Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE160100127
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$355,000.00
Summary
Superresolution fluorescence imaging in microbiology. Superresolution fluorescence imaging in microbiology:
This project involves the purchase of new, and upgrade of existing, fluorescence imaging tools to facilitate the study of intracellular processes in microbial systems at significantly higher spatial and temporal resolutions than hitherto possible. Visualisation of the structure and dynamics of intracellular molecular assemblies at maximal resolution is required to understand protein funct ....Superresolution fluorescence imaging in microbiology. Superresolution fluorescence imaging in microbiology:
This project involves the purchase of new, and upgrade of existing, fluorescence imaging tools to facilitate the study of intracellular processes in microbial systems at significantly higher spatial and temporal resolutions than hitherto possible. Visualisation of the structure and dynamics of intracellular molecular assemblies at maximal resolution is required to understand protein function inside living cells. The new equipment is designed to provide a fast super-resolution imaging system to study the intracellular dynamics of proteins in vitro and a super-resolution microscope to visualise structures and assemblies inside microbes with a resolution of tens of nanometres, putting in vitro biochemistry into the context of a living cell. Read moreRead less
Unlocking bacterial shapeshifting and its role in antimicrobial resistance. This project aims to combine advanced imaging with innovative microfluidics to identify how microbial shapeshifting can be exploited as a target for new antimicrobials. Infections that are hard to treat due to increasing antimicrobial resistance not only have an enormous, global impact on mammalian health, including livestock and humans, but also carry a growing economic burden. Advanced understanding of microbial life c ....Unlocking bacterial shapeshifting and its role in antimicrobial resistance. This project aims to combine advanced imaging with innovative microfluidics to identify how microbial shapeshifting can be exploited as a target for new antimicrobials. Infections that are hard to treat due to increasing antimicrobial resistance not only have an enormous, global impact on mammalian health, including livestock and humans, but also carry a growing economic burden. Advanced understanding of microbial life can propel urgently needed progress this area. Specifically, the project outcomes are expected to aid the development of next generation antibiotics. The new fundamental knowledge should also benefit translational prevention, identification and management efforts of a rising national and global health threat.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200100111
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$373,097.00
Summary
Replication and transfer of novel plasmid classes in Acinetobacter. The project aims to reveal basic biology of plasmids found in Acinetobacter baumannii. A. baumannii is a bacterial pathogen that can rapidly acquire resistance to antibiotics, including last-resort antibiotics. In modern strains, acquisition is often mediated by plasmids. On the basis of DNA sequencing data, A. baumannii plasmids are likely to function differently to well-studied plasmids. However, surprisingly little experiment ....Replication and transfer of novel plasmid classes in Acinetobacter. The project aims to reveal basic biology of plasmids found in Acinetobacter baumannii. A. baumannii is a bacterial pathogen that can rapidly acquire resistance to antibiotics, including last-resort antibiotics. In modern strains, acquisition is often mediated by plasmids. On the basis of DNA sequencing data, A. baumannii plasmids are likely to function differently to well-studied plasmids. However, surprisingly little experimental work has been done to evidence this. By combining microbiological and bioinformatics approaches the project expects to generate new knowledge on the mechanisms of replication and transfer of A. baumannii plasmids. This may lead to new targets for strategies to slow and track the spread of antibiotic resistance.Read moreRead less
An interdisciplinary approach to host-pathogen interactions in infection. This project aims to understand the molecular and cellular interactions between host and parasite, as well as providing a quantitative framework for analysing infection dynamics in other systems. Infection involves a complex interaction between the host and the parasite, which is very dynamic and therefore difficult to study by traditional sampling and analysis approaches. This project has combined mathematical modelling w ....An interdisciplinary approach to host-pathogen interactions in infection. This project aims to understand the molecular and cellular interactions between host and parasite, as well as providing a quantitative framework for analysing infection dynamics in other systems. Infection involves a complex interaction between the host and the parasite, which is very dynamic and therefore difficult to study by traditional sampling and analysis approaches. This project has combined mathematical modelling with a novel experimental protocol to allow the study of kinetics of parasite replication in vivo. Expected outcomes will provide significant benefits, such as new avenues for vaccination and immune intervention.Read moreRead less
Understanding the dynamics of malaria infection. Malaria infection kills around one million patients each year and this project involves an interdisciplinary team who will directly measure how the parasite grows and is killed by the immune system. A better understanding of parasite growth and control will help develop better drugs therapy and vaccination for this important infection.
