Rapid CYBERNOSE ® detection of illicit drugs and precursor chemicals. Rapid CYBERNOSE ® detection of illicit drugs and precursor chemicals. This project aims to develop a novel biosensor prototype based on CYBERNOSE® technology to rapidly identify volatile traces of illicit drugs and precursor chemicals in concealed environments. The CYBERNOSE® technology employs sensors using the highly sophisticated and sensitive olfactory receptors of microscopic nematode worms linked to an optoelectronic det ....Rapid CYBERNOSE ® detection of illicit drugs and precursor chemicals. Rapid CYBERNOSE ® detection of illicit drugs and precursor chemicals. This project aims to develop a novel biosensor prototype based on CYBERNOSE® technology to rapidly identify volatile traces of illicit drugs and precursor chemicals in concealed environments. The CYBERNOSE® technology employs sensors using the highly sophisticated and sensitive olfactory receptors of microscopic nematode worms linked to an optoelectronic detector. The need for rapid, non-contact screening devices to detect and identify illicit drugs and precursors entering Australia has never been greater. Law enforcement agencies should directly benefit from the capability to more rapidly screen people and cargo, improving efficiency of illicit drug detection and protection of our borders.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE180100043
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$435,279.00
Summary
High-throughput portable and wearable device fabrication facility. This project aims to establish a fabrication and characterisation facility for high-throughput production of portable, wearable and stretchable biomedical devices to accelerate the design–fabrication–evaluation process and save ‘trial-and-error’ costs during optimisation turnaround. It will apply computer-aided design for the programmable synthesis of hybrid materials for high-throughput screening of disease biomarkers, and super ....High-throughput portable and wearable device fabrication facility. This project aims to establish a fabrication and characterisation facility for high-throughput production of portable, wearable and stretchable biomedical devices to accelerate the design–fabrication–evaluation process and save ‘trial-and-error’ costs during optimisation turnaround. It will apply computer-aided design for the programmable synthesis of hybrid materials for high-throughput screening of disease biomarkers, and super-solution imaging of single molecules in live cells. This facility will provide capability for researchers pursuing industry transformation and other initiatives in the development of advanced materials, biomolecular sciences, nanotechnology, photonics and device engineering.Read moreRead less
New photobioreactor to up-scale axenic cultures of microalgae. This project aims to deliver a scalable photo-bioreactor for the large scale axenic culture of microalgae to close the technology gap for research and development in the Australian algae biotechnology sector. Algae biotechnology is a rapidly emerging area, particularly in biofuel production. The project aims to test and demonstrate a photo-bioreactor for its applicability to produce sufficient algae biomass to study a low abundance p ....New photobioreactor to up-scale axenic cultures of microalgae. This project aims to deliver a scalable photo-bioreactor for the large scale axenic culture of microalgae to close the technology gap for research and development in the Australian algae biotechnology sector. Algae biotechnology is a rapidly emerging area, particularly in biofuel production. The project aims to test and demonstrate a photo-bioreactor for its applicability to produce sufficient algae biomass to study a low abundance photosynthetic protein complex to advance knowledge of coral bleaching.Read moreRead less
Bacterial detection and infection control using tethered membranes. This project will develop a rapid diagnostic tool to detect live bacteria, which will subsequently reduce risk of infection, increase efficiencies in patient care and hospital management, and produce savings in health care budgets. It also has the potential to save lives through addressing the serious and growing problem of antibiotic resistance.
