Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160101308
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$360,000.00
Summary
An in vitro model of biomaterial-induced thrombosis. This project intends to use bioengineering strategies to develop new methods to understand material interactions with proteins and cells. The project plans to develop microfluidic channels to contain test materials and immobilise a key enzyme associated with thrombosis by plasma immersion ion implantation. This knowledge may increase our understanding of material-biomolecule interactions and have implications for manipulating biological foulin ....An in vitro model of biomaterial-induced thrombosis. This project intends to use bioengineering strategies to develop new methods to understand material interactions with proteins and cells. The project plans to develop microfluidic channels to contain test materials and immobilise a key enzyme associated with thrombosis by plasma immersion ion implantation. This knowledge may increase our understanding of material-biomolecule interactions and have implications for manipulating biological fouling across multiple fields.Read moreRead less
Structurally Nanoengineered Antimicrobial Polypeptide Particles (SNAPPs). This project aims to develop a new platform technology for the development of antimicrobial agents by combining expertise in polymer science and antimicrobial studies. It aims to develop new nanoengineered particles for combating antibiotic-resistant bacteria, investigate the influence of particle architecture on antibacterial properties, and determine the mechanism of action. This may support the development of antibiotic ....Structurally Nanoengineered Antimicrobial Polypeptide Particles (SNAPPs). This project aims to develop a new platform technology for the development of antimicrobial agents by combining expertise in polymer science and antimicrobial studies. It aims to develop new nanoengineered particles for combating antibiotic-resistant bacteria, investigate the influence of particle architecture on antibacterial properties, and determine the mechanism of action. This may support the development of antibiotic treatments using new polypeptide particles as antibacterial drugs, resulting in advances in nanobiotechnology, polymer therapeutics and advanced materials. The outcomes may revolutionise the synthetic approach to antimicrobial peptides and contribute significantly towards current antibiotic treatments and approaches for advanced antibacterial formulations.Read moreRead less
Cell facilitated controlled radical polymerisation. This project aims to develop a controlled polymerisation method by combining reversible addition fragmentation chain (RAFT) polymerisation technology and the redox processes within bacterial cells. This polymerisation method will copy biological information in the bacterial cell surface into a growing polymer structure. Variations in the monomer structures and functionality will be used to control the incorporation of cell surface chemistry int ....Cell facilitated controlled radical polymerisation. This project aims to develop a controlled polymerisation method by combining reversible addition fragmentation chain (RAFT) polymerisation technology and the redox processes within bacterial cells. This polymerisation method will copy biological information in the bacterial cell surface into a growing polymer structure. Variations in the monomer structures and functionality will be used to control the incorporation of cell surface chemistry into the new polymer structure. Such cell-enabled controlled polymerisation could advance polymer synthesis resulting in biologically instructed polymer-mimics and new antibacterial agents.Read moreRead less
Engineering a physiologically-relevant blood vessel in vitro . The project will develop an in vitro blood vessel model which will mimic arterial conditions by incorporating vascular cells and silk conduits as scaffolds, for the first time. This approach will overcome the limitations of simplistic 2D cell cultures, the long maturation times of fully tissue-engineered vessels, and resource intensive animal models. The innovative bioengineered construct proposed builds on the CI’s significant advan ....Engineering a physiologically-relevant blood vessel in vitro . The project will develop an in vitro blood vessel model which will mimic arterial conditions by incorporating vascular cells and silk conduits as scaffolds, for the first time. This approach will overcome the limitations of simplistic 2D cell cultures, the long maturation times of fully tissue-engineered vessels, and resource intensive animal models. The innovative bioengineered construct proposed builds on the CI’s significant advances in materials and surface engineering and the Partner Organisation’s (Codex Research) new bioreactor platform. It will offer a solution for modelling of native vessel processes in vitro that would be more appropriate for pre-clinical drug and device development, and in the long-term, tissue replacement.Read moreRead less
Elucidating surface-mediated permissive cues for cellular differentiation. This project will develop a novel biomaterial platform technology that will enable firstly the probing and thereafter the control of the cellular pathways of adult mesenchymal stem cells. These fundamental insights will be translated into novel stem cell culture ware products that will enable clinically relevant, functional tissue repair and regeneration.