Microbial community stability dynamics to environmental triggers. This project aims to advance our knowledge of the structural/functional dynamics of complex microbial communities by defining stability in response to environmental influences such as nutrient stress, pathogen invasion and antibiotics/chemicals. Using innovative microbial consortia modelling, to identify communities at risk of homeostatic disruption, we will develop and test pre-emptive microbial manipulation strategies for restor ....Microbial community stability dynamics to environmental triggers. This project aims to advance our knowledge of the structural/functional dynamics of complex microbial communities by defining stability in response to environmental influences such as nutrient stress, pathogen invasion and antibiotics/chemicals. Using innovative microbial consortia modelling, to identify communities at risk of homeostatic disruption, we will develop and test pre-emptive microbial manipulation strategies for restoring community stability. This project will yield significant global impact and economic/health benefit for humans and animals.Read moreRead less
Novel Babesia proteins and their roles in the pathogenesis of tick fever. This project aims at gaining a deep understanding of the biology of Babesia parasites and how they cause tick fever in cattle. The project expects to discover novel parasite proteins involved in the development and persistence of tick fever and identify their functional role in infection. The main expected outcome is the discovery of parasite proteins that are critical for infection and pathogenesis of cattle tick fever. T ....Novel Babesia proteins and their roles in the pathogenesis of tick fever. This project aims at gaining a deep understanding of the biology of Babesia parasites and how they cause tick fever in cattle. The project expects to discover novel parasite proteins involved in the development and persistence of tick fever and identify their functional role in infection. The main expected outcome is the discovery of parasite proteins that are critical for infection and pathogenesis of cattle tick fever. The findings will contribute to the development of future novel vaccines to control tick fever, with significant economic benefits for the beef and dairy industries worldwide.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160100615
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$348,200.00
Summary
Harnessing chain-forming diatoms for improved lipid biofuel production. The aim of this project is to unlock the molecular secrets of highly productive chain-forming diatom microalgae that allow them to produce high levels of biofuel lipids. The formation of multicellular chains appears key to the success of some of the most widespread and productive diatom species. Through a combination of systems biology, bioinformatics, and genetics experiments, this project aims to investigate the relationsh ....Harnessing chain-forming diatoms for improved lipid biofuel production. The aim of this project is to unlock the molecular secrets of highly productive chain-forming diatom microalgae that allow them to produce high levels of biofuel lipids. The formation of multicellular chains appears key to the success of some of the most widespread and productive diatom species. Through a combination of systems biology, bioinformatics, and genetics experiments, this project aims to investigate the relationship between chain formation and biofuel lipid productivity in Chaetoceros diatoms, and to discover genes and molecules that encode and influence these traits. The knowledge and technology generated as a result may improve biofuel yields, increase the robustness of species growing in open pond systems, and reduce processing costs such as de-watering.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200101524
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$355,325.00
Summary
Taking Control: Understanding regulation of bacterial iron acquisition. This project aims to uncover the bacterial regulatory networks acting on a family of iron-stealing molecules called siderophores. Bacteria use siderophores to acquire iron from their hosts, the environment, and each other – as such, they have a central role in microbial life. Despite their importance, we have an incomplete knowledge of how these iron-stealing weapons are deployed. This project will develop a new genomics-bas ....Taking Control: Understanding regulation of bacterial iron acquisition. This project aims to uncover the bacterial regulatory networks acting on a family of iron-stealing molecules called siderophores. Bacteria use siderophores to acquire iron from their hosts, the environment, and each other – as such, they have a central role in microbial life. Despite their importance, we have an incomplete knowledge of how these iron-stealing weapons are deployed. This project will develop a new genomics-based, high-throughput technology for defining bacterial gene regulation networks, and use it to understand siderophore control. This will provide new knowledge of siderophore function, enhance understanding of bacterial community and host interactions, and establish leadership in a new genomics technology in Australia.Read moreRead less
The Great Escape: Mechanisms for dispersal of microbial communities from surfaces. Bacteria respond to a variety of environmental cues, including nutrient concentration, to optimise their growth strategy. One key growth strategy is the formation of biofilms or surface associated microbial communities. The aim of this project is to determine the molecular pathway for cAMP mediated starvation induced dispersal of bacterial biofilms. Our preliminary data suggest that the cAMP pathway overlaps with ....The Great Escape: Mechanisms for dispersal of microbial communities from surfaces. Bacteria respond to a variety of environmental cues, including nutrient concentration, to optimise their growth strategy. One key growth strategy is the formation of biofilms or surface associated microbial communities. The aim of this project is to determine the molecular pathway for cAMP mediated starvation induced dispersal of bacterial biofilms. Our preliminary data suggest that the cAMP pathway overlaps with other intracellular second messengers, such as c-di-GMP, to control dispersal. Further, these second messengers may act at the level of subcellular pools that interact with closely associated protein complexes to control complex behaviours such as biofilm formation and dispersal.Read moreRead less