A unified model of amino acid homeostasis. This project aims to develop a unified model of amino acid homeostasis in mammalian cells and apply it to brain cells. The model will be underpinned by a mathematical algorithm that allows predicting amino acid levels in the cytosol based on fundamental parameters such as transport and metabolism. This project should provide the significant benefit of enabling the prediction of essential functions such as cell growth and survival.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE170100206
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$550,000.00
Summary
Lattice light sheet microscopy for imaging biology in real space and time. This project aims to establish a Lattice Light-Sheet Microscope (LLSM) Facility, to provide the dedicated computing infrastructure needed for terabyte-scale image acquisition and handling. Lattice light sheet microscopy allows four-dimensional imaging of live biological specimens from individual molecules to small organisms. The microscope images live specimens without phototoxicity or photobleaching, enabling prolonged i ....Lattice light sheet microscopy for imaging biology in real space and time. This project aims to establish a Lattice Light-Sheet Microscope (LLSM) Facility, to provide the dedicated computing infrastructure needed for terabyte-scale image acquisition and handling. Lattice light sheet microscopy allows four-dimensional imaging of live biological specimens from individual molecules to small organisms. The microscope images live specimens without phototoxicity or photobleaching, enabling prolonged imaging of significant physiological or biophysical events. Expected outcomes include high impact discoveries and publications in fundamental research, rapid solutions for industry-focussed projects and opportunities for collaboration, research and development. The imaging is expected to reveal key scientific insights and showcase biology to the public.Read moreRead less
Diagnosing river health using invertebrate traits and DNA barcodes. Diagnosing river health using invertebrate traits and DNA barcodes. This project aims to develop indices that link change in invertebrate communities to specific environmental stressors, and combine these indices with innovative, low cost molecular approaches to species identification to rapidly identify the causes of decline. River health assessment methods, usually based on aquatic invertebrates, identify if rivers are impaire ....Diagnosing river health using invertebrate traits and DNA barcodes. Diagnosing river health using invertebrate traits and DNA barcodes. This project aims to develop indices that link change in invertebrate communities to specific environmental stressors, and combine these indices with innovative, low cost molecular approaches to species identification to rapidly identify the causes of decline. River health assessment methods, usually based on aquatic invertebrates, identify if rivers are impaired but must be developed to identify the causes of decline. The intended outcomes are improved sustainable water resource management within and among states, and improved natural resource policy development.Read moreRead less
Humanisation And Pre-clinical Validation Of A Therapeutic Anti-cancer Antibody
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$699,136.00
Summary
This grant will develop a novel antibody against a protease expressed on cancer cells. Preclinical studies, and antibody humanisation, will be performed. This project will also provide vital information on optimal therapeutic approaches with the antibody that can be ultimately taken into human trials.
Investigating movement, distribution, abundance and diet to support management objectives for threatened riverine predators in Northern Australia. The rivers and estuaries of northern Australia are highly productive environments, containing an exceptional diversity and abundance of large predatory aquatic species. This project aims to monitor the movements, habitat preferences and diet in eight large predatory species in a northern Queensland river over the next three years. Movement data will b ....Investigating movement, distribution, abundance and diet to support management objectives for threatened riverine predators in Northern Australia. The rivers and estuaries of northern Australia are highly productive environments, containing an exceptional diversity and abundance of large predatory aquatic species. This project aims to monitor the movements, habitat preferences and diet in eight large predatory species in a northern Queensland river over the next three years. Movement data will be combined with isotopic analysis to reveal how environmental and biological factors drive animal movements and impact habitat connectivity. In a world of vanishing top predators, it is imperative to understand system dynamics before we can evaluate the impact of species removal on ecosystem function.Read moreRead less
