Cellular mechanisms that protect against copper-bound beta-amyloid. This project will investigate some of the brain’s own mechanisms for protecting itself against Alzheimer’s disease. Understanding these mechanisms will be important for developing future therapeutic strategies for treating Alzheimer’s disease.
Nucleophilic carbenes as organocatalysts for asymmetric synthesis. Chemical compounds which come in two chiral mirror images (enantiomers) can have very different biological function. Often one form can have beneficial effects while the other can cause great harm (such as birth defects in the case of thalidomide). It is therefore very important for the drug industry to have asymmetric chemical reactions that lead specifically to only one enantiomer. The asymmetric reactions in this project ha ....Nucleophilic carbenes as organocatalysts for asymmetric synthesis. Chemical compounds which come in two chiral mirror images (enantiomers) can have very different biological function. Often one form can have beneficial effects while the other can cause great harm (such as birth defects in the case of thalidomide). It is therefore very important for the drug industry to have asymmetric chemical reactions that lead specifically to only one enantiomer. The asymmetric reactions in this project have been used previously to synthesise the anti-cancer metabolite roseophilin. The results of this project will ensure that there are many more similar success stories in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.Read moreRead less
Old brain cells perform new tricks to allow life-long learning. In the brain, nerve cells transmit electrical signals more quickly and reliably when they are insulated. The insulating cells undergo small adaptive changes that speed up information transfer during learning, and the faster the electrical signal, the better the learning outcomes. This project aims to understand the signals that direct insulating cells to adapt and support life-long learning. In the longer term, this knowledge may be ....Old brain cells perform new tricks to allow life-long learning. In the brain, nerve cells transmit electrical signals more quickly and reliably when they are insulated. The insulating cells undergo small adaptive changes that speed up information transfer during learning, and the faster the electrical signal, the better the learning outcomes. This project aims to understand the signals that direct insulating cells to adapt and support life-long learning. In the longer term, this knowledge may be used to: develop interventions that improve learning and educational outcomes; counteract age-related memory decline and enable longer work force participation; develop strategies to circumvent the memory loss caused by brain diseases, or improve the design of computer hardware.Read moreRead less
Coinage metal nanoclusters: synthesis, structure and reactivity. Metal catalysts play important roles in the multi-billion dollar production of many industrial and fine chemicals used in wide-ranging applications including pharmaceuticals, insecticides and polymers. Despite the importance of metal catalysed reactions, the molecular details of such processes remain poorly understood. Breakthrough studies highlight that reactions previously thought to be catalysed by discrete metal catalysts are i ....Coinage metal nanoclusters: synthesis, structure and reactivity. Metal catalysts play important roles in the multi-billion dollar production of many industrial and fine chemicals used in wide-ranging applications including pharmaceuticals, insecticides and polymers. Despite the importance of metal catalysed reactions, the molecular details of such processes remain poorly understood. Breakthrough studies highlight that reactions previously thought to be catalysed by discrete metal catalysts are in fact catalysed by metal nanoclusters. This project involves the application of advanced mass spectrometric and computational methods to explore the formation and reactivity of copper, silver and gold nanoclusters. Identification of key reactive intermediates will inform the design of next generation catalysts.Read moreRead less
A Midas touch for electrophiles in new reaction development. This project aims to address the lack of knowledge about how high-value organic molecules are formed in gold-catalysed reactions by advancing a novel mode of catalysis. This project expects to generate new knowledge about these gold-catalysed reactions using an innovative, interdisciplinary approach incorporating computational and synthetic techniques. Expected outcomes of this project include the optimisation and development of import ....A Midas touch for electrophiles in new reaction development. This project aims to address the lack of knowledge about how high-value organic molecules are formed in gold-catalysed reactions by advancing a novel mode of catalysis. This project expects to generate new knowledge about these gold-catalysed reactions using an innovative, interdisciplinary approach incorporating computational and synthetic techniques. Expected outcomes of this project include the optimisation and development of important organic reactions and enhancing collaboration nationally and internationally between computational and synthetic chemists. This should provide significant benefits in the form of improved chemical reactions for chemists to prepare new pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and materials.Read moreRead less
Switchable and stereocontrolled photoredox catalysis. This project aims to develop new catalytic synthetic reactions for the rapid and more direct functionalisation of organic compounds under mild conditions with the use of visible light. An integrated experimental and computational approach will be used to design potent visible-light photocatalysts that retain the advantages of standard photoredox catalysis but with the added ability to intercept and, thus control, reactive intermediates in sit ....Switchable and stereocontrolled photoredox catalysis. This project aims to develop new catalytic synthetic reactions for the rapid and more direct functionalisation of organic compounds under mild conditions with the use of visible light. An integrated experimental and computational approach will be used to design potent visible-light photocatalysts that retain the advantages of standard photoredox catalysis but with the added ability to intercept and, thus control, reactive intermediates in situ. This will enable the control of stereochemistry in photoredox reactions – not possible with standard catalysts - and establish other useful synthetic transformations. These strategies will make it easier to prepare valuable classes of organic molecules – efficiently, safely, and cost-effectively.
