Coordinating energy metabolism to enhance exercise capacity. Diet and exercise contribute to health and ageing productively whereas high caloric diets and sedentary life styles are deleterious. The enzyme AMPK regulates energy metabolism in response to diet and exercise and by studying it we expect to learn why diet and exercise are beneficial at the molecular level. This may allow the development of nutritional, exercise and drug strategies to enhance exercise capacity and well being during ....Coordinating energy metabolism to enhance exercise capacity. Diet and exercise contribute to health and ageing productively whereas high caloric diets and sedentary life styles are deleterious. The enzyme AMPK regulates energy metabolism in response to diet and exercise and by studying it we expect to learn why diet and exercise are beneficial at the molecular level. This may allow the development of nutritional, exercise and drug strategies to enhance exercise capacity and well being during ageing as well as suppress age onset diseases that include obesity diabetes cardiovascular disease hypertension and neurodegeneration.Read moreRead less
Systems therapeutics for metabolism: AMPK isoform specific drugs. Living cells have to maintain a steady balance between energy production and consumption in order to function properly. A key regulator of energy balance is an enzyme known as 5' AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which regulates the burning and storage of fuels such as fat and sugars, in response to changes in energy demand. This project will provide a major advancement in our understanding of the regulation of AMPK at the mo ....Systems therapeutics for metabolism: AMPK isoform specific drugs. Living cells have to maintain a steady balance between energy production and consumption in order to function properly. A key regulator of energy balance is an enzyme known as 5' AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which regulates the burning and storage of fuels such as fat and sugars, in response to changes in energy demand. This project will provide a major advancement in our understanding of the regulation of AMPK at the molecular level, and lay the foundations for the development of more effective drugs to treat energy balance disorders such as obesity and Type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, this proposal will contribute to enriching Australia's international profile and competitiveness in this important area of research.Read moreRead less
Metabolic control of organ growth and regeneration. One of the fundamental questions in biology is to understand how organ size is regulated at the cellular and organismal level. The Hippo/Yap pathway plays a central role in the regulation of organ size and it is impacted by environmental cues including nutrient status. This research proposal aims to use zebrafish to elucidate the role that the Hippo/Yap pathway plays in reprogramming lipid metabolism to fuel tissue growth in development and reg ....Metabolic control of organ growth and regeneration. One of the fundamental questions in biology is to understand how organ size is regulated at the cellular and organismal level. The Hippo/Yap pathway plays a central role in the regulation of organ size and it is impacted by environmental cues including nutrient status. This research proposal aims to use zebrafish to elucidate the role that the Hippo/Yap pathway plays in reprogramming lipid metabolism to fuel tissue growth in development and regeneration. Ultimately, this work aims to identify metabolic dependencies required for organ growth and regeneration. Expected outcomes include scholarly publications revealing fundamental principles underlying tissue growth, new resources for the research community and training for research students.Read moreRead less
The combined use of proteomics and small molecules for target identification and pathway analysis. This project intends to investigate how a series of new small molecules identified from our research to improve the metabolic effects of insulin. This project will integrate medicinal chemistry with proteomics and metabolic biology to identify the cellular targets and their mechanism of action.
Adaptive reprogramming of metabolism in regeneration. . Biologists have long been intrigued at the phenomenon of organ regeneration. Unlike most human organs, the liver exhibits the remarkable capacity to regenerate. Despite decades of research, the molecular underpinnings of liver regeneration are poorly understood. This research proposal aims to use zebrafish to elucidate the pathways involved in sensing injury and activating an adaptive transcriptional and metabolic response to orchestrate re ....Adaptive reprogramming of metabolism in regeneration. . Biologists have long been intrigued at the phenomenon of organ regeneration. Unlike most human organs, the liver exhibits the remarkable capacity to regenerate. Despite decades of research, the molecular underpinnings of liver regeneration are poorly understood. This research proposal aims to use zebrafish to elucidate the pathways involved in sensing injury and activating an adaptive transcriptional and metabolic response to orchestrate regeneration. Ultimately, this works aims to understand the metabolic requirements for regeneration. Expected outcomes include scholarly publications revealing fundamental principles of regeneration, new resources and pipelines for the research community as well as training for research students.Read moreRead less