Using integrated frontier and smart technologies to identify new drug targets for parasites causing major diseases in humans and animals. The national/community benefits are (1) enhanced focus on animal and human health biotechnology through the development of anti-parasite compounds and/or vaccines; (2) improved and sustainable control of important parasites with decreased risk of induction of drug resistance; (3) increased profitability of agricultural animal production; (4) consolidation of a ....Using integrated frontier and smart technologies to identify new drug targets for parasites causing major diseases in humans and animals. The national/community benefits are (1) enhanced focus on animal and human health biotechnology through the development of anti-parasite compounds and/or vaccines; (2) improved and sustainable control of important parasites with decreased risk of induction of drug resistance; (3) increased profitability of agricultural animal production; (4) consolidation of a technology platform for further applications in genomics and post-genomics of pathogens of global significance and construction of a pipeline for the validation of drug targets; (5) capturing the benefits from fundamental research and strengthening links between fundamental and applied research; (6) increasing the quality and quantity of scientifically skilled people in biotechnology.Read moreRead less
Automated, smart genomic data integration for the exploration of developmentally regulated molecules in parasites of major socioeconomic importance. The national/community benefits are (1) enhanced focus on animal and human health biotechnology through the development of safe anti-parasite compounds/vaccines; (2) improved and sustainable control of key parasites with decreased risk of induction of drug resistance; (3) increased profitability of agricultural animal production; (4) consolidation o ....Automated, smart genomic data integration for the exploration of developmentally regulated molecules in parasites of major socioeconomic importance. The national/community benefits are (1) enhanced focus on animal and human health biotechnology through the development of safe anti-parasite compounds/vaccines; (2) improved and sustainable control of key parasites with decreased risk of induction of drug resistance; (3) increased profitability of agricultural animal production; (4) consolidation of a technology platform for further applications in genomics and post-genomics of pathogens of global significance and construction of a pipeline for the validation of drug targets; (5) capturing the benefits from fundamental research and strengthening links between fundamental and applied research; (6) increasing the quality and quantity of scientifically skilled people in biotechnology.Read moreRead less
Functional Genomics to Predict and Enhance Response to Interferon. The increasing number and huge cost impost of new therapies to health providers, both worldwide and nationally, has not yet resulted in a concomitant increase in strategies to optimise their use. Many of the new therapies are proteins (recombinant human proteins or humanised monoclonal antibodies). The improved use of one of Australia's most expensive commonly used protein drugs, pegylated interferon ribavirin (Peg-IFN-R), could ....Functional Genomics to Predict and Enhance Response to Interferon. The increasing number and huge cost impost of new therapies to health providers, both worldwide and nationally, has not yet resulted in a concomitant increase in strategies to optimise their use. Many of the new therapies are proteins (recombinant human proteins or humanised monoclonal antibodies). The improved use of one of Australia's most expensive commonly used protein drugs, pegylated interferon ribavirin (Peg-IFN-R), could potentially produce savings to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), and improve delivery of healthcare to thousands of Australians.Read moreRead less
Epigenetic Inheritance Through Meiosis At The Agouti Locus In Mice
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$182,699.00
Summary
The manifestations of many genetic traits do not conform to the rules of Mendelian inheritance. In humans, some alleles give a completely predictable phenotype, while others display a wide range of phenotypes, described as differences in penetrance and expressivity. As the phenotype associated with a particular gene in humans may be modified by the genotype at unlinked modifying loci and by environmental factors, it is difficult to determine to what extent any single factor is responsible for va ....The manifestations of many genetic traits do not conform to the rules of Mendelian inheritance. In humans, some alleles give a completely predictable phenotype, while others display a wide range of phenotypes, described as differences in penetrance and expressivity. As the phenotype associated with a particular gene in humans may be modified by the genotype at unlinked modifying loci and by environmental factors, it is difficult to determine to what extent any single factor is responsible for variability. In mice, however, a number of examples of variable expressivity have been reported in conditions where genetic background and environment have been controlled. For example, the phenotypes of mice with mutations at the agouti locus can vary substantially between genotypically identical littermates. Epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation are known to be involved. Furthermore, the phenotypes of the offspring are related to the phenotype of the mother and recent experiments carried out in our laboratory suggest that this is the result of inheritance of the epigenetic state of the allele through the female germline. This is the first report of epigenetic inheritance at an endogenous gene in mammals. The experiments described in this project should help to clarify the mechanisms involved in variable expressivity and epigenetic inheritance. Variable expressivity in combination with epigenetic inheritance may be viewed as an alternative method of inheritance of genetic traits which does not involve DNA mutation, but which can be carried from generation to generation in a semipermanent way. Understanding the mechanisms underlying these phenomena is a challenge for contemporary genetics.Read moreRead less
