DNA Nanoshuttles: A New Class of DNA-Binding Molecules. The interaction of molecules with DNA, the molecule that controls genetic information, is fundamental to drug design, diagnosis of disease and the environment. DNA-nanoshuttles are ring-shaped molecules that thread onto DNA and shuttle from one end to the other. This threading interaction is without precedent and hence DNA-nanoshuttles have significant potential applications in all areas of medicine, biotechnology and nanotechnology that in ....DNA Nanoshuttles: A New Class of DNA-Binding Molecules. The interaction of molecules with DNA, the molecule that controls genetic information, is fundamental to drug design, diagnosis of disease and the environment. DNA-nanoshuttles are ring-shaped molecules that thread onto DNA and shuttle from one end to the other. This threading interaction is without precedent and hence DNA-nanoshuttles have significant potential applications in all areas of medicine, biotechnology and nanotechnology that involve DNA interactions. This research may lead to the design of new diagnostics and applications that will benefit the Australian community, and will provide excellent training of researchers in skills required for employment in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical fields.Read moreRead less
Characterisation and Development of Dynamic Supramolecular Combinatorial Libraries. The discovery of biologically active molecules, in particular drug discovery, requires the design and synthesis of host molecules that bind selectively to the biological target. Combinatorial chemistry has greatly assisted this discovery process as it allows the rapid screening of large collections of molecules. In this proposal, metal ion interactions will be used in the combinatorial library as this will grea ....Characterisation and Development of Dynamic Supramolecular Combinatorial Libraries. The discovery of biologically active molecules, in particular drug discovery, requires the design and synthesis of host molecules that bind selectively to the biological target. Combinatorial chemistry has greatly assisted this discovery process as it allows the rapid screening of large collections of molecules. In this proposal, metal ion interactions will be used in the combinatorial library as this will greatly increases the diversity of the pool of compounds to be screened for activity. Understanding how to generate and analyze these libraries has potential applications in drug screening, the discovery of new substrates, enzymes and inhibitors. Read moreRead less
Novel Synthetic Receptors For Selective Recognition of Phosphate Oxoanions. Anions are critical to the maintenance of life, playing roles in almost every biochemical process. Artificial anion receptors that bind strongly to specific anions have considerable potential applications in biomedicine, but current receptors do not possess the required selectivity for applications. We will undertake the design and construction of a number of molecular receptors tailored to complement the size, shape and ....Novel Synthetic Receptors For Selective Recognition of Phosphate Oxoanions. Anions are critical to the maintenance of life, playing roles in almost every biochemical process. Artificial anion receptors that bind strongly to specific anions have considerable potential applications in biomedicine, but current receptors do not possess the required selectivity for applications. We will undertake the design and construction of a number of molecular receptors tailored to complement the size, shape and charge of specific biologically important anions and will assess their ability to bind selectively to their target guests. This will lead to the development of small molecule receptors for use in biomedical applications.Read moreRead less
Backbone Modified Cyclic Peptides: Scaffolds for Supramolecular Chemistry. The synthesis of compounds that mimic Nature's catalysts - enzymes - will provide us with a better understanding of how these intriguing molecules function and may lead to the development of new catalysts for industrial processes. Modified cyclic peptides could be used as platforms to arrange catalytic groups in a spatially well-defined manner to mimic enzymes. As cyclic peptides are often difficult to prepare, I aim to d ....Backbone Modified Cyclic Peptides: Scaffolds for Supramolecular Chemistry. The synthesis of compounds that mimic Nature's catalysts - enzymes - will provide us with a better understanding of how these intriguing molecules function and may lead to the development of new catalysts for industrial processes. Modified cyclic peptides could be used as platforms to arrange catalytic groups in a spatially well-defined manner to mimic enzymes. As cyclic peptides are often difficult to prepare, I aim to develop a powerful general method for their synthesis. This methodology will then be applied to the synthesis of cyclic peptide-based enzyme mimics.Read moreRead less
Control of the Enantiomeric Self-Resolution Process. The availability of enantiopure molecules is crucial in chemistry and medicine. Enantiomeric self-resolution on crystallisation provides pure left- and right-handed molecules from 1:1 mixtures of the two. It is the simplest and cheapest means of obtaining enantiopure molecules, but its occurrence in any given case cannot normally be
predicted. The understanding and control of the self-resolution process gained through this project will repre ....Control of the Enantiomeric Self-Resolution Process. The availability of enantiopure molecules is crucial in chemistry and medicine. Enantiomeric self-resolution on crystallisation provides pure left- and right-handed molecules from 1:1 mixtures of the two. It is the simplest and cheapest means of obtaining enantiopure molecules, but its occurrence in any given case cannot normally be
predicted. The understanding and control of the self-resolution process gained through this project will represent a major breakthrough in organic and pharmaceutical chemistry. This technological advance will make pure handed molecules available readily and cheaply, thereby allowing chemical, pharmaceutical and biological developments to be made by Australian industry.
