Control of immune recognition and response by microbial metabolites. This project aims to study immune recognition of microbial metabolites and develop reagents to control immune responses. Chemical synthesis will be used to develop new antigens for unconventional T cells and the first soluble agonists and antagonists of a glycolipid-sensing immune receptor. Expected outcomes include the discovery of new immune effectors, broadening our knowledge of the repertoire of small molecules that can be ....Control of immune recognition and response by microbial metabolites. This project aims to study immune recognition of microbial metabolites and develop reagents to control immune responses. Chemical synthesis will be used to develop new antigens for unconventional T cells and the first soluble agonists and antagonists of a glycolipid-sensing immune receptor. Expected outcomes include the discovery of new immune effectors, broadening our knowledge of the repertoire of small molecules that can be sensed by the immune system, and developing chemical approaches to promote or dampen immune responses. Major benefits include research training in chemical biology, strengthened international linkages and fundamental insights into the chemical basis of immune recognition and response.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE210100148
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,350,000.00
Summary
Advanced Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Technologies for Southeast Queensland. This project aims to establish an advanced Nuclear Magnetic Resonance capability and capacity at two of Queenslands' leading research intensive universities. The project expects to enhance the scope and productivity of hundreds of research projects spanning natural products, synthetic, medicinal, materials and environmental science. Expected outcomes include smarter science, more productive collaborations and superior res ....Advanced Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Technologies for Southeast Queensland. This project aims to establish an advanced Nuclear Magnetic Resonance capability and capacity at two of Queenslands' leading research intensive universities. The project expects to enhance the scope and productivity of hundreds of research projects spanning natural products, synthetic, medicinal, materials and environmental science. Expected outcomes include smarter science, more productive collaborations and superior research training, leading to innovative solutions to challenging problems that confront science and society. This investment should provide significant benefits in the form of new knowledge across multiple disciplines, informing the design of future medicines, agrochemicals, materials and other products.
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Dissecting a major sulfur cycling pathway: sulfoglycolysis. This project will elucidate the molecular details of sulfoglycolysis, a group of metabolic pathways through which the sulfur-containing sugar sulfoquinovose is catabolized. The project will employ an integrated metabolomic, chemical, biochemical and structural approach to dissect how various sulfoglycolytic organisms degrade sulfoquinovose. This project will deliver a deeper understanding of this major biochemical pathway and develop ne ....Dissecting a major sulfur cycling pathway: sulfoglycolysis. This project will elucidate the molecular details of sulfoglycolysis, a group of metabolic pathways through which the sulfur-containing sugar sulfoquinovose is catabolized. The project will employ an integrated metabolomic, chemical, biochemical and structural approach to dissect how various sulfoglycolytic organisms degrade sulfoquinovose. This project will deliver a deeper understanding of this major biochemical pathway and develop new chemical and metabolic approaches to manipulate sulfur cycling in the environment. Benefits will include biotechnology applications of newly discovered proteins, and sustainable approaches to reduce our dependence on agricultural fertilisers.Read moreRead less
Harnessing molecular strain for drug discovery and bioconjugation. Peptides and proteins are increasingly important therapies for the treatment of disease. Nevertheless, the synthesis and optimisation of these high-value compounds still relies primarily on technologies developed decades ago. There is a desperate need for modern strategies to unlock the full potential of peptides and proteins for diverse applications in drug discovery. This interdisciplinary research aims to develop new tools for ....Harnessing molecular strain for drug discovery and bioconjugation. Peptides and proteins are increasingly important therapies for the treatment of disease. Nevertheless, the synthesis and optimisation of these high-value compounds still relies primarily on technologies developed decades ago. There is a desperate need for modern strategies to unlock the full potential of peptides and proteins for diverse applications in drug discovery. This interdisciplinary research aims to develop new tools for the construction and modification of peptides and proteins by harnessing the energy in a unique class of strained molecules. A focus on peptide-based inhibitors of the proteasome, a critical target for modern cancer treatments, should provide future health and economic benefits for the Australian community.Read moreRead less
Opening Up Access to L-Sugars through a Synergy of Experiment and Theory. This project aims to address a major bottleneck in the science of carbohydrates by developing the first broad-scope synthetic routes to L-sugars. L-sugars are critical components of many biologically and commercially significant molecules, but knowledge of their functional roles is impeded by the fact that most L-sugars are expensive or difficult to make. This project expects to develop expeditious routes to L-sugars via a ....Opening Up Access to L-Sugars through a Synergy of Experiment and Theory. This project aims to address a major bottleneck in the science of carbohydrates by developing the first broad-scope synthetic routes to L-sugars. L-sugars are critical components of many biologically and commercially significant molecules, but knowledge of their functional roles is impeded by the fact that most L-sugars are expensive or difficult to make. This project expects to develop expeditious routes to L-sugars via an innovative combination of synthetic and theoretical chemistry. Expected outcomes include a markedly increased capacity to access pure samples of L-sugar-based biomolecules, as needed for studying their biological functions. Significant benefits in the development of vaccines, diagnostics and biomaterials are anticipated.Read moreRead less