Manipulation of Biological Particles Using Dielectrophoresis. Dielectrophoretic manipulation and separation of particles has numerous biological and medical applications, e.g. identification and characterisation of individual cells, purification of cell subpopulations from mixture suspensions, etc. This research project aims to develop a high-efficiency and low-cost DEP device for bio-particle manipulation. It will contribute significantly to the advancements in the field of biological Micro-Ele ....Manipulation of Biological Particles Using Dielectrophoresis. Dielectrophoretic manipulation and separation of particles has numerous biological and medical applications, e.g. identification and characterisation of individual cells, purification of cell subpopulations from mixture suspensions, etc. This research project aims to develop a high-efficiency and low-cost DEP device for bio-particle manipulation. It will contribute significantly to the advancements in the field of biological Micro-Electrical-Mechanical-Systems (MEMS) and nanotechnology. Industry will benefit from the expertise on micro/nano-structures and micro/nano-manufacturing achieved by this project.Read moreRead less
A sustainable cellular factory for the production of antibiotics by photosynthetic bacteria. The range and rate of natural product discovery is the limiting factor in developing new pharmaceuticals. Traditional methods for the screening of these compounds or for their chemical synthesis are rapidly becoming inadequate as an increasing number of specific therapies, for cancers and infectious diseases for instance, are required. The research proposed will enable the design and production of "unnat ....A sustainable cellular factory for the production of antibiotics by photosynthetic bacteria. The range and rate of natural product discovery is the limiting factor in developing new pharmaceuticals. Traditional methods for the screening of these compounds or for their chemical synthesis are rapidly becoming inadequate as an increasing number of specific therapies, for cancers and infectious diseases for instance, are required. The research proposed will enable the design and production of "unnatural" products, including novel antibiotics, via combinatorial biosynthesis in photosynthetic microorgansims. The outcomes include graduate student training and Australian innovation in an enormous global market that is awaiting the next generation of medicines and associated pharmaceutical production technologies.Read moreRead less
Synthetic Biology Derived Electroactive Whole Cell Microbial Biosensors. The aim of this project is to develop, using synthetic biology, electrically integrated microbial biosensors for the detection of heavy metals in the environment. Building on our existing technology, this project aims to produce novel ‘biobricks’ capable of electrically integrating electric microbes into real time environmental monitors for heavy metal contaminants. This expansion of synthetic biology, and integration of el ....Synthetic Biology Derived Electroactive Whole Cell Microbial Biosensors. The aim of this project is to develop, using synthetic biology, electrically integrated microbial biosensors for the detection of heavy metals in the environment. Building on our existing technology, this project aims to produce novel ‘biobricks’ capable of electrically integrating electric microbes into real time environmental monitors for heavy metal contaminants. This expansion of synthetic biology, and integration of electric bacteria into sensor systems, will result in a new platform technology that expands our abilities to protect the ecology, agriculture and health of terrestrial, marine and agricultural at risk areas from economic and environmental damage.Read moreRead less
The microbiology and biotechnology of rum production. Rum is an alcoholic beverage produced by microbial fermentation of molasses waste from the sugar industry. The microbial species responsible for the process determine rum flavour and quality by production of specific aroma compounds. The rate and extent of fermentation determine process efficiency. Several yeast and bacterial species contribute to rum fermentation but this ecology is poorly defined. Through a combination of ecological stu ....The microbiology and biotechnology of rum production. Rum is an alcoholic beverage produced by microbial fermentation of molasses waste from the sugar industry. The microbial species responsible for the process determine rum flavour and quality by production of specific aroma compounds. The rate and extent of fermentation determine process efficiency. Several yeast and bacterial species contribute to rum fermentation but this ecology is poorly defined. Through a combination of ecological studies, controlled fermentations and distillation, chemical and sensory analyses, this project will determine the impact of particular microbial species on rum flavour and process efficiency. This information will be used by the industrial partner to enchance product quality and process efficiency.Read moreRead less
Industrial Transformation Training Centres - Grant ID: IC130100009
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,100,000.00
Summary
ARC Training Centre for Molecular Technology in the Food Industry. A molecular technology platform for enabling the next revolution in the food industry. Society needs new approaches for solving the difficulties of providing enough food for the future. This Training Centre will train young scientists in the application of applying molecular analysis skills to solve specific problems that the food industry faces in the whole process of taking food production from “field to fork”.
Transport phenomena in foam fractionation. Foam fractionation has a number of immediate applications in mineral and food processing but its most exciting potential is as low cost alternative for recovering and purifying high value biosurfactants. These are materials used to stabilise interfaces in living systems, and can be used as antibiotics and antiviral agents. The affinity for biosurfactants to collect at an interface suggests that foam fractionation is an ideal process to concentrate valua ....Transport phenomena in foam fractionation. Foam fractionation has a number of immediate applications in mineral and food processing but its most exciting potential is as low cost alternative for recovering and purifying high value biosurfactants. These are materials used to stabilise interfaces in living systems, and can be used as antibiotics and antiviral agents. The affinity for biosurfactants to collect at an interface suggests that foam fractionation is an ideal process to concentrate valuable products. Clearly, a cost-effective and reliable method of enriching streams of biosurfactants will make their use even more attractive and will engender the development of more novel biomaterials, such as pepfactants.Read moreRead less