The prediction of sleep/wake behaviour based on physiological and social factors. The prevalence of shiftwork has increased in Australia over the last few decades. Shiftworkers obtain less sleep, have greater difficulty maintaining good relationships, have poorer health, and are more likely to be injured at work than others. Using the largest dataset of its kind, we will substantially contribute to understanding the relationships between work hours, sleep, performance and safety. Ultimately, the ....The prediction of sleep/wake behaviour based on physiological and social factors. The prevalence of shiftwork has increased in Australia over the last few decades. Shiftworkers obtain less sleep, have greater difficulty maintaining good relationships, have poorer health, and are more likely to be injured at work than others. Using the largest dataset of its kind, we will substantially contribute to understanding the relationships between work hours, sleep, performance and safety. Ultimately, the project will answer a question critical to workplace safety - how much time off between shifts is needed to be alert and safe at work? The project will also produce tools to help industry design fatigue-friendly rosters, improving the safety, productivity and general well-being of shiftworkers in Australia and overseas.Read moreRead less
Mutagenesis and combinatorial algorithms for sequencing problematic genomic regions. This project will develop a remarkable and original approach to DNA sequencing with potential to radically improve the speed, accuracy and effectiveness of existing sequencing technologies. It is especially useful for dealing with difficult-to-sequence genomic regions and has implications for all sequencing projects, including completion of the Human Genome Project. The approach involves generating, and wholly o ....Mutagenesis and combinatorial algorithms for sequencing problematic genomic regions. This project will develop a remarkable and original approach to DNA sequencing with potential to radically improve the speed, accuracy and effectiveness of existing sequencing technologies. It is especially useful for dealing with difficult-to-sequence genomic regions and has implications for all sequencing projects, including completion of the Human Genome Project. The approach involves generating, and wholly or partially sequencing, mutated copies of problematic regions of the target genome. Advanced combinatorial algorithms are then used to form highly probable alignments between strings and determine the unknown sequence. The approach has additional benefits in detecting single-nucleotide polymorphisms and sequencing errors.Read moreRead less
ARC Centre in Bioinformatics. The Australian Centre for Genome-Phenome Bioinformatics will examine how the genome comes to life in the mammalian cell during differentiation and development. We will model, visualise and experimentally validate the complex cellular systems and regulatory networks that control the transformation of genomic information into biological structure and function. We will develop novel approaches and tools to improve health, optimise agricultural production and exploit ne ....ARC Centre in Bioinformatics. The Australian Centre for Genome-Phenome Bioinformatics will examine how the genome comes to life in the mammalian cell during differentiation and development. We will model, visualise and experimentally validate the complex cellular systems and regulatory networks that control the transformation of genomic information into biological structure and function. We will develop novel approaches and tools to improve health, optimise agricultural production and exploit new cell technologies. The Centre will build critical mass and national focus in bioinformatics to generate the human capital and intellectual property that Australia needs to compete in advanced bioscience and biotechnology.Read moreRead less
Statistical methods for detection of non-coding RNAs in eukaryote genomes. Understanding how eukaryotic cells work is a major goal of 21st century biology. A crucial step will be to catalogue the functional components of eukaryotic genomes. Australian researchers must be involved in this process at an early stage, in order to maximise commercial opportunities, attract quality researchers and position ourselves for further advances. This project will make major contributions to international effo ....Statistical methods for detection of non-coding RNAs in eukaryote genomes. Understanding how eukaryotic cells work is a major goal of 21st century biology. A crucial step will be to catalogue the functional components of eukaryotic genomes. Australian researchers must be involved in this process at an early stage, in order to maximise commercial opportunities, attract quality researchers and position ourselves for further advances. This project will make major contributions to international efforts in this area, via the development of statistical methods for segmenting genomes, classification of those segments, and study of the resulting classes. In the long term, enhanced understanding of eukaryotic cells will lead to breakthroughs in biology, and to medical, pharmaceutical, agricultural and scientific advances.Read moreRead less
Classification of Microarray Gene-Expression Data. The broad aim is to provide statistical methodology for the classification of microarray gene-expression data. Microarrays are part of a new biotechnology that allows the monitoring of expression levels for thousands of genes simultaneously. The explosion in microarrays has produced massive quantities of data that require new statistical techniques for analysis in order to exploit their enormous scientific potential. One of the main uses of ....Classification of Microarray Gene-Expression Data. The broad aim is to provide statistical methodology for the classification of microarray gene-expression data. Microarrays are part of a new biotechnology that allows the monitoring of expression levels for thousands of genes simultaneously. The explosion in microarrays has produced massive quantities of data that require new statistical techniques for analysis in order to exploit their enormous scientific potential. One of the main uses of the methodology to be developed is to expedite the discovery of new subclasses of diseases. Another is to provide prediction rules for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases.Read moreRead less
