches to inhibition of activity of HIV integrase. This project aims to assist in the development of novel anti-HIV drugs that will benefit the 17000 Australians and more than 33 million people worldwide who are currently suffering with this terrible disease. The project will utilise state-of-the-art approaches in structure-based drug design to identify and synthesise compounds as leads for the development of anti-HIV drugs. Furthermore, the project will provide invaluable training for the researchers involved and enhance the relationship between the academic and commercial collaborators.Read moreRead less
Sequence Data Analysis. Sequence data analysis is about extracting information included in sequences of data in which the order of sequence matters. The project aims to work with two well known research groups in Germany with complimentary expertise to support two applications in this area: analysis of biological sequence data and detection and classification of sequence images, both with a very high significance to research and industry. It is planned to investigate on the diversity and the com ....Sequence Data Analysis. Sequence data analysis is about extracting information included in sequences of data in which the order of sequence matters. The project aims to work with two well known research groups in Germany with complimentary expertise to support two applications in this area: analysis of biological sequence data and detection and classification of sequence images, both with a very high significance to research and industry. It is planned to investigate on the diversity and the commonality in both applications leading to better and faster algorithms and their hardware implementations. It is expected to train high quality postgraduates and postdoctoral fellows at Melbourne and the host institutions.Read moreRead less