Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0561030
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$441,100.00
Summary
Developmental Imaging Facility. This application seeks to establish a facility to undertake expression profiling in vertebrate tissues on a genomic scale and at the highest resolution. Undertaking large scale projects of this nature requires specialised robotics and dedicated infrastructure for microscopy and tissue preparation. This facility will be the first of its type in Australia will permit researchers to perform genomic scale in situ screens, many as part of large international initiative ....Developmental Imaging Facility. This application seeks to establish a facility to undertake expression profiling in vertebrate tissues on a genomic scale and at the highest resolution. Undertaking large scale projects of this nature requires specialised robotics and dedicated infrastructure for microscopy and tissue preparation. This facility will be the first of its type in Australia will permit researchers to perform genomic scale in situ screens, many as part of large international initiatives in developmental and cellular biology. This large-scale, high-resolution expression profiling infrastructure is required to maintain international competitiveness and will dramatically improve our gene discovery, functional assessment and understanding of vertebrate development.Read moreRead less
Improving the efficiency of bovine oocyte maturation in vitro. For the dairy and beef industries, the hundreds of eggs (oocytes) in a high value cow's ovary that fail to produce a pregnancy are a wasted genetic resource. A key technology to unlocking this resource is in vitro maturation of oocytes, but the process is inefficient. One possible cause is that the current approaches to maturing oocytes in vitro do not adequately mimic the natural process in vivo. We will design new systems to matu ....Improving the efficiency of bovine oocyte maturation in vitro. For the dairy and beef industries, the hundreds of eggs (oocytes) in a high value cow's ovary that fail to produce a pregnancy are a wasted genetic resource. A key technology to unlocking this resource is in vitro maturation of oocytes, but the process is inefficient. One possible cause is that the current approaches to maturing oocytes in vitro do not adequately mimic the natural process in vivo. We will design new systems to mature cow oocytes in vitro by altering the chemical composition of maturation medium, thus improving the efficiency of laboratory embryo production and related technologies.Read moreRead less
Nanosampling sensors for real-time embryo monitoring. The health potential of every individual is established early in life, during the period when the oocytes mature and embryos are formed. This project will develop a photonic sensing platform capable of monitoring embryos as they develop, which will lead to new insight into the earliest stages of life and improved assisted reproduction technologies.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160101394
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$372,000.00
Summary
Early developmental influences on neocortical organisation. This project seeks to identify the influence of preceding developmental stages on the correct formation of the brain. Development is a sequence of transformations where every stage depends on the outcome of previous stages. The project intends to examine how the early sensory periphery, early-born brain circuits, and intrinsic neuronal interactions affect the subsequent organisation of the cerebral cortex – a mammal-specific brain regio ....Early developmental influences on neocortical organisation. This project seeks to identify the influence of preceding developmental stages on the correct formation of the brain. Development is a sequence of transformations where every stage depends on the outcome of previous stages. The project intends to examine how the early sensory periphery, early-born brain circuits, and intrinsic neuronal interactions affect the subsequent organisation of the cerebral cortex – a mammal-specific brain region responsible for perception, motor planning and cognition. It expects to provide novel mechanistic and conceptual insights into the process of normal brain development and more general biological phenomena, such as development and evolution. It may also provide insights into several genetic and non-genetic causes of brain malformations.Read moreRead less
Protecting cereal grain development at high temperatures. This project aims to investigate new temperature-responsive factors that regulate cereal grain development to protect grain production under heat stress. The new research will leverage international collaborations with access to cutting-edge genetic and technological resources, and refine novel X-ray imaging techniques in Australia, to observe how temperature affects flower structure and function in barley and rice. Favourable mutations t ....Protecting cereal grain development at high temperatures. This project aims to investigate new temperature-responsive factors that regulate cereal grain development to protect grain production under heat stress. The new research will leverage international collaborations with access to cutting-edge genetic and technological resources, and refine novel X-ray imaging techniques in Australia, to observe how temperature affects flower structure and function in barley and rice. Favourable mutations that optimise plant yield and fitness will be defined and explored in other, more complex, cereals such as wheat. Expected outcomes will be fundamental breakthroughs in understanding how plants respond to, and buffer, the effects of heat to lead to translational breeding strategies that bolster grain yield.Read moreRead less