The function of menin in mammalian development. This project aims to determine the role of a ubiquitous transcriptional co-regulator, menin, in mammalian development. Mice that lack menin through targeted deletion of the gene die during embryogenesis, but the cause is unknown, although is likely to be due to the abnormal expression of genes usually regulated by this factor. We will determine which genes are inappropriately expressed and responsible for the accompanying developmental defects. Thi ....The function of menin in mammalian development. This project aims to determine the role of a ubiquitous transcriptional co-regulator, menin, in mammalian development. Mice that lack menin through targeted deletion of the gene die during embryogenesis, but the cause is unknown, although is likely to be due to the abnormal expression of genes usually regulated by this factor. We will determine which genes are inappropriately expressed and responsible for the accompanying developmental defects. This knowledge will help us understand the process of development in mammals, including birth defects in humans.Read moreRead less
Evolution of nervous system patterning processes: characterisation of homologs of key Drosophila regulatory genes from the coral Acropora. Defining the common mechanisms of nervous system development is one of the major goals of modern biology, but is presently being addressed largely by comparisons between a few very advanced (and therefore specialised) animals. Comparative data from a lower animal is urgently needed, and will clarify many aspects of nervous system evolution and development. Th ....Evolution of nervous system patterning processes: characterisation of homologs of key Drosophila regulatory genes from the coral Acropora. Defining the common mechanisms of nervous system development is one of the major goals of modern biology, but is presently being addressed largely by comparisons between a few very advanced (and therefore specialised) animals. Comparative data from a lower animal is urgently needed, and will clarify many aspects of nervous system evolution and development. The pioneering work carried out on Acropora in this laboratory suggests that it is perhaps the best choice currently available for this purpose. This project will use Acropora to address fundamental questions about the evolution of nervous system developmental processes.Read moreRead less
microRNAs: discovery and analysis in mouse development. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a new class of regulatory molecule, recently found to be abundant and strongly conserved in several eukaryotic species, encoded by genes that are transcribed into short stem-loop structures and then processed into ~22nt single-stranded RNAs by the RNAi pathway. We have cloned novel miRNAs, and obtained the first evidence for regulation of a miRNA in a mammal. We propose to continue cloning novel miRNAs by the tried m ....microRNAs: discovery and analysis in mouse development. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a new class of regulatory molecule, recently found to be abundant and strongly conserved in several eukaryotic species, encoded by genes that are transcribed into short stem-loop structures and then processed into ~22nt single-stranded RNAs by the RNAi pathway. We have cloned novel miRNAs, and obtained the first evidence for regulation of a miRNA in a mammal. We propose to continue cloning novel miRNAs by the tried method, and to explore bioinformatics-based methods of identification. We will also study the expression of miRNAs in mouse embryos at successive stages, and develop a microarray assay for miRNA expression.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0347245
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$630,000.00
Summary
Functional Genomics Analysis - linking a multicentred facility. The aim of this project is to enhance and network the functions and activities of the Clive and Vera Ramaciotti Centre for Gene Function Analysis (CGRCGFA), a joint venture that services five major universities in the Sydney-Newcastle area. This application is for equipment that will improve the speed of DNA analyses, and for a laboratory information management system that will standardise the handling of data and sample information ....Functional Genomics Analysis - linking a multicentred facility. The aim of this project is to enhance and network the functions and activities of the Clive and Vera Ramaciotti Centre for Gene Function Analysis (CGRCGFA), a joint venture that services five major universities in the Sydney-Newcastle area. This application is for equipment that will improve the speed of DNA analyses, and for a laboratory information management system that will standardise the handling of data and sample information at all nodes of the CVRCGFA.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0232455
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$545,000.00
Summary
The Molecular Analysis of Variation and Gene Function. The aim of this project is to establish the nodes of the Clive and Vera Ramaciotti Centre for Gene Function Analysis (CVRCGFA) which is a joint venture that serves the five major universities and three Institutes in the Sydney-Newcastle region. The primary focus of this application is to create new facilities at the hubs of CVRCFGA that are integral to the analysis of molecular variation in a range of organisms. The study of molecular vari ....The Molecular Analysis of Variation and Gene Function. The aim of this project is to establish the nodes of the Clive and Vera Ramaciotti Centre for Gene Function Analysis (CVRCGFA) which is a joint venture that serves the five major universities and three Institutes in the Sydney-Newcastle region. The primary focus of this application is to create new facilities at the hubs of CVRCFGA that are integral to the analysis of molecular variation in a range of organisms. The study of molecular variation will enable researchers to understand better how organisms interact with each other, how they respond to environmental stress and aid in the identification of complez traits.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0453724
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$532,824.00
Summary
Functional Genomics - Linking Genomics and Proteomics. This application is to enhance the capacity of the Ramaciotti Centre for Gene Function Analaysis (RCFGA) and its Nodes to support research in Functional Genomics by expanding its ability to link genomic analysis (including transcriptomics) with proteomic and cell biological analysis. It will provide access to novel methods for analysing interactions of proteins with other molecules by enabling the manufacture of protein arrays as well as DN ....Functional Genomics - Linking Genomics and Proteomics. This application is to enhance the capacity of the Ramaciotti Centre for Gene Function Analaysis (RCFGA) and its Nodes to support research in Functional Genomics by expanding its ability to link genomic analysis (including transcriptomics) with proteomic and cell biological analysis. It will provide access to novel methods for analysing interactions of proteins with other molecules by enabling the manufacture of protein arrays as well as DNA microarrays and to analyse the data obtained from them. This is a vital component to maintain gene function analysis at the cutting edge of current technology.Read moreRead less