Smart affinity membranes for manufacture of high value therapeutic proteins. This project aims to develop next generation separation membranes for production of high-value proteins from serum. Through a combination of innovative chemistries, biotechnology and engineering, the project will enhance production, efficiency and resolution of membranes for separating complex mixtures, thereby contributing to broader understanding in membrane science. By establishing a strong collaborative link between ....Smart affinity membranes for manufacture of high value therapeutic proteins. This project aims to develop next generation separation membranes for production of high-value proteins from serum. Through a combination of innovative chemistries, biotechnology and engineering, the project will enhance production, efficiency and resolution of membranes for separating complex mixtures, thereby contributing to broader understanding in membrane science. By establishing a strong collaborative link between academic and industry researchers, this project has the potential to significantly value-add to existing and exciting Australian technology by enhancing the efficiency of plasma fractionation, improving isolation of large molecules from complex media and by improving the downstream manufacturing and bioprocessing pipeline. Read moreRead less
Structural understanding of the degradation of glucose polymers. Understanding starch and glycogen breakdown at the molecular level is important for human nutrition and health. The understanding from this project will lead to new means for the control and mitigation of nutritional diseases, such as diabetes and obesity, as well as improved foods.
Photochemical Design of Microstructured Aerospace Materials. Commercial aviation and shipping spend over US$300 billion on fuel and emit almost 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide annually at an enormous environmental cost. This project will provide the material chemistry innovation basis for the production of drag reduction surfaces that can be applied to enable a more effective airflow over an aircraft, thus reducing fuel consumption. Critically, the material design approach will not only deliv ....Photochemical Design of Microstructured Aerospace Materials. Commercial aviation and shipping spend over US$300 billion on fuel and emit almost 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide annually at an enormous environmental cost. This project will provide the material chemistry innovation basis for the production of drag reduction surfaces that can be applied to enable a more effective airflow over an aircraft, thus reducing fuel consumption. Critically, the material design approach will not only deliver a high performance coating for the production of drag reduction surfaces, but allow these surfaces to be tailored to specific application profiles including UV resistance and anti-fouling properties. The project will place an Australian company at the forefront of drag reduction technologyRead moreRead less
Sequence-Defined Polymers with Optical Information Readout. The project aim is to introduce the first optically readable sequence-defined polymers based on fluorophore excimers, whose information content can be read as simply as conventional barcodes. These macromolecular barcodes, embedded in solid polymer matrices, will overcome the current limitations of reading information from synthetic macromolecules. An interdisciplinary effort will fuse chemistry, law, and criminology to develop the tec ....Sequence-Defined Polymers with Optical Information Readout. The project aim is to introduce the first optically readable sequence-defined polymers based on fluorophore excimers, whose information content can be read as simply as conventional barcodes. These macromolecular barcodes, embedded in solid polymer matrices, will overcome the current limitations of reading information from synthetic macromolecules. An interdisciplinary effort will fuse chemistry, law, and criminology to develop the technology in ways that are expected to address illicit plastic waste trafficking – ending the anonymity of polymer waste by creating a regulatory and criminological paradigm for tracing plastic waste to hold actors in the value chain responsible.Read moreRead less
Sustainable polymer construction materials from agricultural waste. Agricultural waste is the world's most abundant petroleum alternative for transformation into environmentally friendly bio-based materials for the construction sectors. Bringing together complimentary research expertise between academia and industry, this project aims to address this opportunity and develop technologies that economically convert agricultural wastes to crude-oils to produce bio-based resins, adhesives and polyure ....Sustainable polymer construction materials from agricultural waste. Agricultural waste is the world's most abundant petroleum alternative for transformation into environmentally friendly bio-based materials for the construction sectors. Bringing together complimentary research expertise between academia and industry, this project aims to address this opportunity and develop technologies that economically convert agricultural wastes to crude-oils to produce bio-based resins, adhesives and polyurethane. This project expects to produce ready-to-use, total replacements for petroleum-based construction materials. This should provide significant benefits including supporting Australian manufacturing by delivering technologies for sustainable and rapid adoption in the construction, resin and coating industries. Read moreRead less
