New biosensing strategies based on bipolar electrochemiluminescence. Chemical analysis is a vital activity in our society, which is to a large extent confined to scientific laboratories and carried out with complex instrumentation. The breakthrough technology envisioned in this proposal will pave the way for simple, low-cost tests which can be used by non-scientists. The development of small, portable sensors for applications ranging from pollution monitoring to health testing, will enable ordi ....New biosensing strategies based on bipolar electrochemiluminescence. Chemical analysis is a vital activity in our society, which is to a large extent confined to scientific laboratories and carried out with complex instrumentation. The breakthrough technology envisioned in this proposal will pave the way for simple, low-cost tests which can be used by non-scientists. The development of small, portable sensors for applications ranging from pollution monitoring to health testing, will enable ordinary people to gain knowledge about the concentrations of molecular compounds in their environments and in themselves. This will stimulate economic and social benefits related to environmental testing and early disease diagnosis and generate new commercial opportunities for the Australian biotechnology industry.Read moreRead less
Studies of Group 15 complexes of the Lanthanoids and Group 2 metals-An unexploited field of research. The project will initially explore new amido chemisty of the lanthanoids. This chemistry will develop towards complexes with lanthanoid-or Group 2-phosphorus, -arsenic, -antimony or -bismuth connectivities. This chemistry is surprisingly underdeveloped given the wealth of applications found for oxo and amido complexes of the same metals. Structural studies involving the complexes using cutting e ....Studies of Group 15 complexes of the Lanthanoids and Group 2 metals-An unexploited field of research. The project will initially explore new amido chemisty of the lanthanoids. This chemistry will develop towards complexes with lanthanoid-or Group 2-phosphorus, -arsenic, -antimony or -bismuth connectivities. This chemistry is surprisingly underdeveloped given the wealth of applications found for oxo and amido complexes of the same metals. Structural studies involving the complexes using cutting edge ligands will reveal interesting coordination modes. The discovery of new reaction pathways will be of interest to the wider chemical community. The chemical reactivity and potential catalytic or luminescent properties of these compounds will be studied and will result in publications in international journals.Read moreRead less
Inhibition of membrane-bound carbonic anhydrases with small molecules as a novel approach to target a safe and effective treatment for solid tumours. Over 85 per cent of human cancers are solid tumours and the prognosis for patients with advanced solid tumours is extremely poor owing to resistance to conventional chemo- and radio- therapies. Our research will underpin the development of new, safe and effective drug treatment options for cancer patients with solid tumours.
Chiral Catalysts by Rational Design. This project aims to integrate theory and experiment to design new catalysts for the synthesis of multi-stereocentre-containing molecules. Such molecules offer clear advantages in the area of drug design, owing to their potent and selective binding to biological targets, but a lack of available methods for their preparation currently limits their widespread use. This project will use theory to guide the discovery of new ways to make these molecules. It is exp ....Chiral Catalysts by Rational Design. This project aims to integrate theory and experiment to design new catalysts for the synthesis of multi-stereocentre-containing molecules. Such molecules offer clear advantages in the area of drug design, owing to their potent and selective binding to biological targets, but a lack of available methods for their preparation currently limits their widespread use. This project will use theory to guide the discovery of new ways to make these molecules. It is expected that detailed understanding of the factors that control stereocentre formation will be obtained from accurate theoretical modelling and will be applied to invent new catalysts that deliver improved performance and control over product structure.Read moreRead less
A bio-enabled synthesis for the glycopeptide antibiotics. This project aims to develop an in vitro biomimetic synthesis for glycopeptide antibiotics (GPAs) by combining peptide synthesis and crosslinking catalysed by biosynthetic Cytochrome P450 enzymes. The crosslinking step in GPA biosynthesis is essential for antibiotic activity but impedes their chemical synthesis. This project will study the in vitro behaviour and characteristics of the biosynthetic P450 enzymes. This will provide direct be ....A bio-enabled synthesis for the glycopeptide antibiotics. This project aims to develop an in vitro biomimetic synthesis for glycopeptide antibiotics (GPAs) by combining peptide synthesis and crosslinking catalysed by biosynthetic Cytochrome P450 enzymes. The crosslinking step in GPA biosynthesis is essential for antibiotic activity but impedes their chemical synthesis. This project will study the in vitro behaviour and characteristics of the biosynthetic P450 enzymes. This will provide direct benefits: the development of new glycopeptide antibiotic derivatives and the identification of new biocatalysts for complex chemical synthesis. Knowledge gained will also directly enable future reengineering of glycopeptide antibiotic production in vivo.Read moreRead less
