A novel regulator of growth signalling in Drosophila. This project aims to increase understanding of how growth is regulated by growth factor hormones. In animals, growth is controlled by signalling pathways that are activated by secreted peptide hormones. A new regulator of growth in the fruitfly Drosophila, the membrane attack complex/perforin-like (MACPF) protein Torso-like, has been identified. The project aims to unravel how Torso-like functions to regulate growth, thus throwing light on th ....A novel regulator of growth signalling in Drosophila. This project aims to increase understanding of how growth is regulated by growth factor hormones. In animals, growth is controlled by signalling pathways that are activated by secreted peptide hormones. A new regulator of growth in the fruitfly Drosophila, the membrane attack complex/perforin-like (MACPF) protein Torso-like, has been identified. The project aims to unravel how Torso-like functions to regulate growth, thus throwing light on the role this protein family may play in all animals. The findings are expected to provide key insights into the modification of growth factor activity, which is often dysregulated in human cancers and growth disorders, and may enable the design of new strategies for interfering with insect development for pest control.Read moreRead less
Identification And Characterisation Of Novel Genes For Congenital Cataract
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$432,750.00
Summary
Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness worldwide. The term describes a clouding of the lens which may lead to visual impairment. Congenital cataracts (present at birth) are less common than age-related cataract but the lifelong impact on vision can be severe, with a third of patients remaining legally blind. Late complications such as aphakic glaucoma may be blinding. We have shown that congenital cataracts are often inherited and have performed a population-based study in South-Eastern Au ....Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness worldwide. The term describes a clouding of the lens which may lead to visual impairment. Congenital cataracts (present at birth) are less common than age-related cataract but the lifelong impact on vision can be severe, with a third of patients remaining legally blind. Late complications such as aphakic glaucoma may be blinding. We have shown that congenital cataracts are often inherited and have performed a population-based study in South-Eastern Australia over the past 5 years to determine the causative genes. A large number of families have been involved in the study and solid progress has been made in identifying mutations in cataract genes and understanding what effect these may have on the patient's prognosis. We have recently identified a new gene in a large Australian family with a syndrome of cataract, mental retardation and teeth problems. This syndrome, known as Nance-Horan syndrome was originally described in Australia 30 years ago and we have worked with the original family to find the exact gene responsible. We already know that this gene causes the same syndrome in other families and in this project we will examine whether it can cause cataract without the other features or mental retardation without cataract. We will perform a series of experiments to learn what this gene does and how it causes the disease. We have also selected 3 other very interesting families with congenital cataracts for further study as we either know already or strongly suspect that they will enable us to identify further new genes for cataract, and in one case mental retardation. Our work in other diseases indicates that understanding the genes in severe young onset cases can give valuable clues to the causes of age-related forms and may in the future enable new ways to prevent and treat the commonest cause of worldwide blindness.Read moreRead less
Lost at sea? Understanding adaptation and dispersal in spiny lobsters. Continual recruitment of young is fundamental to the replenishment of populations, especially when a stock is fished. Existing theory suggests that species with very long planktonic larval stages disperse widely, ensuring their genes are well mixed. However, recently identified genetic differences between populations of rock lobster challenge this paradigm and demonstrate that despite larvae mixing in the ocean for years, loc ....Lost at sea? Understanding adaptation and dispersal in spiny lobsters. Continual recruitment of young is fundamental to the replenishment of populations, especially when a stock is fished. Existing theory suggests that species with very long planktonic larval stages disperse widely, ensuring their genes are well mixed. However, recently identified genetic differences between populations of rock lobster challenge this paradigm and demonstrate that despite larvae mixing in the ocean for years, local recruitment and/or adaptation are at play. Recent developments in genomics and bioinformatics should allow this project to understand the ecological processes underpinning these genetic signatures and determine their evolutionary implications. Such findings could direct targeted rebuilding of depleted fisheries stocks.Read moreRead less
Building futures for young Australians at risk: a coordinated measurement framework and data archive. This project will build a national data base of evidence about and for programs that address the needs of the 16 per cent of young Australians currently at risk of school non-completion. It will generate important knowledge for program improvement and sustainability and coordination of evidence across diverse and fragmented programs.