High Resolution EPR Spectroscopy - A Tool for Determining Electronic and Geometric Structure of Metalloenzymes. High resolution orientation selective pulsed EPR and END(T)OR in conjunction with computer simulation (XSophe) and computational chemistry will allow the determination of the electronic and geometric structure (distance and orientation of nuclei surrounding the metal ion(s)) of multiple redox centres in DMSOR, DorC and DMSDH to be determined. In addition pulsed ELDOR in conjunction wi ....High Resolution EPR Spectroscopy - A Tool for Determining Electronic and Geometric Structure of Metalloenzymes. High resolution orientation selective pulsed EPR and END(T)OR in conjunction with computer simulation (XSophe) and computational chemistry will allow the determination of the electronic and geometric structure (distance and orientation of nuclei surrounding the metal ion(s)) of multiple redox centres in DMSOR, DorC and DMSDH to be determined. In addition pulsed ELDOR in conjunction with molecular modelling will enable the mapping (distance and orientation) of redox centres in complex multicentered metalloproteins (DMSDH and DorC) and in protein-protein complexes (DMSOR-DorC) providing information on the pathway of electron transfer and hence the role of the pyranopterins.Read moreRead less
From genotype to phenotype - systems biology bridging the gap. This project is basic research at the forefront of international science and deals with a fundamental question of modern biology: 'How do genes determine the makeup of an organism?' The main outcome will be a deeper understanding of the internal working mechanisms of a higher organism. The project combines some of the most advanced systems technologies - genomics, proteomics, metabonomics, fluxomics and computational biology in a nov ....From genotype to phenotype - systems biology bridging the gap. This project is basic research at the forefront of international science and deals with a fundamental question of modern biology: 'How do genes determine the makeup of an organism?' The main outcome will be a deeper understanding of the internal working mechanisms of a higher organism. The project combines some of the most advanced systems technologies - genomics, proteomics, metabonomics, fluxomics and computational biology in a novel and unique way. This combination is in itself a major advancement of scientific methods that will accelerate discovery in the field of systems biology. In this respect, the project is a premier example of the priority goal Breakthrough Science and of the national research priority Frontier Technologies.Read moreRead less
New computational methods study on protein function prediction. The proposed research aims to develop new computational methods to solve one of the most important bioinformatics problems in the post-genome era. This project will expand the knowledge on protein sequence-structure-function relationship, provide new analysis methods and predict the functions of novel proteins. This project will strengthen Australia's reputation for research excellence.
Functionally characterizing mammalian microRNAs and mRNA interactions controlling cell division. This project addresses some of the most burning issues in molecular biology and genetic research, and the results will be widely applicable to a broad range of fields, including biotechnology, animal breeding, agricultural production, genetic engineering, medical science, and computational biology. By understanding the regulatory potential of microRNA molecules, we will understand more about species ....Functionally characterizing mammalian microRNAs and mRNA interactions controlling cell division. This project addresses some of the most burning issues in molecular biology and genetic research, and the results will be widely applicable to a broad range of fields, including biotechnology, animal breeding, agricultural production, genetic engineering, medical science, and computational biology. By understanding the regulatory potential of microRNA molecules, we will understand more about species diversity, regulatory networks, and plant and animal development. The early adoption of multi-gigabase next-generation sequencing technology in Australia provides rare and exciting opportunity to lead the world in genome-scale research, and to ensure that Australia has the necessary skill base to remain internationally competitive in this field.Read moreRead less
ARC Centre for Complex Systems. The Australian Centre for Complex Systems brings together leading researchers from several disciplines and institutions to conduct research on questions fundamental to understanding and managing complex systems. Its core research program, based on the theme of computation in and by networks of agents, has two interwoven strands. The science strand addresses questions about emergent properties, natural computation, and nonlinear dynamics. The engineering strand add ....ARC Centre for Complex Systems. The Australian Centre for Complex Systems brings together leading researchers from several disciplines and institutions to conduct research on questions fundamental to understanding and managing complex systems. Its core research program, based on the theme of computation in and by networks of agents, has two interwoven strands. The science strand addresses questions about emergent properties, natural computation, and nonlinear dynamics. The engineering strand addresses issues about methodology, modelling toolkits, and management and control. Practical applications are advanced via collaborative projects that address key issues in biology, environment, and socio-economics.Read moreRead less