Discovery and applications of circular proteins. The many national benefits that will flow from this program include (i) new knowledge in plant biochemistry, peptide chemistry and protein engineering protected by a strong intellectual property position that will give Australia a competitive edge in relevant biotechnology applications; (ii) the training of a new generation of skilled researchers to drive a sustainable biotechnology sector in Australia; (iii) economic benefits from royalty returns ....Discovery and applications of circular proteins. The many national benefits that will flow from this program include (i) new knowledge in plant biochemistry, peptide chemistry and protein engineering protected by a strong intellectual property position that will give Australia a competitive edge in relevant biotechnology applications; (ii) the training of a new generation of skilled researchers to drive a sustainable biotechnology sector in Australia; (iii) economic benefits from royalty returns on drugs and agricultural products that will likely arise from the program; (iv) environment benefits due to a reduced need for chemical insecticides; and (v) social benefits due to a reduction in suffering from diseases for which drugs are developed as a result of this program.Read moreRead less
Advanced Fibre Interfaces in Active Water Management Systems. Flooding is a critical issue in Australia, generating considerable economic losses, including by stormwater contamination. The current project will pioneer an integrated solution for stormwater retention, while removing chemical pollutants. In collaboration with the company ROCKWOOL-Lapinus - based on a stonewool fibre platform - we will (i) design fibre coatings based on a versatile and chemically simple deposition process, (ii) inco ....Advanced Fibre Interfaces in Active Water Management Systems. Flooding is a critical issue in Australia, generating considerable economic losses, including by stormwater contamination. The current project will pioneer an integrated solution for stormwater retention, while removing chemical pollutants. In collaboration with the company ROCKWOOL-Lapinus - based on a stonewool fibre platform - we will (i) design fibre coatings based on a versatile and chemically simple deposition process, (ii) incorporate functionalities onto the fibres allowing active stormwater treatment to e.g. retain pollutants or target heavy metals and (iii) investigate these interfaces in-depth by advanced surface and interface characterisation methods to understand the fibre interface properties from nano- to macroscale.Read moreRead less
Novel polymeric microparticles for slow-release intrathecal delivery of analgesics. Unrelieved chronic pain is a large area of unmet medical need, adversely affecting the lives of millions of people worldwide. This project seeks to develop innovative methods for delivering a novel pain-relieving medication into the spinal fluid in close proximity to the cells that transmit pain messages to the brain. The goal is to develop a new treatment to produce prolonged periods of pain relief in those pat ....Novel polymeric microparticles for slow-release intrathecal delivery of analgesics. Unrelieved chronic pain is a large area of unmet medical need, adversely affecting the lives of millions of people worldwide. This project seeks to develop innovative methods for delivering a novel pain-relieving medication into the spinal fluid in close proximity to the cells that transmit pain messages to the brain. The goal is to develop a new treatment to produce prolonged periods of pain relief in those patients who do not obtain benefit from existing pain medications. The technology that will be developed has the potential to be applied to a broad range of analgesic drug treatments.Read moreRead less
Precision-built dynamic and functional polymer vesicles. The project aims to create new precision-built polymer vesicles with controlled size, stability, functionality and environmental responsiveness to mimic some of the key dynamic functions of the cell. The project expects to generate new knowledge on the dynamic interplay between the polymer and its bilayer including on-demand activated polymerisations and reactions, logic gates and in situ sensors. Expected outcomes of this project include ....Precision-built dynamic and functional polymer vesicles. The project aims to create new precision-built polymer vesicles with controlled size, stability, functionality and environmental responsiveness to mimic some of the key dynamic functions of the cell. The project expects to generate new knowledge on the dynamic interplay between the polymer and its bilayer including on-demand activated polymerisations and reactions, logic gates and in situ sensors. Expected outcomes of this project include new synthetic polymer techniques and new quantitative insights into the role of compartmentalisation on chemical reactions and polymerisations. This project will provide fundamental knowledge on bio/polymer vesicles with great potential to advance the polymer industry in Australia.Read moreRead less
Fire-retardant Solid State Electrolytes for Rechargeable Li-ion Batteries. This project aims to develop solid-state composite electrolytes combining exceptional flame retardancy and high ion conductivity for lithium-ion batteries. By leveraging merits of both polymer and ceramic electrolytes, the resultant composite electrolytes are expected to enhance battery safety by replacing existing flammable liquid counterparts. The project will advance the knowledge on the design and optimization of soli ....Fire-retardant Solid State Electrolytes for Rechargeable Li-ion Batteries. This project aims to develop solid-state composite electrolytes combining exceptional flame retardancy and high ion conductivity for lithium-ion batteries. By leveraging merits of both polymer and ceramic electrolytes, the resultant composite electrolytes are expected to enhance battery safety by replacing existing flammable liquid counterparts. The project will advance the knowledge on the design and optimization of solid-state electrolytes, and the understanding on the fire-retarding and ionic conducting mechanisms of composite electrolytes. The outcomes of this project will contribute to the reduction of battery fires, the skills development in the Australian battery industry, and the advancement of a sustainable carbon-zero economy.Read moreRead less