Inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion- A new route to therapeutics of chronic inflammatory disease. Chronic inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease, affect millions of people leading to considerable suffering, economic loss and premature death. Anti-TNF treatments have recently shown success in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and other conditions, however, a substantial number of patients (~50%) do not re ....Inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion- A new route to therapeutics of chronic inflammatory disease. Chronic inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease, affect millions of people leading to considerable suffering, economic loss and premature death. Anti-TNF treatments have recently shown success in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and other conditions, however, a substantial number of patients (~50%) do not respond to the current TNF treatments. Improved anti-TNF strategies would provide enhanced health outcomes and welcome relief to many Australians. In addition, the economic benefit of the TNF market is very substantial. Therefore the potential impact of this research is very high both for health care and economical potential.Read moreRead less
The development of tyrosine kinase inhibitors for the treatment of inflammation and malignant disease. Through the combination of expertise from the Industry partner and the Hume group this project aims to develop specific inhibitors of the CSF-1 receptor protein tyrosine kinase in order to demonstrate their efficacy as modulators of CSF-1 dependent macrophage and tumour cell function in vitro. The expected outcome will be a lead set of targets which can be further assessed for therapeutic pote ....The development of tyrosine kinase inhibitors for the treatment of inflammation and malignant disease. Through the combination of expertise from the Industry partner and the Hume group this project aims to develop specific inhibitors of the CSF-1 receptor protein tyrosine kinase in order to demonstrate their efficacy as modulators of CSF-1 dependent macrophage and tumour cell function in vitro. The expected outcome will be a lead set of targets which can be further assessed for therapeutic potential in clinical trials.Read moreRead less
The link between environmental stress and disease onset in prawn aquaculture. The federal government has set a target for prawn aquaculture production to increase fourfold by 2010. A major barrier is disease: losses of 20% of production to viral diseases are not uncommon. To be internationally competitive, Australia needs to develop high health production systems. Most prawn stock carry chronic viral infections, but only exhibit disease symptoms following environmental stress. This project will ....The link between environmental stress and disease onset in prawn aquaculture. The federal government has set a target for prawn aquaculture production to increase fourfold by 2010. A major barrier is disease: losses of 20% of production to viral diseases are not uncommon. To be internationally competitive, Australia needs to develop high health production systems. Most prawn stock carry chronic viral infections, but only exhibit disease symptoms following environmental stress. This project will identify environmental stressors that activate viral disease in Penaeus monodon. Outcomes will be incorporated into on-farm managerial regimes to minimize risk of crop loss to disease. Development of biomarkers as indicators of stress related risks may be commercialized.Read moreRead less
Covalent Hydrogen Bond Mimetics of Helical Peptide Hormones. Peptide hormones have been identified that adopt a helical shape when bound to their receptor. The project will produce new versions of these hormones by the use of directly bonded chemical linkers in place of the relatively weak helix hydrogen bonds. The resulting hormone mimics will be more stable, have lower molecular weight and be more selective than the natural hormones making them more suitable as drugs. Our new chemical techn ....Covalent Hydrogen Bond Mimetics of Helical Peptide Hormones. Peptide hormones have been identified that adopt a helical shape when bound to their receptor. The project will produce new versions of these hormones by the use of directly bonded chemical linkers in place of the relatively weak helix hydrogen bonds. The resulting hormone mimics will be more stable, have lower molecular weight and be more selective than the natural hormones making them more suitable as drugs. Our new chemical techniques allow us for the first time to fully investigate this approach which if successful will be applicable to many other helical peptides and therefore could be an important drug development technique.Read moreRead less
Optimising barramundi production through early prediction of thermal tolerance and growth. Aquaculture is Australia's fastest growing primary industry and is increasingly becoming an important employer in regional Australia. Consequently, positive growth in this sector linked to productivity gains through R&D will result in improved socioeconomic prosperity of regional communities. This project will allow barramundi farmers to identify highly productive families early on in the culture process, ....Optimising barramundi production through early prediction of thermal tolerance and growth. Aquaculture is Australia's fastest growing primary industry and is increasingly becoming an important employer in regional Australia. Consequently, positive growth in this sector linked to productivity gains through R&D will result in improved socioeconomic prosperity of regional communities. This project will allow barramundi farmers to identify highly productive families early on in the culture process, thereby improving their efficiency of farming and increasing their international competitiveness in the rapidly expanding global market. The project will also establish Australia at the forefront of biotechnological research and its applications to aquaculture.Read moreRead less
The role of neurohormones in the regulation of appetite and successful sea water transfer in farmed Atlantic salmon. Cultured Atlantic salmon spend the first part of their life in freshwater and then following a physiological adaption phase called smoltification, the fish (now termed smolts) are transferred to sea cages for growout. A proportion of smolts fail to thrive after transfer, show slow or no growth and usually die some months later. This project will investigate the role that the neuro ....The role of neurohormones in the regulation of appetite and successful sea water transfer in farmed Atlantic salmon. Cultured Atlantic salmon spend the first part of their life in freshwater and then following a physiological adaption phase called smoltification, the fish (now termed smolts) are transferred to sea cages for growout. A proportion of smolts fail to thrive after transfer, show slow or no growth and usually die some months later. This project will investigate the role that the neurohomones that control both appetite and physiological stress in fish have in stimulating the resumption of feeding after sea water transfer.The basic knowledge generated will be used directly in development of strategies for minimising smolt failure in Atlantic salmon aquaculture.Read moreRead less
Cellular genomic approach to the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis. This project compares the levels of gene usage in two important immune cell types between patients with multiple sclerosis and people who do not have the disease. It aims to identify the molecular basis for the disease, in order to identify new diagnostic, preventative and treatment options.
