ARC Centre of Excellence for the Mathematical Analysis of Cellular Systems. ARC Centre of Excellence for the Mathematical Analysis of Cellular Systems. The ARC Centre for the Mathematical Analysis of Cellular Systems aims to deliver the mathematics required to compute life. The Centre will deliver innovation in computational and mathematical biology and establish in silico biology alongside in vivo and in vitro biology. These models will allow us to understand the complexity of life at the cellu ....ARC Centre of Excellence for the Mathematical Analysis of Cellular Systems. ARC Centre of Excellence for the Mathematical Analysis of Cellular Systems. The ARC Centre for the Mathematical Analysis of Cellular Systems aims to deliver the mathematics required to compute life. The Centre will deliver innovation in computational and mathematical biology and establish in silico biology alongside in vivo and in vitro biology. These models will allow us to understand the complexity of life at the cellular level and enable new ways of combining diverse and heterogenous data. This will allow us to understand the mechanisms underlying cellular behaviour, and to apply rational design engineering methods in order to control the dynamics of biological systems. Read moreRead less
Computational methods for population-size-dependent branching processes. Branching processes are the primary mathematical tool used to model populations that evolve randomly in time. Most key results in the theory are derived under the simplifying assumption that individuals reproduce and die independently of each other. However, this assumption fails in most real-life situations, in particular when the environment has limited resources or when the habitat has a restricted capacity. This project ....Computational methods for population-size-dependent branching processes. Branching processes are the primary mathematical tool used to model populations that evolve randomly in time. Most key results in the theory are derived under the simplifying assumption that individuals reproduce and die independently of each other. However, this assumption fails in most real-life situations, in particular when the environment has limited resources or when the habitat has a restricted capacity. This project aims to develop novel and effective algorithmic techniques and statistical methods for a class of branching processes with dependences. We will use these results to study significant problems in the conservation of endangered island bird populations in Oceania, and to help inform their conservation management.Read moreRead less
A Novel Geometric Approach to Shocks in Reaction-Nonlinear Diffusion Models. Reaction-nonlinear diffusion models play a vital role in the study of cell migration and population dynamics. However, the presence of aggregation, or backward diffusion, leads to the formation of shock waves - distinct, sharp interfaces between different populations of densities of cells - and the breakdown of the model. This project will develop new geometric methods to explain the formation and temporal evolution of ....A Novel Geometric Approach to Shocks in Reaction-Nonlinear Diffusion Models. Reaction-nonlinear diffusion models play a vital role in the study of cell migration and population dynamics. However, the presence of aggregation, or backward diffusion, leads to the formation of shock waves - distinct, sharp interfaces between different populations of densities of cells - and the breakdown of the model. This project will develop new geometric methods to explain the formation and temporal evolution of these shock waves, while simultaneously unifying existing regularisation techniques under a single, geometric banner. It will devise innovative tools in singular perturbation theory and stability analysis that will identify key parameters in the creation of shock waves, as well as their dynamic behaviour.Read moreRead less
Androgen receptor: A master regulator of lipid metabolism. This project aims to understand how male sex hormones, or androgens, affect the amount and metabolism of fats in normal body tissues. By integrating our multi-disciplinary expertise in androgen action, molecular biology, metabolism and bioinformatics with novel techniques and instrumentation, this collaboration expects to generate the first detailed picture of how fat metabolism is controlled by androgens in humans, and how closely this ....Androgen receptor: A master regulator of lipid metabolism. This project aims to understand how male sex hormones, or androgens, affect the amount and metabolism of fats in normal body tissues. By integrating our multi-disciplinary expertise in androgen action, molecular biology, metabolism and bioinformatics with novel techniques and instrumentation, this collaboration expects to generate the first detailed picture of how fat metabolism is controlled by androgens in humans, and how closely this relates to mice. Expected outcomes and benefits will be a new understanding of which aspects of fat metabolism are most influenced by androgens, and an ability to anticipate potential metabolic impacts of natural or pharmacological fluctuations in androgen levels in humans, laboratory animals and livestock.Read moreRead less
ARC Centre of Excellence in Quantum Biotechnology. ARC Centre of Excellence in Quantum Biotechnology. The ARC Centre of Excellence in Quantum Biotechnology aims to develop paradigm-shifting quantum technologies to observe biological processes and transform our understanding of life. It seeks to create technologies that go far beyond what is possible today, from portable brain imagers to super-fast single protein sensors, and to use them to unravel key problems including how enzymes catalyse reac ....ARC Centre of Excellence in Quantum Biotechnology. ARC Centre of Excellence in Quantum Biotechnology. The ARC Centre of Excellence in Quantum Biotechnology aims to develop paradigm-shifting quantum technologies to observe biological processes and transform our understanding of life. It seeks to create technologies that go far beyond what is possible today, from portable brain imagers to super-fast single protein sensors, and to use them to unravel key problems including how enzymes catalyse reactions and how higher brain function emerges from networks of neurons. By building a diverse, multidisciplinary, and industry-engaged ecosystem, the Centre means to develop our future leaders at the interface of quantum science and biology and drive Australian innovation across manufacturing, energy, agriculture, health, and national security.Read moreRead less