Cellular genomic approach to the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis. This project compares the levels of gene usage in two important immune cell types between patients with multiple sclerosis and people who do not have the disease. It aims to identify the molecular basis for the disease, in order to identify new diagnostic, preventative and treatment options.
ARC Research Network in Enterprise Information Infrastructure. EII targets consolidated research towards the comprehensive development & establishment of advanced information infrastructures. Its prime purpose is to provide a forum for intellectual exchange by diverse yet complementary research groups, to address the fundamental research problems faced by scientific & business communities when dealing with deployment of information technology to globally distributed, and data intensive environme ....ARC Research Network in Enterprise Information Infrastructure. EII targets consolidated research towards the comprehensive development & establishment of advanced information infrastructures. Its prime purpose is to provide a forum for intellectual exchange by diverse yet complementary research groups, to address the fundamental research problems faced by scientific & business communities when dealing with deployment of information technology to globally distributed, and data intensive environments. EII will address 3 tightly coupled research themes: Ability to interoperate across existing heterogenous platforms & applications; Efficient processing of very large data sets; Technology adoption & impact. Generic results will be applicable to e-science and large business information systems installations.Read moreRead less
A Genome-wide Association Study In 2000 Glaucoma Cases With Matched Controls Using Equimoloar DNA Pools
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$610,267.00
Summary
Glaucoma is a common cause of loss of vision worldwide but we are unable to predict which people are at high risk of blindness. We aim to discover the genetic risk factors for glaucoma. We will use cutting edge genetic technology to assess the whole genome in thousands of patients with glaucoma. We hope to identify important new glaucoma genes, which could lead to the development of diagnostic tests and treatments which will provide the most cost-efficient ways to prevent glaucoma blindness.
Democratization and conflict management in Eastern Indonesia. The proposed project directly addresses the priority goal of understanding our region and the world to safeguard Australia. Indonesia is not only Australia's closest northern neighbour and the world's most populous Muslim nation, but also the third-largest democracy and the strategically most important country in Southeast Asia. The project will greatly enhance our understanding of some of the least known areas of Indonesia and is int ....Democratization and conflict management in Eastern Indonesia. The proposed project directly addresses the priority goal of understanding our region and the world to safeguard Australia. Indonesia is not only Australia's closest northern neighbour and the world's most populous Muslim nation, but also the third-largest democracy and the strategically most important country in Southeast Asia. The project will greatly enhance our understanding of some of the least known areas of Indonesia and is intended to prescribe concrete recommendations for the Australian government and aid organizations to assist them in their endeavours to promote democratization and help prevent and/or resolve communal conflict.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354575
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$30,000.00
Summary
Earth and Ocean Informatics and Technology Network (EON-ITnet). Sustainable resource exploration and mining onshore, as well as marine planning, exploration, and defence depend on effective cross-disciplinary investigation, sharing of expertise and technologies for integration and computational analysis of multidimensional data spaces. EON-ITNET will cross-fertilise the use of artificial intelligence, advanced computing and smart information sharing for management, analysis, visualisation and me ....Earth and Ocean Informatics and Technology Network (EON-ITnet). Sustainable resource exploration and mining onshore, as well as marine planning, exploration, and defence depend on effective cross-disciplinary investigation, sharing of expertise and technologies for integration and computational analysis of multidimensional data spaces. EON-ITNET will cross-fertilise the use of artificial intelligence, advanced computing and smart information sharing for management, analysis, visualisation and metadata modelling between these traditionally separate research groups, with the outcome of improving research efficiency and lowering costs. EON-ITNET will form an alliance with the Caltech-based GeoFramework, which is advancing a novel object-oriented data analysis environment, binding community software for Earth visualisation and simulation to 4D data bases.Read moreRead less