Mixing the jigsaw pieces of natural products: new molecules-new properties. This project aims to examine the capacity of exploiting the bacterial biosynthetic machinery to fast-track access to analogues of natural products. Due to increased drug resistance, new reservoirs of natural products are needed for evaluation as future drugs. Desferrioxamine B will be used as a model natural product to establish the biosynthesis of new analogues in bacterial culture supplemented with unsaturated, fluorin ....Mixing the jigsaw pieces of natural products: new molecules-new properties. This project aims to examine the capacity of exploiting the bacterial biosynthetic machinery to fast-track access to analogues of natural products. Due to increased drug resistance, new reservoirs of natural products are needed for evaluation as future drugs. Desferrioxamine B will be used as a model natural product to establish the biosynthesis of new analogues in bacterial culture supplemented with unsaturated, fluorinated or deuterated building blocks. The intended outcomes are to deliver advances in methods for generating structurally diverse pools of natural products, new label-free probes, knowledge of natural product biosynthesis, and excellence in training research students in frontier methods in chemical biology and drug discovery.Read moreRead less
Chemical probes to dissect the cell cycle of globally important parasites . This project aims to develop new reagents, called chemical probes, to visualise key biological events in globally important pathogens. We will use innovative chemistry to modify the building blocks of DNA and provide researchers with essential tools to 'see' DNA synthesis in order to study growth and replication of pathogens in combination with microscopy. This project expects to support a major technical advance that wi ....Chemical probes to dissect the cell cycle of globally important parasites . This project aims to develop new reagents, called chemical probes, to visualise key biological events in globally important pathogens. We will use innovative chemistry to modify the building blocks of DNA and provide researchers with essential tools to 'see' DNA synthesis in order to study growth and replication of pathogens in combination with microscopy. This project expects to support a major technical advance that will address important gaps in our understanding of many pathogens (e.g. those that cause malaria and tuberculosis), at both the cellular and molecular levels. This should provide significant benefits by enabling researchers worldwide to identify new intervention opportunities that target unique aspects of pathogen biology.Read moreRead less
Resurrecting Ancient Proteins to Unlock New Catalytic Activity. This project aims to study the proteins that nature uses to make penicillin and related antibiotics, and their prehistoric ancestors. By doing so, the project expects to deepen understanding of these important processes, open up ways to make new antibiotics, and generate new knowledge about protein evolution. Intended outcomes include new biocatalysts based on the ancient ones, new antibiotic compounds active against resistant bacte ....Resurrecting Ancient Proteins to Unlock New Catalytic Activity. This project aims to study the proteins that nature uses to make penicillin and related antibiotics, and their prehistoric ancestors. By doing so, the project expects to deepen understanding of these important processes, open up ways to make new antibiotics, and generate new knowledge about protein evolution. Intended outcomes include new biocatalysts based on the ancient ones, new antibiotic compounds active against resistant bacteria, and a richer understanding of how these proteins have evolved over the last 4 billion years. This promises significant benefits in the form of new ways to address the challenge posed by antimicrobial resistance to antibiotics, which is a serious threat to the continued effectiveness of current antibiotics.Read moreRead less
Expanding access to modified proteins via a novel semi-synthetic platform. This project aims to address a critical knowledge gap in understanding how post-translational modifications modulate the structure and activity of proteins. By developing an innovative semi-synthetic platform to produce pure proteins inaccessible by existing methods, the project will reveal how natural protein modifications influence structure and function. Expected outcomes include the delivery of breakthrough technologi ....Expanding access to modified proteins via a novel semi-synthetic platform. This project aims to address a critical knowledge gap in understanding how post-translational modifications modulate the structure and activity of proteins. By developing an innovative semi-synthetic platform to produce pure proteins inaccessible by existing methods, the project will reveal how natural protein modifications influence structure and function. Expected outcomes include the delivery of breakthrough technologies for accessing modified proteins for a range of applications in academia and industry, as well as the generation of new knowledge in the fields of chemistry and biology. The project will lead to the training of interdisciplinary early career researchers and has the potential to benefit Australia’s biotechnology sector.Read moreRead less
Chemical-biology approaches to pathway selective adenosine receptor ligands. This project aims to develop new chemical-biology tools and approaches for selectively targeting signalling pathways mediated by G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR). GPCRs are an important family of cell surface signalling proteins that are responsible for the regulation of numerous vital physiological functions. The A1 adenosine receptor is an important model and therapeutically relevant GPCR that will be the focus of t ....Chemical-biology approaches to pathway selective adenosine receptor ligands. This project aims to develop new chemical-biology tools and approaches for selectively targeting signalling pathways mediated by G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR). GPCRs are an important family of cell surface signalling proteins that are responsible for the regulation of numerous vital physiological functions. The A1 adenosine receptor is an important model and therapeutically relevant GPCR that will be the focus of this project. Compounds known as bitopic ligands, which can interact with distinct binding sites (termed orthosteric and allosteric sites), will be explored as pathway selective agents capable of activating the signalling pathways mediating the desired effect in preference to those producing adverse effects. Longer-term benefits include the identification of bioactive compounds with more selective modes of action and improved safety profiles.Read moreRead less