Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100081
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$600,000.00
Summary
Combined scanning tunnelling microscope system for materials characterisation and manipulation at nano scale. The proposed facility is unique in Australia and will substantially enhance national research capabilities in nano-materials, nanotechnology and biotechnology. The proposed infrastructure project will bring more than 20 leading Australian research groups from 10 institutions together to create an outstanding platform to underpin close collaborations among members in a broad field. The pr ....Combined scanning tunnelling microscope system for materials characterisation and manipulation at nano scale. The proposed facility is unique in Australia and will substantially enhance national research capabilities in nano-materials, nanotechnology and biotechnology. The proposed infrastructure project will bring more than 20 leading Australian research groups from 10 institutions together to create an outstanding platform to underpin close collaborations among members in a broad field. The proposed facility will provide significant benefits to Australian researchers in drug design and delivery, nano-material design and characterisation at nano scale for advanced materials, and promotion of renewable energy. This represents a great opportunity to make discoveries and breakthroughs in frontier science and technology in Australia.Read moreRead less
Structure and dynamics of a multiprotein-mRNA complex involved in the regulation of gene expression. RNA/protein interactions are now recognised as a major control point in the regulation of gene-expression. Proteins such as HuR and the poly(C)-binding proteins (PCBPs) act to stabilise and transport specific messenger (m)RNAs, and thus determine their translation levels. In contrast to such an important function, very little is known about these protein/mRNA interactions at an atomic level. The ....Structure and dynamics of a multiprotein-mRNA complex involved in the regulation of gene expression. RNA/protein interactions are now recognised as a major control point in the regulation of gene-expression. Proteins such as HuR and the poly(C)-binding proteins (PCBPs) act to stabilise and transport specific messenger (m)RNAs, and thus determine their translation levels. In contrast to such an important function, very little is known about these protein/mRNA interactions at an atomic level. The current study will investigate the structural and biophysical properties of a recently discovered HuR/PCBP/mRNA complex implicated in the regulation of androgen receptor expression. This information has the potential to assist in the development of drugs to reduce AR expression in prostate cancer.Read moreRead less
Alternative reproductive tactics and threshold evolution. This research is focussed at the highest level in the field of evolutionary biology; testing recent theory for the evolution of alternative reproductive tactics and using these species to test hypotheses about adaptation. The proposal involves collaborations with high-profile researchers from three European countries and will increase Australia's standing as a world-leader in evolutionary biology. Australian students will benefit from exp ....Alternative reproductive tactics and threshold evolution. This research is focussed at the highest level in the field of evolutionary biology; testing recent theory for the evolution of alternative reproductive tactics and using these species to test hypotheses about adaptation. The proposal involves collaborations with high-profile researchers from three European countries and will increase Australia's standing as a world-leader in evolutionary biology. Australian students will benefit from exposure to high quality international collaborators. We will also increase our understanding of the biology of the European earwig, a pest species in Australia. Reproductive tactics are exciting topics for media attention and this research will reach a wide and interested Australian and world audience.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0560712
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$630,837.00
Summary
State-of-the-art biophysical tools for the characterisation of molecular interactions. In the current era of 'the genome' there is more demand than ever before for the characterisation of the gene products - the oligonucleotides and proteins that carry out the important functions in the cell. The current proposal is to acquire a suite of instrumentation to characterise the kinetics, thermodynamics and overall affinities of interactions between biological macromolecules and their physiological bi ....State-of-the-art biophysical tools for the characterisation of molecular interactions. In the current era of 'the genome' there is more demand than ever before for the characterisation of the gene products - the oligonucleotides and proteins that carry out the important functions in the cell. The current proposal is to acquire a suite of instrumentation to characterise the kinetics, thermodynamics and overall affinities of interactions between biological macromolecules and their physiological binding partners or with novel ligands. This will reveal the role of the macromolecules of interest in the cell, and potentially lead to the discovery of drug molecules which could interfere with molecular interactions underlying disease.Read moreRead less
Quantifying condition-dependence in sexual selection. This research centres on testing evolutionary models of sexual selection. The project has relevance for understanding the role of mutations in reducing the fitness of populations and hence has implications for the conservation of endangered species and for human health. The research also investigates how investment in one trait, such as horns, will take resources away from another, like muscle. This has implications for animal production. The ....Quantifying condition-dependence in sexual selection. This research centres on testing evolutionary models of sexual selection. The project has relevance for understanding the role of mutations in reducing the fitness of populations and hence has implications for the conservation of endangered species and for human health. The research also investigates how investment in one trait, such as horns, will take resources away from another, like muscle. This has implications for animal production. The project utilises pest species as research models and will hence provide further understanding of pest life-history, knowledge critical to the success of control programmes. Australian science will further benefit through the research fellow's established collaborations with international scientists.Read moreRead less
Guarding and evolving the genome: interactions between DNA-repair enzymes and damaged DNA. The application of structural biology techniques to the area of DNA repair allows us to understand the full implications linking genes and proteins to the molecular mechanisms of diseases such as cancer and hereditory conditions. Studies in this highly internationally competitive area are already established in the Bond laboratory, which has recently relocated to Australia. The use of forward-thinking stru ....Guarding and evolving the genome: interactions between DNA-repair enzymes and damaged DNA. The application of structural biology techniques to the area of DNA repair allows us to understand the full implications linking genes and proteins to the molecular mechanisms of diseases such as cancer and hereditory conditions. Studies in this highly internationally competitive area are already established in the Bond laboratory, which has recently relocated to Australia. The use of forward-thinking structural biology approaches to solve difficult technical problems will foster collaborations within Australia and with leading laboratories abroad, providing excellent up-to-date research training for students and postdoctoral researchers.
