Understanding prokaryotic small proteins from context. Prokaryotic small proteins are increasingly recognised to play important biological roles but have been largely overlooked due to the lack of adequate tools to study them. This project aims to develop new methods to identify and predict the functions of small proteins from microbial communities by studying sequence patterns in their genomes. These predicted functions will be confirmed in the laboratory, leading to a catalogue of newly charac ....Understanding prokaryotic small proteins from context. Prokaryotic small proteins are increasingly recognised to play important biological roles but have been largely overlooked due to the lack of adequate tools to study them. This project aims to develop new methods to identify and predict the functions of small proteins from microbial communities by studying sequence patterns in their genomes. These predicted functions will be confirmed in the laboratory, leading to a catalogue of newly characterised small proteins from a diverse range of habitats and geographies. By creating new ways to study the role of small proteins in the global microbiome, we will provide the foundational knowledge required to leverage these proteins for use in biotechnology. Read moreRead less
Statistical Methods for Next Generation Genome-Wide Association Studies. This project aims to develop cutting-edge statistical methods to analyse large genomic datasets and identify genetic variants associated with inter-individual differences in various human traits. Knowledge of trait-associated DNA variants is instrumental in understanding how natural selection has shaped human traits. By integrating genomic data from diverse and underrepresented populations, this project further expects to c ....Statistical Methods for Next Generation Genome-Wide Association Studies. This project aims to develop cutting-edge statistical methods to analyse large genomic datasets and identify genetic variants associated with inter-individual differences in various human traits. Knowledge of trait-associated DNA variants is instrumental in understanding how natural selection has shaped human traits. By integrating genomic data from diverse and underrepresented populations, this project further expects to contribute to the equitable use of genomic technologies in humans, regardless of geographical origins. Expected outcomes of this research include novel analysis methods and software tools, which should broadly and significantly benefit gene discovery in other species, including those of agricultural relevance.Read moreRead less
From structures to systems: A hierachical approach to understanding sub-cellular components. This program will dramatically extend the range of biomolecular systems that can be modelled with near atomistic precision. It will provide a better understanding of the structure and function of proteins involved in the regulation of membrane fusion and fission as well as shedding light on the assembly of large-scale protein-protein and protein-membrane complexes in general. The work will help place Au ....From structures to systems: A hierachical approach to understanding sub-cellular components. This program will dramatically extend the range of biomolecular systems that can be modelled with near atomistic precision. It will provide a better understanding of the structure and function of proteins involved in the regulation of membrane fusion and fission as well as shedding light on the assembly of large-scale protein-protein and protein-membrane complexes in general. The work will help place Australia at the forefront of developing simulation techniques in biomolecular systems, which are widely used within the chemical and pharmaceutical industries for modelling processes ranging from protein-drug interactions to the phase behaviour of lipids and surfactants. Read moreRead less
Increasing the Efficiency of Biomolecular Simulations. This program will extend the range of biomolecular systems that can be modelled with near atomistic precision. It will provide a better understanding of the structure and function of proteins involved in the regulation of membrane fusion and fission as well as shedding light on the assembly of large-scale protein-protein and protein-membrane complexes in general. The work will help place Australia at the forefront of developing simulation t ....Increasing the Efficiency of Biomolecular Simulations. This program will extend the range of biomolecular systems that can be modelled with near atomistic precision. It will provide a better understanding of the structure and function of proteins involved in the regulation of membrane fusion and fission as well as shedding light on the assembly of large-scale protein-protein and protein-membrane complexes in general. The work will help place Australia at the forefront of developing simulation techniques in biomolecular systems, which are widely used within the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. It will also provide opportunities for the training and development of young Australian researchers with top European laboratories. Read moreRead less
Early Career Industry Fellowships - Grant ID: IE230100263
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$477,037.00
Summary
Improve genomic testing tools for fertility traits in beef cattle. Fertility is a key driver of productivity and profitability for beef industry; however, a substantial industry challenge is poor fertility and the difficulty and expense of measuring fertility in remote Australia. By integrating multiple omics datasets and fifty thousand fertility phenotypes recorded on beef cattle, the project will identify sequence variation, including structural variants, that underpin genetic variation in cat ....Improve genomic testing tools for fertility traits in beef cattle. Fertility is a key driver of productivity and profitability for beef industry; however, a substantial industry challenge is poor fertility and the difficulty and expense of measuring fertility in remote Australia. By integrating multiple omics datasets and fifty thousand fertility phenotypes recorded on beef cattle, the project will identify sequence variation, including structural variants, that underpin genetic variation in cattle fertility. Our industry partner, which genotypes hundreds of thousands of cattle a year, will produce new genotype arrays and novel low-cost sequencing approaches including these variants, enabling selection that could potentially increase herd reproductive rate by 4%, returning $40M per annum to the farmers.Read moreRead less
Membrane proteins: understanding biological switches, motors and triggers. By extending the range of biomolecular systems that can be modelled computationally at the atomic level, this project will enable fundamental cellular processes such as how molecules are transported across cell membranes or how the binding of a hormone to an extracellular receptor sends a signal in a cell to be understood in unprecedented detail.
