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.
Roadblocks in DNA replication. This project aims to develop the technology to visualise and understand the molecular processes responsible for the faithful copying of cellular DNA in the presence of roadblocks caused by chemical pressures and competing intracellular events. Understanding this process is important as DNA replication is responsible for copying the DNA genetic blueprint of cells and is crucial to all life on earth. This project will have as key outcomes the development of novel mol ....Roadblocks in DNA replication. This project aims to develop the technology to visualise and understand the molecular processes responsible for the faithful copying of cellular DNA in the presence of roadblocks caused by chemical pressures and competing intracellular events. Understanding this process is important as DNA replication is responsible for copying the DNA genetic blueprint of cells and is crucial to all life on earth. This project will have as key outcomes the development of novel molecular visualisation technology and the first molecular description of the dynamic processes used by the DNA-replication machinery to navigate roadblocks. These outcomes should provide significant benefits including enhanced collaboration and scientific capacity in Australia.Read moreRead less
An Open Source Approach to Understanding an Important Parasite Ion Pump. This project plans to synthesise new compounds that bind the protein ATP4, an essential ion pump in the malaria parasite. It plans to generate a three-dimensional map to understand how these compounds stop ATP4 from working. Several promising new medicines for malaria target ATP4, yet we do not understand properly how they do so. The project’s intended aims will be achieved using new methods in synthetic chemistry and membr ....An Open Source Approach to Understanding an Important Parasite Ion Pump. This project plans to synthesise new compounds that bind the protein ATP4, an essential ion pump in the malaria parasite. It plans to generate a three-dimensional map to understand how these compounds stop ATP4 from working. Several promising new medicines for malaria target ATP4, yet we do not understand properly how they do so. The project’s intended aims will be achieved using new methods in synthetic chemistry and membrane biology, and by leveraging global scientific inputs through online research methods allowing anyone to participate.Read moreRead less
Electromechanical controls of membrane transport phenomena. This joint computational-experimental project will explain transport processes carried out by biological membranes under different physiological and pharmacological conditions, to understand the actions of viruses, toxins, antimicrobial peptides and membrane proteins, for novel therapeutics, drug delivery and bio-sensing applications.
Innovative mathematical modelling to determine incorporation of gene therapy in different cell lineages; Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) as a model setting. Gene therapy is a promising therapeutic that is being developed to address genetic diseases and viral infections such as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). This project will produce mathematical models of how gene therapy delivered to one type of cell can differentiate into the desired end target and impact disease.
Functional Dissection of the Bacterial Replisome. This project aims to develop and use a suite of new single-molecule techniques to define how the bacterial replisome really works. The replisome is the machine that makes DNA in cells that are about to divide. Replisomes have many mechanistic challenges as they work to copy both strands of DNA at the same time. Many years of classic biochemical studies have worked out how many of these challenges are overcome. In recent years, the use of single-m ....Functional Dissection of the Bacterial Replisome. This project aims to develop and use a suite of new single-molecule techniques to define how the bacterial replisome really works. The replisome is the machine that makes DNA in cells that are about to divide. Replisomes have many mechanistic challenges as they work to copy both strands of DNA at the same time. Many years of classic biochemical studies have worked out how many of these challenges are overcome. In recent years, the use of single-molecule biophysical techniques has begun to challenge many aspects of the elegant textbook view of replisome function. This approach is expected to reveal how synthesis of the two DNA strands in different directions at the same time is coupled together and how timing mechanisms work.Read moreRead less
A functional dissection of the bacterial replisome. This project aims to study the replisome, the machine that duplicates DNA before cell division. Years of biochemical research has shown how its protein components work, but observation at the single-molecule level is needed to understand how they all work together. This project aims to combine novel single-molecule biophysical tools with state-of-the-art biochemistry to define how the bacterial replisome coordinates synthesis of the two DNA str ....A functional dissection of the bacterial replisome. This project aims to study the replisome, the machine that duplicates DNA before cell division. Years of biochemical research has shown how its protein components work, but observation at the single-molecule level is needed to understand how they all work together. This project aims to combine novel single-molecule biophysical tools with state-of-the-art biochemistry to define how the bacterial replisome coordinates synthesis of the two DNA strands and how it exchanges protein components on the fly. Expected outcomes of this project include improved understanding of a fundamental biological process, development of novel biophysical methodology, and training of the next generation of interdisciplinary scientists.Read moreRead less
Creation of a super-resolution map of the bacterial cytokinesis machinery . Cell division is a fundamental process essential for life. Yet our understanding of this process on a molecular level is limited, mostly hampered by the inability to visualize the different components of the division machinery inside these tiny cells with adequate resolution. To overcome this barrier, capitalizing on recent advancements in imaging and molecular technologies combined with innovative engineering, this proj ....Creation of a super-resolution map of the bacterial cytokinesis machinery . Cell division is a fundamental process essential for life. Yet our understanding of this process on a molecular level is limited, mostly hampered by the inability to visualize the different components of the division machinery inside these tiny cells with adequate resolution. To overcome this barrier, capitalizing on recent advancements in imaging and molecular technologies combined with innovative engineering, this project aims to create a spatial and temporal map of the division machinery inside bacterial cells at unprecedented resolution. The expected outcomes are new knowledge on the mechanism of bacterial division and technological advances in biological imaging, informing applications in a wide variety of sectors.Read moreRead less
Peril and promise: Origins and spread of integron gene cassettes. Integrons have a major role in spreading antibiotic resistance genes among pathogens. They do so by capturing gene cassettes encoding resistance, yet how these cassettes are generated, the taxa in which they originate, and the range of traits that cassettes can encode have been outstanding questions for 30 years. This project addresses these long standing questions. The project will analyze single bacterial cells to detect newly ....Peril and promise: Origins and spread of integron gene cassettes. Integrons have a major role in spreading antibiotic resistance genes among pathogens. They do so by capturing gene cassettes encoding resistance, yet how these cassettes are generated, the taxa in which they originate, and the range of traits that cassettes can encode have been outstanding questions for 30 years. This project addresses these long standing questions. The project will analyze single bacterial cells to detect newly generated cassettes and assign them to specific taxa, using an innovative method that links cassette DNA to bacterial 16S rDNA. Understanding cassette origins is the key to controlling their activity, both to harness integrons for biotechnology, and to prevent pathogens from acquiring new, dangerous traits. Read moreRead less