Detection and viability of waterborne pathogens using a gut-on-chip. This project aims to resolve a significant problem for water utilities. Microbial pathogens Cryptosporidium, norovirus and adenovirus are the main public health concern for drinking water in developed nations. Water monitoring is limited by the lack of fast, reliable detection methods and viability assays for these pathogens. This project will use a novel gut-on-a-chip to develop for the first time rapid infectivity assays for ....Detection and viability of waterborne pathogens using a gut-on-chip. This project aims to resolve a significant problem for water utilities. Microbial pathogens Cryptosporidium, norovirus and adenovirus are the main public health concern for drinking water in developed nations. Water monitoring is limited by the lack of fast, reliable detection methods and viability assays for these pathogens. This project will use a novel gut-on-a-chip to develop for the first time rapid infectivity assays for Cryptosporidium, norovirus and adenovirus. Significant benefits include improved diagnostics and water disinfection assays, improved water treatment and reduced costs with global impact.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200101832
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$425,941.00
Summary
Mechanisms of immune protection for infectious laryngotracheitis virus. This project aims to investigate the mechanisms of immune protection against infectious laryngotracheitis virus. This will be achieved by investigating the role of local and systemic immunity and the immune cells associated with long-term protection against disease. The mechanisms of protection against this virus remain unknown which impairs the development of efficacious vaccines. Expected outcomes of this project are a mor ....Mechanisms of immune protection for infectious laryngotracheitis virus. This project aims to investigate the mechanisms of immune protection against infectious laryngotracheitis virus. This will be achieved by investigating the role of local and systemic immunity and the immune cells associated with long-term protection against disease. The mechanisms of protection against this virus remain unknown which impairs the development of efficacious vaccines. Expected outcomes of this project are a more rational approach to vaccination resulting in the generation of more effective and safer vaccination strategies that should benefit our important poultry industry. Additionally, the new methodologies and knowledge on mucosal immune markers could be utilised for the study of other pathogens.Read moreRead less
New guardians of the mucosa: Molecular characterisation of M cell biology. We aim to completely define the cellular and molecular biology of gut and lung M cells for the first time. We will elucidate how they develop, are regulated and function at a molecular level, and how M cells maintain normal gut and lung tissues and induce immune responses to protect against microbial challenges. In the future, the new insights will be essential pre-requisites for the development of mucosal-based intervent ....New guardians of the mucosa: Molecular characterisation of M cell biology. We aim to completely define the cellular and molecular biology of gut and lung M cells for the first time. We will elucidate how they develop, are regulated and function at a molecular level, and how M cells maintain normal gut and lung tissues and induce immune responses to protect against microbial challenges. In the future, the new insights will be essential pre-requisites for the development of mucosal-based interventions and vaccines that protect the gut and lung from infectious and inflammatory issues. The harnessing of effective immune responses to control such challenges, are of enormous fundamental and long-standing biological interest, and are amongst the most important areas of current scientific research.Read moreRead less
Unlocking bacterial shapeshifting and its role in antimicrobial resistance. This project aims to combine advanced imaging with innovative microfluidics to identify how microbial shapeshifting can be exploited as a target for new antimicrobials. Infections that are hard to treat due to increasing antimicrobial resistance not only have an enormous, global impact on mammalian health, including livestock and humans, but also carry a growing economic burden. Advanced understanding of microbial life c ....Unlocking bacterial shapeshifting and its role in antimicrobial resistance. This project aims to combine advanced imaging with innovative microfluidics to identify how microbial shapeshifting can be exploited as a target for new antimicrobials. Infections that are hard to treat due to increasing antimicrobial resistance not only have an enormous, global impact on mammalian health, including livestock and humans, but also carry a growing economic burden. Advanced understanding of microbial life can propel urgently needed progress this area. Specifically, the project outcomes are expected to aid the development of next generation antibiotics. The new fundamental knowledge should also benefit translational prevention, identification and management efforts of a rising national and global health threat.Read moreRead less
Novel Babesia proteins and their roles in the pathogenesis of tick fever. This project aims at gaining a deep understanding of the biology of Babesia parasites and how they cause tick fever in cattle. The project expects to discover novel parasite proteins involved in the development and persistence of tick fever and identify their functional role in infection. The main expected outcome is the discovery of parasite proteins that are critical for infection and pathogenesis of cattle tick fever. T ....Novel Babesia proteins and their roles in the pathogenesis of tick fever. This project aims at gaining a deep understanding of the biology of Babesia parasites and how they cause tick fever in cattle. The project expects to discover novel parasite proteins involved in the development and persistence of tick fever and identify their functional role in infection. The main expected outcome is the discovery of parasite proteins that are critical for infection and pathogenesis of cattle tick fever. The findings will contribute to the development of future novel vaccines to control tick fever, with significant economic benefits for the beef and dairy industries worldwide.Read moreRead less
