Modelling human brain development with stem cells and biomaterials. With limited resources to directly study and advance our understanding of human neural development, this
proposal will establish models of 4 key stages. Employing innovative, interdisciplinary approaches, biomaterials will be fabricated to provide structural and chemical support for human stem cells during: (i) neural induction, (ii) specification into neuronal progenitor subpopulations, (iii) neuronal maturation and integration ....Modelling human brain development with stem cells and biomaterials. With limited resources to directly study and advance our understanding of human neural development, this
proposal will establish models of 4 key stages. Employing innovative, interdisciplinary approaches, biomaterials will be fabricated to provide structural and chemical support for human stem cells during: (i) neural induction, (ii) specification into neuronal progenitor subpopulations, (iii) neuronal maturation and integration into complex neural networks as well as, (iv) the organisation of neurons into larger 3-dimensional brain structures, namely folding of the human cortex. Further, biomaterials developed here have commercialisation potential, targeted at standardizing the culturing of human stem cells to defined neural populations.
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From insects to robots: how brains make predictions and ignore distractions. This project aims to address fundamental questions in neuroscience and to integrate this biological understanding with the development of leading-edge robotics. Whether a human catching a ball or a dragonfly feeding in a swarm, brains have the remarkable ability to predict the future location of moving targets. The brain predicts in the presence of distractions and even if the target disappears, for example, when hidden ....From insects to robots: how brains make predictions and ignore distractions. This project aims to address fundamental questions in neuroscience and to integrate this biological understanding with the development of leading-edge robotics. Whether a human catching a ball or a dragonfly feeding in a swarm, brains have the remarkable ability to predict the future location of moving targets. The brain predicts in the presence of distractions and even if the target disappears, for example, when hidden behind another object. This project will investigate how brains use both environmental and internal information to select a target and predict its future location. By implementing bio-inspired computations in hardware, this project aims to provide significant benefits such as improving autonomous systems for defence, health and transportation.Read moreRead less
Engineered plant receptors as orthogonal neuronal switches. This project aims to develop synthetic biology methods to study brain function by utilising engineered plant receptors. This project will expand our ability to manipulate nerve cell function with high specificity and without side effects in freely behaving animals. Plant receptors will be developed into molecular tools in an iterative process that improves key properties using rational protein design. Expected outcomes include innovativ ....Engineered plant receptors as orthogonal neuronal switches. This project aims to develop synthetic biology methods to study brain function by utilising engineered plant receptors. This project will expand our ability to manipulate nerve cell function with high specificity and without side effects in freely behaving animals. Plant receptors will be developed into molecular tools in an iterative process that improves key properties using rational protein design. Expected outcomes include innovative and broadly-applicable neuroscience methods and an understanding of receptors involved in plant growth and defense. Benefits of this project include an enhanced capacity to generate knowledge, multidisciplinary training opportunities and patentable synthetic biology technologies.Read moreRead less
Oscillations as a mechanism for neural communication. The project aims to answer how billions of cells in the brain can work together to allow us to perceive the world. By using novel electrophysiological and engineering techniques, the project tests if a brain signal called the local field potential provides a way for different areas in the brain to communicate. The hypothesis is that the local field potential is used by cells to synchronise their activity to be most effective. This project wou ....Oscillations as a mechanism for neural communication. The project aims to answer how billions of cells in the brain can work together to allow us to perceive the world. By using novel electrophysiological and engineering techniques, the project tests if a brain signal called the local field potential provides a way for different areas in the brain to communicate. The hypothesis is that the local field potential is used by cells to synchronise their activity to be most effective. This project would be a paradigm shift in how we currently understand how the brain works. Expected outcomes include answering long held questions about how we see and perceive the world. This should provide significant benefit to fields such as computer vision and the development of neural engineering devices.Read moreRead less