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Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0346892
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$689,000.00
Summary
Protein Over-Expression/Purification and Macromolecular Structure Determination by X-Ray Diffraction. This proposal seeks funds for state-of-the-art facilities for protein over-expression and macromolecular X-ray diffraction. This will build upon recent initiatives within the collaborating institutions in the field of Structural Biology. It will enable research groups in Perth to pursue the large-scale production of important proteins and to conduct high-resolution structural studies using X-ray ....Protein Over-Expression/Purification and Macromolecular Structure Determination by X-Ray Diffraction. This proposal seeks funds for state-of-the-art facilities for protein over-expression and macromolecular X-ray diffraction. This will build upon recent initiatives within the collaborating institutions in the field of Structural Biology. It will enable research groups in Perth to pursue the large-scale production of important proteins and to conduct high-resolution structural studies using X-ray crystallographic techniques. This technology, which is one of the most important tools in modern biology, provides unique insights into the chemical mechanisms of biological macromolecules and will significantly enhance a great breadth of biological research in Western Australia.Read moreRead less
Establishment of the Australian Cane Toad Genome Program. The Cane Toad is one of Australia's greatest environmental menaces, and is in the top 100 of the "World's Worst invader species". Over a billion toads infest Northern Australia, and they will soon invade WA and move further into NSW. Their poisons and voracious appetite could make many native mammals, birds and reptiles extinct. The only possibility to eradicate the Toad is by biological control, but there is no known control agent. We wi ....Establishment of the Australian Cane Toad Genome Program. The Cane Toad is one of Australia's greatest environmental menaces, and is in the top 100 of the "World's Worst invader species". Over a billion toads infest Northern Australia, and they will soon invade WA and move further into NSW. Their poisons and voracious appetite could make many native mammals, birds and reptiles extinct. The only possibility to eradicate the Toad is by biological control, but there is no known control agent. We will identify the 'Toad's Achilles' heel' against which control agents can be developed. We can do this by identifying every Toad gene. This project forms the first step to this goal by establishing the Australian Cane Toad Genome Program. Toad control will help preserve Australia's unique natural heritage.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354636
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$30,000.00
Summary
Australian Computational Molecular Science Network. Computational Molecular Science (CMS) involves the use of theory and computational methods to simulate and visualise molecular systems ranging from small atmospheric species to proteins, nucleic acids, chemical polymers and materials. It represents our most incisive expression of what we understand about the molecular basis of nature. The CMS network will integrate and cross-fertilize both fundamental and application-based expertize in molecula ....Australian Computational Molecular Science Network. Computational Molecular Science (CMS) involves the use of theory and computational methods to simulate and visualise molecular systems ranging from small atmospheric species to proteins, nucleic acids, chemical polymers and materials. It represents our most incisive expression of what we understand about the molecular basis of nature. The CMS network will integrate and cross-fertilize both fundamental and application-based expertize in molecular scale computations in the fields of nanoscience, biomaterials, biotechnology, biomedical science and environmental science. It will uncover and explore critical new interdisciplinary science and create new molecular-based paradigms that will drive advances in these fields over the next decade.Read moreRead less
An inventory of past biodiversity in Western Australia using ancient DNA. Fossil bones and museum skins are genetic time capsules that facilitate the exploration of Australia's past biodiversity. Travelling back in 'genetic time' provides important insights into how ecosystems functioned prior to the arrival of Europeans and the feral species that accompanied them. This funding will facilitate research into the genetic heritage of endangered WA species such as Woylies and Cockatoos. Native speci ....An inventory of past biodiversity in Western Australia using ancient DNA. Fossil bones and museum skins are genetic time capsules that facilitate the exploration of Australia's past biodiversity. Travelling back in 'genetic time' provides important insights into how ecosystems functioned prior to the arrival of Europeans and the feral species that accompanied them. This funding will facilitate research into the genetic heritage of endangered WA species such as Woylies and Cockatoos. Native species face increasing pressures from climate change and invasive species. Compiling a genetic inventory of WA's past biodiversity will assist in developing scientifically sound conservation management responses. Such approaches are critically important if this biodiversity hotspot is to be preserved for future generations.Read moreRead less