Read moreRead less
A new route to linear alpha olefins - catalytic isomerisation of internal olefins. Linear alpha olefins are an extremely important class of chemical building blocks used for everyday consumer products, such as plastics, detergents and lubricants. This research aims to develop a new platform technology for the production of these materials from low cost precursors.
Microfluidic technology to help understand physical damage to brain cells. Understanding the organisation, structure and mechanisms of the human brain and nervous system remains one of the biggest challenges of science. This project aims to develop a new cell culture platform to form defined molecular networks of brain cells and to monitor changes throughout the network in response to a small localised injury within the network. This innovative platform will be used to help understand changes wi ....Microfluidic technology to help understand physical damage to brain cells. Understanding the organisation, structure and mechanisms of the human brain and nervous system remains one of the biggest challenges of science. This project aims to develop a new cell culture platform to form defined molecular networks of brain cells and to monitor changes throughout the network in response to a small localised injury within the network. This innovative platform will be used to help understand changes within cells in response to physical damage to networks of brain cells. This is one of the major causes of death and disability in developed nations, and is identified as a risk factor for a range of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and motor neuron disease.Read moreRead less
Biomimetic templating radical polymerisation in nanoreactors. The aim is to develop methodology for synthesis of polymer with hitherto inaccessible control of the microstructure by free radical means, that is the molecular weight distribution and monomer sequences. This will be achieved by combining the two concepts of biomimetic templated radical polymerisation and polymerisation in nanoreactors in the form of submicron-sized micelles or droplets. Scale-up of the methodology will be developed b ....Biomimetic templating radical polymerisation in nanoreactors. The aim is to develop methodology for synthesis of polymer with hitherto inaccessible control of the microstructure by free radical means, that is the molecular weight distribution and monomer sequences. This will be achieved by combining the two concepts of biomimetic templated radical polymerisation and polymerisation in nanoreactors in the form of submicron-sized micelles or droplets. Scale-up of the methodology will be developed based on an environmentally friendly approach whereby miniemulsions are generated using carbon dioxide. Increased ability to control the polymer microstructure will enable advanced design of functional polymers with far-reaching applications in materials science, nanotechnology and nanomedicine. Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE140100174
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$380,000.00
Summary
Development of a digital Transmission Electron Microscope Facility in Tasmania. Development of a digital transmission electron microscope facility: Transmission electron microscopy is a fundamental tool for the study of biological systems at the ultrastructural level. This project will establish a facility that will be accessible to a range of biological researchers, replacing aged and non-sustainable electron microscopy facilities. The instrument will revitalise cellular research and provide ad ....Development of a digital Transmission Electron Microscope Facility in Tasmania. Development of a digital transmission electron microscope facility: Transmission electron microscopy is a fundamental tool for the study of biological systems at the ultrastructural level. This project will establish a facility that will be accessible to a range of biological researchers, replacing aged and non-sustainable electron microscopy facilities. The instrument will revitalise cellular research and provide additional insights and outcomes related to the study of intracellular features in a diverse range of systems and models. This will add substantially to the knowledge base across a wide range of fields of research, increasing national contributions in the areas of neuroscience, separation science and marine science.Read moreRead less