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'Multi-Coloured' Tracers for Magnetic Particle Imaging . Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) is predicted to be the future of imaging and will outperform all current imaging techniques by having 'colours', improved resolution and 3D precision. This project aims to create 'multi-coloured' high-performance MPI tracers by synthesising a range of the most effective magnetic nanoparticle structures. The expected outcome is the fundamental understanding of the relationships between nanoparticle structures ....'Multi-Coloured' Tracers for Magnetic Particle Imaging . Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) is predicted to be the future of imaging and will outperform all current imaging techniques by having 'colours', improved resolution and 3D precision. This project aims to create 'multi-coloured' high-performance MPI tracers by synthesising a range of the most effective magnetic nanoparticle structures. The expected outcome is the fundamental understanding of the relationships between nanoparticle structures and their magnetic properties for the formation of MPI signals with distinct ‘colours’. The benefits will be a library of MPI tracers that are able to provide ‘coloured’, high intensity, precise signals beyond what can be achieved with other imaging technologies.Read moreRead less
Anion Binding and Sensing With Self-Assembled Metallo-Supramolecular Assemblies. Anions are of particular significance in several areas relating to the day-to-day lives of Australians; for example as contaminants in waterways and nuclear waste streams, as indicators of chemical weapons, and as antagonists in biological systems. The proposed research programme will investigate a relatively unexplored approach to binding and sensing anions. This will further research in the area of supramolecular ....Anion Binding and Sensing With Self-Assembled Metallo-Supramolecular Assemblies. Anions are of particular significance in several areas relating to the day-to-day lives of Australians; for example as contaminants in waterways and nuclear waste streams, as indicators of chemical weapons, and as antagonists in biological systems. The proposed research programme will investigate a relatively unexplored approach to binding and sensing anions. This will further research in the area of supramolecular chemistry, providing additional research expertise in this rapidly progressing area of the chemical sciences. In terms of Breakthrough science the targeted assemblies will shed further light on self-assembly processes involving ligands with different domains, placing Australian research at the forefront of such investigations.Read moreRead less
Internally decorated discrete Metallo-supramolecular Assemblies and infinite Metal-Organic Frameworks as molecular containers. In the macroscopic world, containers are used to hold, provide physical protection, or create a modified environment for their contents. This project will result in the synthesis of novel molecular container materials that provide decorated internal surfaces capable of selectively binding chemical species. In addition to the breakthrough scientific benefits of establish ....Internally decorated discrete Metallo-supramolecular Assemblies and infinite Metal-Organic Frameworks as molecular containers. In the macroscopic world, containers are used to hold, provide physical protection, or create a modified environment for their contents. This project will result in the synthesis of novel molecular container materials that provide decorated internal surfaces capable of selectively binding chemical species. In addition to the breakthrough scientific benefits of establishing the fundamentals of these systems, the binding of chemicals, which are environmental contaminants, will provide the grounding for applications that will contribute to the national priority of 'Frontier technologies'. Furthermore, this research will lead to the training of the next generation of Australian scientists by quality international researchers.Read moreRead less