Activation of invasion in Toxoplasma. Host cell invasion is critical for the establishment and maintenance of infection by the single-celled parasite Toxoplasma gondii, the causative agent of Toxoplasmosis. This project will use the latest molecular techniques to understand how invasion is activated and will define a new set of drug targets to treat Toxoplasmosis and related diseases.
Mechanisms of human immunodeficiency virus entry into cells. This project will develop an understanding of how human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) evolves in people to become better able to infect, and hence destroy, cells of the immune system. It is expected that new knowledge into how HIV alters the way it interacts with these cells will reveal insights for the design of vaccines, drugs and new diagnostic tests.
Immuno-epidemiological insights into the development of immunity to malaria and drug resistance. This project aims to better understand the maintenance and acquisition of immunity to malaria in high risk groups. It will also attempt to elucidate how immunity can interfere with the therapeutic efficacy of antimalarials, especially in the assessment of emerging drug resistance. The over-riding hypothesis is that differences in malaria transmission will lead to differential acquisition of immunity ....Immuno-epidemiological insights into the development of immunity to malaria and drug resistance. This project aims to better understand the maintenance and acquisition of immunity to malaria in high risk groups. It will also attempt to elucidate how immunity can interfere with the therapeutic efficacy of antimalarials, especially in the assessment of emerging drug resistance. The over-riding hypothesis is that differences in malaria transmission will lead to differential acquisition of immunity and efficacy of malaria interventions within and between populations. Understanding immunity to malaria is pivotal to develop new interventions, to understand the effectiveness of current malaria treatment and control programs to reduce the global burden of malarial disease.Read moreRead less
Transfer ribonucleic acid (tRNA) synthetases as drug targets in Plasmodium falciparum. Malaria is a major worldwide infectious disease. The disease kills around 2 million people every year, and current drugs are increasingly failing due to parasite drug resistance, creating an urgent demand for new drugs, that inhibit different targets. The Fellow will study a new class of parasite drug targets, the transfer ribonucleic acid (tRNA) synthetase enzymes to find novel inhibitors. Compounds blocking ....Transfer ribonucleic acid (tRNA) synthetases as drug targets in Plasmodium falciparum. Malaria is a major worldwide infectious disease. The disease kills around 2 million people every year, and current drugs are increasingly failing due to parasite drug resistance, creating an urgent demand for new drugs, that inhibit different targets. The Fellow will study a new class of parasite drug targets, the transfer ribonucleic acid (tRNA) synthetase enzymes to find novel inhibitors. Compounds blocking these enzymes may lead to new drugs to combat malaria.Read moreRead less
Improvement of anthracycline chemotherapy by enhancement of apoptotic responses and tumour targeted activation. Improved outcomes for anthracycline anticancer chemotherapy is of clear benefit to the nation. Tumour-localised treatment is expected to lead to improved responses, reduced side-effects and improved quality of life while rational selection of drug combinations is expected to enable treatment of tumours that were previously resistant to anthracyclines. With an aging population in Austra ....Improvement of anthracycline chemotherapy by enhancement of apoptotic responses and tumour targeted activation. Improved outcomes for anthracycline anticancer chemotherapy is of clear benefit to the nation. Tumour-localised treatment is expected to lead to improved responses, reduced side-effects and improved quality of life while rational selection of drug combinations is expected to enable treatment of tumours that were previously resistant to anthracyclines. With an aging population in Australia the incidence of cancer is predicted to rise dramatically - improved treatment outcomes and better use of chemotherapeutics will be of obvious national benefit. The development of new tumour-targeted agents is the subject of joint Intellectual Property between Australia and the USA, offering potential economic benefit. Read moreRead less
Non-destructing X-ray testing. This project aims to improve imaging with X-rays, providing better image quality with higher throughput at a lower radiation dose. It will develop an X-ray imaging system that provides orders of magnitude greater sensitivity for detecting low-density objects that are often invisible with conventional X-ray scanners, and quantitative image analysis tools that can isolate materials from complex multi-material samples and detect individual chemical elements. Significa ....Non-destructing X-ray testing. This project aims to improve imaging with X-rays, providing better image quality with higher throughput at a lower radiation dose. It will develop an X-ray imaging system that provides orders of magnitude greater sensitivity for detecting low-density objects that are often invisible with conventional X-ray scanners, and quantitative image analysis tools that can isolate materials from complex multi-material samples and detect individual chemical elements. Significant benefits from these technologies are expected in industries including airport security, mining, agriculture, manufacturing quality control, and in research fields from medicine to geology.Read moreRead less
The biology, structure and function of bacterial virulence effectors. This project is closely aligned with the National Research Priority of Promoting and Maintaining Good Health and will establish a research framework to investigate novel virulence processes that allow bacterial pathogens to infect humans and cause disease. This fresh approach to the study of bacterial pathogenesis will sit outside classic genetic methods to investigate infection and immunity which rely heavily on genetic manip ....The biology, structure and function of bacterial virulence effectors. This project is closely aligned with the National Research Priority of Promoting and Maintaining Good Health and will establish a research framework to investigate novel virulence processes that allow bacterial pathogens to infect humans and cause disease. This fresh approach to the study of bacterial pathogenesis will sit outside classic genetic methods to investigate infection and immunity which rely heavily on genetic manipulation of the pathogen. Other than providing fundamental information on host-pathogen interactions, this work may lead to novel disease interventions by inhibition of bacterial virulence factor activity and/or enhancement of host inflammatory and immune responses.Read moreRead less
Investigating the intercellular trafficking of proteins and RNA and its relevance to neurodegenerative diseases. Alzheimer's and prion diseases are neurodegenerative disorders associated with protein misfolding. This project brings together similar features of these diseases using novel cell- and animal-based studies to develop a greater understanding of the molecular basis of these disorders.
Molecular dissection of malaria parasite motility and host-cell invasion across the lifecycle. Malaria parasites move in a unique way, gliding across cell surfaces and infecting host cells using a unique molecular motor. This research aims to understand the molecular mechanics behind parasite movement and use this to develop novel drugs that might throw a spanner in the parasite motor, blocking movement and thereby preventing malaria disease.
Dynamic multi-modal x-ray imaging. This project aims to create sensitive new methods of x-ray imaging that capture multiple image modalities with a single snapshot. Conventional x-ray imaging is widely used in a range of industries, but captures only a fraction of the rich information that is available in the x-ray wavefield. This project expects to extract additional image modalities to reveal x-ray-transparent features, and detect microscopic textures. By combining these capabilities with the ....Dynamic multi-modal x-ray imaging. This project aims to create sensitive new methods of x-ray imaging that capture multiple image modalities with a single snapshot. Conventional x-ray imaging is widely used in a range of industries, but captures only a fraction of the rich information that is available in the x-ray wavefield. This project expects to extract additional image modalities to reveal x-ray-transparent features, and detect microscopic textures. By combining these capabilities with the ability to capture images of a moving sample, this project will enable innovative biomedical and materials research studies, and develop new imaging technologies for use in security, hospitals and manufacturing. New methods of x-ray imaging will have wide-ranging benefits for society, the economy and healthcare.Read moreRead less