Origins and distributions of intraplate earthquakes. This project aims to investigate the behaviour and origin of intraplate earthquakes in Australia by developing a multi-million-year record of earthquakes using geological, geochronological, geospatial, seismological, statistical and numerical modelling data. It will use maximum credible magnitudes, maximum shaking intensities of intraplate earthquakes and spatiotemporal relationships between large prehistoric and contemporary earthquakes to im ....Origins and distributions of intraplate earthquakes. This project aims to investigate the behaviour and origin of intraplate earthquakes in Australia by developing a multi-million-year record of earthquakes using geological, geochronological, geospatial, seismological, statistical and numerical modelling data. It will use maximum credible magnitudes, maximum shaking intensities of intraplate earthquakes and spatiotemporal relationships between large prehistoric and contemporary earthquakes to improve models of future seismic hazard in Australia and globally. This will lead to improved predictions of future earthquake impacts in urban and natural environments and development of new paleoseismic techniques.Read moreRead less
Nanorheology: Hydrodynamic Slip in Newtonian Fluids. Understanding fluid flow across a surface is essential to a great number of technologies. For over one hundred years it has been assumed that the layer of fluid adjacent to the solid moves with the solid, this is known as the no-slip boundary condition. Recently direct force balance measurements of aqueous Newtonian solutions have indicated the presence of boundary slip. Using a newly developed nanorheology technique we will systematically inv ....Nanorheology: Hydrodynamic Slip in Newtonian Fluids. Understanding fluid flow across a surface is essential to a great number of technologies. For over one hundred years it has been assumed that the layer of fluid adjacent to the solid moves with the solid, this is known as the no-slip boundary condition. Recently direct force balance measurements of aqueous Newtonian solutions have indicated the presence of boundary slip. Using a newly developed nanorheology technique we will systematically investigate the conditions that control boundary slip. This information will be used to quantify, model and control boundary slip, progressing the fields of microfluidics, particle deposition, and colloid stability.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0560758
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$187,000.00
Summary
Dynamics at Interfaces: a facility for the characterisation of the dynamics of structural reorganisation and adsorption at interfaces. Controlling the flow, stability, and general performance of finely dispersed materials is important in a great number of industries from cosmetics to minerals purification. These properties are often controlled by the addition of material that forms a film at the interface between the dispersed material and the solvent. We seek to develop a facility that will ena ....Dynamics at Interfaces: a facility for the characterisation of the dynamics of structural reorganisation and adsorption at interfaces. Controlling the flow, stability, and general performance of finely dispersed materials is important in a great number of industries from cosmetics to minerals purification. These properties are often controlled by the addition of material that forms a film at the interface between the dispersed material and the solvent. We seek to develop a facility that will enable the properties of this film to be characterized, in particular the rate at which the film responds to mechanical and chemical changes. With this knowledge we hope to relate the nanoscopic properties of the adsorbed film to macroscopic properties of the dispersion and be able to tune the structure of the surface film, in order to control the bulk properties of complex fluids.Read moreRead less
Alpha-2-Macroglobulin And The Transport And Uptake Of The Hormone, Hepcidin
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$533,541.00
Summary
Hepcidin is a peptide hormone that is a major regulator of iron metabolism. It has been suggested that hepcidin is free in the blood. However, we recently identified that hepcidin binds with alpha-2-macroglobulin (a2-M) in the plasma and this increases the efficacy of this peptide. The demonstration that a2-M plays a role in hepcidin biology will lead to a better understanding of hepcidin physiology, the development of methods for its measurement and improved treatment of iron related diseases.
Characterisation of nanobubbles. Surprisingly, nano-sized bubbles have recently been found to exist in aqueous solutions. Classical theory tells us they should rapidly dissolve, yet they are stable for several days, a phenomenon which has only recently been explained. Despite this, nanobubbles are already used in cleaning processes and appear to have significant health benefits. They are being investigated in treatments for asthma and neurodegenerative diseases. In collaboration with a pharmaceu ....Characterisation of nanobubbles. Surprisingly, nano-sized bubbles have recently been found to exist in aqueous solutions. Classical theory tells us they should rapidly dissolve, yet they are stable for several days, a phenomenon which has only recently been explained. Despite this, nanobubbles are already used in cleaning processes and appear to have significant health benefits. They are being investigated in treatments for asthma and neurodegenerative diseases. In collaboration with a pharmaceutical company, the best means to produce and characterise nanobubbles will be investigated, as well as the conditions governing their stability. The project also aims to determine how the nanobubbles interact with surfaces in order to better control their properties and achieve a better understanding of these bubbles.Read moreRead less