Aquaculture of the tropical abalone: identifying and selecting for factors promoting high settlement, survival and growth. There is a growing demand worldwide for the 'cocktail'-sized tropical abalone Haliotis asinina. We have developed a full set of hatchery and grow-out procedures that Queensland Sea Scallops Pty Ltd will test on a commercial scale. At QSS, we will propagate and growout Haliotis asinina to determine the factors controlling settlement, survival, growth and health. We will do ....Aquaculture of the tropical abalone: identifying and selecting for factors promoting high settlement, survival and growth. There is a growing demand worldwide for the 'cocktail'-sized tropical abalone Haliotis asinina. We have developed a full set of hatchery and grow-out procedures that Queensland Sea Scallops Pty Ltd will test on a commercial scale. At QSS, we will propagate and growout Haliotis asinina to determine the factors controlling settlement, survival, growth and health. We will do this by combining breeding experiments with microarray gene profiling and other advanced gene expression studies. This knowledge will enhance the development of this new aquaculture industry in tropical Australia and our understanding of abalone aquaculture in general.Read moreRead less
Gene Expression Profiling and de novo Transcriptome Sequencing using Geneballs. The purpose of the project is to demonstrate that bead-based technology can be used in applications that currently require DNA hybridisation in order to overcome existing deficiencies in microarray technology. By providing the capability to quickly and efficiently produce, screen and utilize biomolecule libraries of nearly unlimited size, this technology provides the key to unlock the power of genomics and proteomics ....Gene Expression Profiling and de novo Transcriptome Sequencing using Geneballs. The purpose of the project is to demonstrate that bead-based technology can be used in applications that currently require DNA hybridisation in order to overcome existing deficiencies in microarray technology. By providing the capability to quickly and efficiently produce, screen and utilize biomolecule libraries of nearly unlimited size, this technology provides the key to unlock the power of genomics and proteomics for use in real world applications. The project has two aspects. First, relatively small directed cDNA-bead libraries will be compared to known low-density cDNA microarrays to validate the technique for utility in gene expression profiling. Secondly, large libraries containing short oligonucleotide sequences will be used for de novo sequencing of a complete transcriptome. Proof-of-concept in either case will pave the way for many genomic applications and catapult the technology to 'blockbuster' status.Read moreRead less
Bayesian methodology for analysis of genome data with focus on the livestock industry. The aim is to develop statistical methods for the design and analysis of genome data with focus on the special needs of the livestock industry. This will significantly contribute to profitability, quality, genetic improvement and genetic knowledge in a key national industry, improve Australia's international and national profile in the key research area of bioinformatics, and encourage optimisation of current ....Bayesian methodology for analysis of genome data with focus on the livestock industry. The aim is to develop statistical methods for the design and analysis of genome data with focus on the special needs of the livestock industry. This will significantly contribute to profitability, quality, genetic improvement and genetic knowledge in a key national industry, improve Australia's international and national profile in the key research area of bioinformatics, and encourage optimisation of current information. Outcomes include a toolkit of applicable statistical methods, statistically valid algorithms, marketable methods for gene discovery, technology transfer, training and publications.Read moreRead less