Visual Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping in Deformable Environments. This project aims to investigate the problem of building a three-dimensional map of a deformable environment in real-time using images and at the same time localising the camera within the map. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of simultaneous localisation and mapping in deformable environments using visual sensors. Expected outcomes include in-depth understanding of the fundamental sensing requirem ....Visual Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping in Deformable Environments. This project aims to investigate the problem of building a three-dimensional map of a deformable environment in real-time using images and at the same time localising the camera within the map. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of simultaneous localisation and mapping in deformable environments using visual sensors. Expected outcomes include in-depth understanding of the fundamental sensing requirements for the problem to be solvable, the achievable accuracy, and efficient algorithms for achieving accurate three-dimensional reconstruction of deformable environments. The research outcomes from this project offer significant benefits to diverse areas such as minimally invasive robotic surgery.Read moreRead less
Robotic Perception with Unconventional Sensors . Autonomy in robotic systems currently relies on conventional sensors such as lasers and cameras. Alternative sensing modalities as in the case of active electromagnetic sensors are commonly used to detect flaws, cracks and assess infrastructure’s integrity, however, fundamental research questions preclude their use for robotic perception. This project will develop the theory and algorithms to enable perception tasks such as localisation, mapping a ....Robotic Perception with Unconventional Sensors . Autonomy in robotic systems currently relies on conventional sensors such as lasers and cameras. Alternative sensing modalities as in the case of active electromagnetic sensors are commonly used to detect flaws, cracks and assess infrastructure’s integrity, however, fundamental research questions preclude their use for robotic perception. This project will develop the theory and algorithms to enable perception tasks such as localisation, mapping and recognition with unconventional sensors. The outcomes of this research have the potential to improve the effectiveness of critical civil infrastructure maintenance technology through accurate and reliable inspections, and the reduced need for human intervention.Read moreRead less
Disassembly Automation of End-of-Life Electric Vehicle Batteries. This project aims to develop an automated disassembly solution for End-of-Life (EOL) Electric Vehicle (EV) batteries, which is flexible and modular to handle the uncertainties associated with model changes, condition of the EOL battery packs as well as the projected volume growth. The outcome of this project will lead to a better separation of EV battery components and materials. This will allow recycling of EOL EV batteries with ....Disassembly Automation of End-of-Life Electric Vehicle Batteries. This project aims to develop an automated disassembly solution for End-of-Life (EOL) Electric Vehicle (EV) batteries, which is flexible and modular to handle the uncertainties associated with model changes, condition of the EOL battery packs as well as the projected volume growth. The outcome of this project will lead to a better separation of EV battery components and materials. This will allow recycling of EOL EV batteries with a higher material recovery efficiency and a lower cost due to the significantly reduced labor cost; hence substantially reduce the environmental footprint associated with EOL treatment of these batteries.Read moreRead less
Creation of a super-resolution map of the bacterial cytokinesis machinery . Cell division is a fundamental process essential for life. Yet our understanding of this process on a molecular level is limited, mostly hampered by the inability to visualize the different components of the division machinery inside these tiny cells with adequate resolution. To overcome this barrier, capitalizing on recent advancements in imaging and molecular technologies combined with innovative engineering, this proj ....Creation of a super-resolution map of the bacterial cytokinesis machinery . Cell division is a fundamental process essential for life. Yet our understanding of this process on a molecular level is limited, mostly hampered by the inability to visualize the different components of the division machinery inside these tiny cells with adequate resolution. To overcome this barrier, capitalizing on recent advancements in imaging and molecular technologies combined with innovative engineering, this project aims to create a spatial and temporal map of the division machinery inside bacterial cells at unprecedented resolution. The expected outcomes are new knowledge on the mechanism of bacterial division and technological advances in biological imaging, informing applications in a wide variety of sectors.Read moreRead less
Peril and promise: Origins and spread of integron gene cassettes. Integrons have a major role in spreading antibiotic resistance genes among pathogens. They do so by capturing gene cassettes encoding resistance, yet how these cassettes are generated, the taxa in which they originate, and the range of traits that cassettes can encode have been outstanding questions for 30 years. This project addresses these long standing questions. The project will analyze single bacterial cells to detect newly ....Peril and promise: Origins and spread of integron gene cassettes. Integrons have a major role in spreading antibiotic resistance genes among pathogens. They do so by capturing gene cassettes encoding resistance, yet how these cassettes are generated, the taxa in which they originate, and the range of traits that cassettes can encode have been outstanding questions for 30 years. This project addresses these long standing questions. The project will analyze single bacterial cells to detect newly generated cassettes and assign them to specific taxa, using an innovative method that links cassette DNA to bacterial 16S rDNA. Understanding cassette origins is the key to controlling their activity, both to harness integrons for biotechnology, and to prevent pathogens from acquiring new, dangerous traits. Read moreRead less