Understanding biological membranes in atomic detail. The aim of the project is to develop the capacity to represent specific mammalian, fungal and bacterial membranes in atomic detail and to use such models to understand the role of membrane composition in the structure and dynamics of membrane proteins at an atomic level. Membrane protein assemblies are the ultimate nanoscale machines. Understanding these sub-cellular components is both a fundamental theoretical challenge and of widespread prac ....Understanding biological membranes in atomic detail. The aim of the project is to develop the capacity to represent specific mammalian, fungal and bacterial membranes in atomic detail and to use such models to understand the role of membrane composition in the structure and dynamics of membrane proteins at an atomic level. Membrane protein assemblies are the ultimate nanoscale machines. Understanding these sub-cellular components is both a fundamental theoretical challenge and of widespread practical importance in biochemistry, structural biology and medicine. By representing in detail the complexity of biological membranes, the project aims to elucidate the role played by specific membrane components in determining the mechanism of action of proteins involved in transport and signal transduction in context.Read moreRead less
Identification of causal variants for complex traits. The aim of this project is to identify causal variants for complex traits in cattle and humans. Although most important traits in agriculture, medicine and evolution are complex traits, very few of the genetic variants affecting these traits are known and this undermines our understanding of how genetic variants affect a trait and practical uses of this knowledge. Huge datasets of individuals with genome sequence and phenotypes and new statis ....Identification of causal variants for complex traits. The aim of this project is to identify causal variants for complex traits in cattle and humans. Although most important traits in agriculture, medicine and evolution are complex traits, very few of the genetic variants affecting these traits are known and this undermines our understanding of how genetic variants affect a trait and practical uses of this knowledge. Huge datasets of individuals with genome sequence and phenotypes and new statistical methods provide the opportunity to close this gap. The outcome will be identification of many genomic variants causing variation in complex traits. This will benefit scientific understanding of complex traits and the ability to predict traits for individuals from their genome sequence.Read moreRead less
Dynamic modelling of biomolecular systems: Going beyond classical empirical force fields. The ability to accurately model the structural and functional aspects of biomolecular systems at an atomic level is of fundamental importance in the pharmaceutical and biotechnological industries. By developing new approaches for treating dispersion terms and transition metals we aim to improve our understanding of critical biomolecular systems such as how novel anti-cancer metal complexes interact with DNA ....Dynamic modelling of biomolecular systems: Going beyond classical empirical force fields. The ability to accurately model the structural and functional aspects of biomolecular systems at an atomic level is of fundamental importance in the pharmaceutical and biotechnological industries. By developing new approaches for treating dispersion terms and transition metals we aim to improve our understanding of critical biomolecular systems such as how novel anti-cancer metal complexes interact with DNA and block transcription and the role various transition metals such as Cu(II) and Zn(II) stabilize the conformations of peptides involved in Alzheimer's disease. In addition by greatly expanding the range of systems that can be modeled efficiently the work will have widespread benefits in academic research as well as for industry.Read moreRead less
Development of methodology for high throughput free energy calculations in drug design applications. The aim of the project is to develop a high throughput computational screening protocol for use in fragment-based drug design. The method will have universal applications to any plausible and available drug targets. The method will accelerate drug discovery on the targets associated with diabetes, obesity, dengue, skin cancer, etc., which are the primary disease focus of Australia. Australia as a ....Development of methodology for high throughput free energy calculations in drug design applications. The aim of the project is to develop a high throughput computational screening protocol for use in fragment-based drug design. The method will have universal applications to any plausible and available drug targets. The method will accelerate drug discovery on the targets associated with diabetes, obesity, dengue, skin cancer, etc., which are the primary disease focus of Australia. Australia as a whole and the University of Queensland in particular have invested heavily in various drug discovery programs, this will be of direct benefit to the ongoing research within Australia.Read moreRead less