New mathematics for lipids and cells: structured models for atherosclerosis. The project aims to create new mathematical theory for immune cell behaviour which leads to heart attacks and strokes. This includes formulation and analysis of new types of mathematical models for atherosclerotic plaque development, leading to the creation of new mathematical tools to investigate cell fate in plaques and to generate new hypotheses for experimental research. Expected outcomes of this project include po ....New mathematics for lipids and cells: structured models for atherosclerosis. The project aims to create new mathematical theory for immune cell behaviour which leads to heart attacks and strokes. This includes formulation and analysis of new types of mathematical models for atherosclerotic plaque development, leading to the creation of new mathematical tools to investigate cell fate in plaques and to generate new hypotheses for experimental research. Expected outcomes of this project include powerful and reliable mathematical models ready for application, and national and international collaborations with scientists and mathematicians. This should provide significant benefits including increased capacity to use mathematical models in vascular biology and training young researchers in interdisciplinary methods.Read moreRead less
Visualising molecular level detail in single cells and intact tissues. The goal of this project is to deliver a new toolkit for imaging cells at an unprecedented resolution and level of chemical detail. We will expand the capabilities of two existing, but complementary, methods: optical fluorescence microscopy with responsive probes and X-ray fluorescence imaging. Expected outcomes include improved techniques and benchmarks for visualising bacterial and mammalian cells; development of new molecu ....Visualising molecular level detail in single cells and intact tissues. The goal of this project is to deliver a new toolkit for imaging cells at an unprecedented resolution and level of chemical detail. We will expand the capabilities of two existing, but complementary, methods: optical fluorescence microscopy with responsive probes and X-ray fluorescence imaging. Expected outcomes include improved techniques and benchmarks for visualising bacterial and mammalian cells; development of new molecules for elucidating cellular chemistry; better utilisation of valuable synchrotron resources; and greater understanding of the strengths and limitations of current microscopy workflows. Results should benefit the biotechnology sector, and may lead to improved medical, diagnostic, and bioremediation capacity.Read moreRead less
Organic Bionics: Soft Materials to Solve Hard Problems in Neuroengineering. This project aims to combine innovations in organic conductors, nanotechnology, 3D biofabrication and neuroengineering to develop a bioelectronic system capable of wireless neuromodulation with unprecedented stability and precision. This project expects to generate new knowledge regarding the properties of materials that promote optical neuromodulation and new strategies to obtain long-term material stability in biologic ....Organic Bionics: Soft Materials to Solve Hard Problems in Neuroengineering. This project aims to combine innovations in organic conductors, nanotechnology, 3D biofabrication and neuroengineering to develop a bioelectronic system capable of wireless neuromodulation with unprecedented stability and precision. This project expects to generate new knowledge regarding the properties of materials that promote optical neuromodulation and new strategies to obtain long-term material stability in biological environments. The expected outcome is to generate new material design rules to facilitate wireless neuromodulation technologies in biomedical engineering. The project will position Australia as a leader in bionic devices by creating a new 3D bioprinting hub for low-cost fabrication of bioelectronic systems.Read moreRead less
Targeting chloroplasts to enhance crop salt tolerance. Yield losses in crop plants due to increasingly saline soils are linked to the effects of salt on chloroplasts. By comparing chloroplast water- and salt-transport mechanisms of closely related salt-loving and salt-sensitive plants, this Fellowships aims to discover how chloroplasts maintain function in saline conditions. Novel biophysics and molecular techniques will be used to characterise transporters in model plants, and proof-of-concept ....Targeting chloroplasts to enhance crop salt tolerance. Yield losses in crop plants due to increasingly saline soils are linked to the effects of salt on chloroplasts. By comparing chloroplast water- and salt-transport mechanisms of closely related salt-loving and salt-sensitive plants, this Fellowships aims to discover how chloroplasts maintain function in saline conditions. Novel biophysics and molecular techniques will be used to characterise transporters in model plants, and proof-of-concept complementation experiments aim to confer salt tolerance on sensitive plants. These fundamental insights are likely to lead to rapid, step-change improvements in salt tolerance, especially in agriculturally relevant crops, to benefit Australia’s agri-industry and ensure food security in the future.Read moreRead less
Life or death decisions: making fast, accurate choices in a complex world. This project aims to understand how hoverflies and honey bees, with tiny brains and sensory systems, excel at making fast and accurate decisions while on the fly in a complex world. The project will combine brain recordings with flight analyses and computational modelling to generate new knowledge on how animals may utilize movements to simplify information sampling. Expected outcomes are a novel, comprehensive understand ....Life or death decisions: making fast, accurate choices in a complex world. This project aims to understand how hoverflies and honey bees, with tiny brains and sensory systems, excel at making fast and accurate decisions while on the fly in a complex world. The project will combine brain recordings with flight analyses and computational modelling to generate new knowledge on how animals may utilize movements to simplify information sampling. Expected outcomes are a novel, comprehensive understanding of how animal movements could enhance decision speed and accuracy. This should provide substantial benefits for neuroscience, and for enhancing performance of autonomous robotic systems operating in challenging environments, such as disaster relief, mining and remote exploration. Read moreRead less