How does timing affect mammalian brain development and evolution? This project aims to generate fundamental knowledge on the origin of diversity in mammalian brain circuits by studying development of marsupials and rodents. The expected outcome is to elucidate how differences in the timing, rate and sequence of development of gene expression, cell differentiation and circuit formation can relate to the origin of key evolutionary innovations in the mammalian brain. The significance of understandi ....How does timing affect mammalian brain development and evolution? This project aims to generate fundamental knowledge on the origin of diversity in mammalian brain circuits by studying development of marsupials and rodents. The expected outcome is to elucidate how differences in the timing, rate and sequence of development of gene expression, cell differentiation and circuit formation can relate to the origin of key evolutionary innovations in the mammalian brain. The significance of understanding the dynamics of developmental systems that shape complex brain traits includes establishing new developmental paradigms in evolutionary theory, generating new tools to investigate and manipulate brain gene expression in vivo, and the potential discovery of the causes of neurodevelopmental dysfunction.Read moreRead less
The virtual human knee. This project aims to investigate the Virtual Human Knee (VHK) which provides a baseline knowledge about knee mechanics in healthy individuals and a tool for studying knee mechanics in silico. The new knowledge can be used for identifying individuals most at risk for injury, developing solutions for preventing injury and for assessing knee reconstruction and implantation methods. As such, VHK will mitigate the burden of knee injury to Australia and worldwide by progressing ....The virtual human knee. This project aims to investigate the Virtual Human Knee (VHK) which provides a baseline knowledge about knee mechanics in healthy individuals and a tool for studying knee mechanics in silico. The new knowledge can be used for identifying individuals most at risk for injury, developing solutions for preventing injury and for assessing knee reconstruction and implantation methods. As such, VHK will mitigate the burden of knee injury to Australia and worldwide by progressing disciplines including anatomy, bio-mechanics, sport science, rehabilitation, surgery and medical devices.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE170100057
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$250,000.00
Summary
A high-resolution X-ray microtomography system. This project aims to establish a Scanco microCT 50 high resolution X-Ray microtomography system, to non-destructively visualise and quantitatively characterise complex samples, including advanced composites, tissue engineering constructs, biological tissues, minerals and fossils. The non-destructive characterisation of these samples is critical to advance research. The versatile system offers high spatial resolution (down to 500 nm voxel size) and ....A high-resolution X-ray microtomography system. This project aims to establish a Scanco microCT 50 high resolution X-Ray microtomography system, to non-destructively visualise and quantitatively characterise complex samples, including advanced composites, tissue engineering constructs, biological tissues, minerals and fossils. The non-destructive characterisation of these samples is critical to advance research. The versatile system offers high spatial resolution (down to 500 nm voxel size) and large sample size (up to 100 mm diameter). The project will enable progress in advanced composites, additive bio-manufacturing, physiology of biological tissues and palaeontology which will benefit Australian science. Additionally, through commercialisation and the formation of new companies, the project could potentially result in economic and health benefits to the wider Australian population and economy.Read moreRead less
Single and dual process models of recognition memory: Reconciliation of behavioural, electrophysiological, and neuroimaging data. Advanced brain scanning technologies are increasingly used to study human memory. As well as being important for our basic understanding of memory, they also tell us how memory is affected by normal development, ageing, disease, and injury. Unfortunately, because these technologies are so new, a gap has opened up between our psychological understanding of memory and t ....Single and dual process models of recognition memory: Reconciliation of behavioural, electrophysiological, and neuroimaging data. Advanced brain scanning technologies are increasingly used to study human memory. As well as being important for our basic understanding of memory, they also tell us how memory is affected by normal development, ageing, disease, and injury. Unfortunately, because these technologies are so new, a gap has opened up between our psychological understanding of memory and the physiological events measured by the scanning technologies. This has created a problem for how we should interpret the results that are found. The present project aims to close this gap by applying new research methodologies and theoretical insights based on our previous research.Read moreRead less