Development of a Novel Photoelectrochemical Method for Ultra-sensitive and Selective Determination of Organic Pollutants. Rapidly deteriorating environmental conditions have caused worldwide fresh water shortage problems. For Australia, this is an urgent issue due to our limited fresh water resources. Globally, all levels of governments and legislative authorities have attempted to adopt stricter environmental legislation and better water resource management practice to address these urgent prob ....Development of a Novel Photoelectrochemical Method for Ultra-sensitive and Selective Determination of Organic Pollutants. Rapidly deteriorating environmental conditions have caused worldwide fresh water shortage problems. For Australia, this is an urgent issue due to our limited fresh water resources. Globally, all levels of governments and legislative authorities have attempted to adopt stricter environmental legislation and better water resource management practice to address these urgent problems. However, these priorities cannot be achieved until large scale and accurate environmental data are available. The success of the project would result in a new environmental monitoring system capable of online, real-time monitoring of environmental water quality, which will directly benefit water resource management practice in Australia. Read moreRead less
Novel nanosensors for monitoring of water filtration membrane integrity. Novel nanosensors for monitoring of water filtration membrane integrity. This project aims to develop arrays of electrochemical biosensors based on nanostructured silicon for real-time monitoring of water filtration membrane integrity. Real-time monitoring of membrane performance, based on removing virus-sized particles, is a priority for the water industry to maximise asset life and meet increased demand for safe and high- ....Novel nanosensors for monitoring of water filtration membrane integrity. Novel nanosensors for monitoring of water filtration membrane integrity. This project aims to develop arrays of electrochemical biosensors based on nanostructured silicon for real-time monitoring of water filtration membrane integrity. Real-time monitoring of membrane performance, based on removing virus-sized particles, is a priority for the water industry to maximise asset life and meet increased demand for safe and high-quality water. Materials scientists, electrochemists, and specialists in water management and reuse aim to harness advances in nanostructured transducers and electrochemical protocols to develop online performance-monitoring technology. This project is expected to improve water treatment processes, removing viruses and reducing the risks and uncertainties of water recycling.Read moreRead less
Development of redox-mediated microbial assays for the rapid characterisation and assessment of wastewater, wastewater treatment processes and recycled water. With SE Qld on Level 5 water restrictions the need to reduce our demand on drinking water by increasing our reliance on recycled water is now urgent. To achieve this we need to ensure that the quality of our recycled wastewater is of a suitable and reliable standard. This project will assist the water industry in this endeavour by the de ....Development of redox-mediated microbial assays for the rapid characterisation and assessment of wastewater, wastewater treatment processes and recycled water. With SE Qld on Level 5 water restrictions the need to reduce our demand on drinking water by increasing our reliance on recycled water is now urgent. To achieve this we need to ensure that the quality of our recycled wastewater is of a suitable and reliable standard. This project will assist the water industry in this endeavour by the developing monitoring techniques that can rapidly characterise and assess the effectiveness of wastewater treatment processes and the quality of the water derived from them. These methods will provide early warnings of potential 'upsets' in treatment plants that would otherwise result in poor quality effluents that would need to be discharged as waste rather than be recycled.Read moreRead less
Microchip Impedance Biosensor for Biomedical Diagnostics. This research proposal uses an innovative engineering approach based on novel nanomaterials with the aim of developing a new and generic biosensing technology with the potential to be widely applied in many areas including medical diagnostics, environmental control, industry and biosecurity. The outcomes from this project will benefit Australia by contributing through the development of novel materials, new technologies and new devices. ....Microchip Impedance Biosensor for Biomedical Diagnostics. This research proposal uses an innovative engineering approach based on novel nanomaterials with the aim of developing a new and generic biosensing technology with the potential to be widely applied in many areas including medical diagnostics, environmental control, industry and biosecurity. The outcomes from this project will benefit Australia by contributing through the development of novel materials, new technologies and new devices. The development of technological innovations based on fabricated nanomaterials, will also enhance capacity in frontier technology such as nanotechnology, and build Australia’s strength in using new biosensing technologies.Read moreRead less
Australian Marine Biodiversity As A Source Of New Drugs To Control Neurodegenerative Disease. With the aging of Australia's population the impact of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's is rapidly on the rise. There is an urgent need to develop new and better drugs to treat the symptoms and underlying cause of these debilitating diseases. Historically, the majority of the world's pharmaceuticals have been drawn from biodiversity (ie plants, microbes and animals). As one ....Australian Marine Biodiversity As A Source Of New Drugs To Control Neurodegenerative Disease. With the aging of Australia's population the impact of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's is rapidly on the rise. There is an urgent need to develop new and better drugs to treat the symptoms and underlying cause of these debilitating diseases. Historically, the majority of the world's pharmaceuticals have been drawn from biodiversity (ie plants, microbes and animals). As one of the few megabiodiverse nations, Australia is ideally positioned to accelerate and focus the search for drugs from nature. This project will explore an exceptionally promising pool of Australian biodiversity, its marine ecosystems, as a source of inspiration for the development of new drugs to treat neurodegenerative diseases. Read moreRead less