Carbon Molecular Sieve Membranes for Organic Solvent Separation. Directly addressing the pressing challenge of organic solvent separation faced by numerous industries, the project aims to develop molecular sieve membranes with outstanding selectivity and solvent tolerance by constructing zeolite-carbon mixed matrix membrane via incorporating zeolite nanosheets into carbon materials. The project expects to generate advanced knowledge of nanosheet synthesis, membrane fabrication and selective mole ....Carbon Molecular Sieve Membranes for Organic Solvent Separation. Directly addressing the pressing challenge of organic solvent separation faced by numerous industries, the project aims to develop molecular sieve membranes with outstanding selectivity and solvent tolerance by constructing zeolite-carbon mixed matrix membrane via incorporating zeolite nanosheets into carbon materials. The project expects to generate advanced knowledge of nanosheet synthesis, membrane fabrication and selective molecule transport. The membranes developed in the project have great potentials for improving the production capacity and sustainability of Australian industries, e.g., pharmaceutical manufacturing, bioethanol production and petroleum refining, providing significant economic and environmental benefits to Australia.Read moreRead less
Nano-engineered multi-functional materials for catalysis and sensing by an integrated chemical and electrochemical approach. This project aims to deliver a facile and cheap method to produce a class of nanostructured materials to be used in applications which will have environmental and social benefits such as: green synthesis of fine chemicals, catalyst development for clean energy fuel cells and sensor technology for the detection of potent biotoxins.
Challenging targets in rare earth metal-organic chemistry. This project aims to prepare highly reactive rare earth organometallic and metal-organic compounds, especially from the free metals, and to determine their structures and reactivity. Abundant rare earth resources position Australia to be a major supplier of these strategic elements. The challenging target systems include coordination stabilised novel ligands, pseudo-Grignard reagents LnR(X) including the rare fluorides, complexes primed ....Challenging targets in rare earth metal-organic chemistry. This project aims to prepare highly reactive rare earth organometallic and metal-organic compounds, especially from the free metals, and to determine their structures and reactivity. Abundant rare earth resources position Australia to be a major supplier of these strategic elements. The challenging target systems include coordination stabilised novel ligands, pseudo-Grignard reagents LnR(X) including the rare fluorides, complexes primed for carbon-fluorine activation, and intermediates from use of lanthanoid reagents in organic synthesis. The project will provide a knowledge base and expertise for the utilisation of Australia's abundant rare earths and will transform the current behaviour of the elements. It builds the expertise and knowledge needed to underpin Australian rare earth processing and develops the breakthrough science needed for new applications in fine chemical manufacturing, catalysis and recycling.Read moreRead less
Advancing the chemistry of rare earths - an Australian resource. This project aims to advance knowledge of the synthesis, structures and reactivity of highly reactive rare earth metal-organic compounds. The project expects to build the knowledge and skills to underpin many developments of Australia's still under utilized rare earth resources to diversify from Chinese domination. The anticipated outcomes will be new synthetic and reaction chemistry including a demonstration of how size and electr ....Advancing the chemistry of rare earths - an Australian resource. This project aims to advance knowledge of the synthesis, structures and reactivity of highly reactive rare earth metal-organic compounds. The project expects to build the knowledge and skills to underpin many developments of Australia's still under utilized rare earth resources to diversify from Chinese domination. The anticipated outcomes will be new synthetic and reaction chemistry including a demonstration of how size and electronic factors can be used to modify and advance rare earth chemistry. This project should provide significant benefit such as are a better knowledge base in rare earth chemistry to underpin future applications in chemical manufacturing, new materials, catalysis and recycling.Read moreRead less
Advancing the chemistry of topical rare earth metals. Abundant rare earth resources positions Australia to be a major supplier of these strategic elements and overcome the shortage created by the Chinese monopoly and export restrictions. This project will build the expertise and knowledge needed to underpin Australian rare earth processing and develop the breakthrough science needed for new applications.