Nanoengineered gradient substrata as a novel approach for understanding infection mechanisms. This project will advance our understanding of how bacteria colonise surfaces and will also inform the development of novel antibacterial coatings and diagnostic tools for device-associated infections, which have a significant impact on patients and are a huge burden to the healthcare system.
Room Temperature Rechargeable Sulphur Batteries. The project will lead to the development of low cost sulphur rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles and will contribute to the national priority goal of reducing and capturing emissions in transport to improve our environment. The project will take the incentive in establishing a leading national position in the development of low cost energy storage technology. The Partner Organisation, Nipress, has a close con ....Room Temperature Rechargeable Sulphur Batteries. The project will lead to the development of low cost sulphur rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles and will contribute to the national priority goal of reducing and capturing emissions in transport to improve our environment. The project will take the incentive in establishing a leading national position in the development of low cost energy storage technology. The Partner Organisation, Nipress, has a close connection to Australia. The company has imported raw materials (metal lead, 8000 tons) from Australia every year. The success of sulphur batteries technology will increase the opportunity of Nipress using more Australian raw materials.
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Flow process and visible-light driven reactions for polymer manufacturing. This project aims to develop rapid, scalable light-driven continuous flow processing techniques that allow the production of value-added synthetic polymers that cannot be achieved by existing technologies. The project will take advantage of the spatio-temporal control of the light mediated polymerisation with flow process to achieve control over the primary structure, the sequential arrangement of monomer units in a polym ....Flow process and visible-light driven reactions for polymer manufacturing. This project aims to develop rapid, scalable light-driven continuous flow processing techniques that allow the production of value-added synthetic polymers that cannot be achieved by existing technologies. The project will take advantage of the spatio-temporal control of the light mediated polymerisation with flow process to achieve control over the primary structure, the sequential arrangement of monomer units in a polymer chain and the molecular weight distribution. The project will result in the preparation of functional polymers containing a specific arrangement of monomers in the polymer chain and a precise distribution of polymer chains. The development of such process will result in the development of advanced materials.Read moreRead less
Engineering the trafficking of nanoparticles within cells. This project aims to engineer responsive nanoparticles capable of trafficking efficiently within cells. The site of release of therapeutic cargo has importance for improving the efficacy of many treatments, for example vaccine delivery. Therefore fundamental understanding of how nanoparticle structure can be engineered to control cellular behaviour is necessary. The project will engineer new polymeric nanomaterials and investigate the im ....Engineering the trafficking of nanoparticles within cells. This project aims to engineer responsive nanoparticles capable of trafficking efficiently within cells. The site of release of therapeutic cargo has importance for improving the efficacy of many treatments, for example vaccine delivery. Therefore fundamental understanding of how nanoparticle structure can be engineered to control cellular behaviour is necessary. The project will engineer new polymeric nanomaterials and investigate the impact of their structure on biological properties. The benefits of this project will include new fundamental insights into improving nanoparticle design for vaccine delivery, as well as the expansion of Australia’s knowledge base in the area of biodegradable polymers.Read moreRead less
Next generation core-shell materials based on biomolecular dual-templating. This project aims to discover and develop new methods and knowledge for the precision engineering of next-generation core-shell materials using sustainable biomolecular dual-templating processes. This research builds on a recent breakthrough - emulsion and biomimetic dual-templating technology for facile preparation of silica capsules, and is expected to revolutionise current approaches for making core-shell materials. S ....Next generation core-shell materials based on biomolecular dual-templating. This project aims to discover and develop new methods and knowledge for the precision engineering of next-generation core-shell materials using sustainable biomolecular dual-templating processes. This research builds on a recent breakthrough - emulsion and biomimetic dual-templating technology for facile preparation of silica capsules, and is expected to revolutionise current approaches for making core-shell materials. Significant outcomes are expected to be achieved through building fundamental understanding around this breakthrough, including new concepts for hierarchical nanomaterials based on biomolecular design, new molecular and engineering design rules for core-shell materials, and novel materials for applications in sustained release and delivery systems.Read moreRead less