Double Exposure Photoresists for the 32 and 22 nm Lithographic Nodes. The semiconductor industry is one of the largest world-wide, with annual revenue of $220B and employing over 1.5M people around the world. This project provides a unique opportunity for development within Australia of significant expertise in the field of double exposure lithography. The novel photoactive polymeric films to be developed are expected to support the next generation of microchips. A major outcome of this project ....Double Exposure Photoresists for the 32 and 22 nm Lithographic Nodes. The semiconductor industry is one of the largest world-wide, with annual revenue of $220B and employing over 1.5M people around the world. This project provides a unique opportunity for development within Australia of significant expertise in the field of double exposure lithography. The novel photoactive polymeric films to be developed are expected to support the next generation of microchips. A major outcome of this project will be establishment of Australia as a world-leader in this rapidly expanding field. Furthermore the technology can be applied broadly to many printing technologies.Read moreRead less
Advanced Lithographic Solutions using Block Copolymers: Integrating Self Assembly and Lithography. The semiconductor industry is one of the largest world-wide, with annual revenue of $220B and employing over 1.5M people around the world. This project provides a unique opportunity for development within Australia of significant expertise in the field of self assembly in photolithography. Plastics with tailored properties will be made and used to develop novel processes to reduce the defectivity i ....Advanced Lithographic Solutions using Block Copolymers: Integrating Self Assembly and Lithography. The semiconductor industry is one of the largest world-wide, with annual revenue of $220B and employing over 1.5M people around the world. This project provides a unique opportunity for development within Australia of significant expertise in the field of self assembly in photolithography. Plastics with tailored properties will be made and used to develop novel processes to reduce the defectivity in integrated circuit manufacture. The ultimate benefit will be faster and more energy efficient microprocessors. A major outcome of this project will be establishment of Australia as a world-leader in this rapidly expanding field. Furthermore, the technology can be applied broadly to many other applications such as high density data storage.Read moreRead less
Arsenic speciation in Cleveland Bay, and controls on its uptake in commercial crab species. Marine organisms from the Great Barrier Reef exhibit elevated arsenic concentrations. It is not known if arsenic constitutes a human health risk since its chemical form has not been determined. The factors which control arsenic uptake in the GBR environment are unknown, making it difficult to predict how changes in water quality (such as phosphate which is chemically similar to arsenic) may alter arsenic ....Arsenic speciation in Cleveland Bay, and controls on its uptake in commercial crab species. Marine organisms from the Great Barrier Reef exhibit elevated arsenic concentrations. It is not known if arsenic constitutes a human health risk since its chemical form has not been determined. The factors which control arsenic uptake in the GBR environment are unknown, making it difficult to predict how changes in water quality (such as phosphate which is chemically similar to arsenic) may alter arsenic concentrations in these organisms. This project will determine the chemical form of arsenic in biota, sediment and water, and will test the hypothesis that the elevated arsenic levels reflect the low phosphate concentrations in the water.Read moreRead less
Towards Next Generation Anthelmintics. The agricultural industry is in urgent need of new, safe and cost effective treatments for parasite infections in commercial livestock (sheep, cattle, goats). The current multi billion dollar agrochemical industry provides only three classes of antiparasitic drug, all of which are >25 yrs old and are largely ineffective due to the widespread resistance. This project will advance the development of a new class of antiparasitic treatment, improving outcomes f ....Towards Next Generation Anthelmintics. The agricultural industry is in urgent need of new, safe and cost effective treatments for parasite infections in commercial livestock (sheep, cattle, goats). The current multi billion dollar agrochemical industry provides only three classes of antiparasitic drug, all of which are >25 yrs old and are largely ineffective due to the widespread resistance. This project will advance the development of a new class of antiparasitic treatment, improving outcomes for Australian farmers by reducing reliance on expensive ineffective agrochemical imports, reducing chemical load on the environment, improving pastures and increasing yields. In short, improved livestock health will lead to more sustainable and productive farming, and a stronger economy.Read moreRead less
Applying the CCK framework to angiogenic-based therapeutics. The aim of this project is to graft peptides involved in angiogenesis-related disorders onto a mini-protein framework. The cyclic cystine knot (CCK) framework is a plant based protein framework that has unique structural properties that make it exceptionally stable. The significance of this project is that the framework has the potential to overcome the limitations that are generally associated with peptide-based therapeutics, includin ....Applying the CCK framework to angiogenic-based therapeutics. The aim of this project is to graft peptides involved in angiogenesis-related disorders onto a mini-protein framework. The cyclic cystine knot (CCK) framework is a plant based protein framework that has unique structural properties that make it exceptionally stable. The significance of this project is that the framework has the potential to overcome the limitations that are generally associated with peptide-based therapeutics, including poor stability and bioavailability. Vastly improved therapeutic leads may be produced from this approach.Read moreRead less