Highly multiplexed rapid-analysis microarrays for early disease diagnosis. Molecular diagnostics are revolutionising the treatment of disease in hospitals by providing rapid and accurate identification of pathogens; saving costs, time and lives. This project will accelerate this revolution by combining new array technology from the University of Sydney with a proven multiplex method from the Sydney based company, AusDiagnostics.
The microbiology and biotechnology of rum production. Rum is an alcoholic beverage produced by microbial fermentation of molasses waste from the sugar industry. The microbial species responsible for the process determine rum flavour and quality by production of specific aroma compounds. The rate and extent of fermentation determine process efficiency. Several yeast and bacterial species contribute to rum fermentation but this ecology is poorly defined. Through a combination of ecological stu ....The microbiology and biotechnology of rum production. Rum is an alcoholic beverage produced by microbial fermentation of molasses waste from the sugar industry. The microbial species responsible for the process determine rum flavour and quality by production of specific aroma compounds. The rate and extent of fermentation determine process efficiency. Several yeast and bacterial species contribute to rum fermentation but this ecology is poorly defined. Through a combination of ecological studies, controlled fermentations and distillation, chemical and sensory analyses, this project will determine the impact of particular microbial species on rum flavour and process efficiency. This information will be used by the industrial partner to enchance product quality and process efficiency.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210100291
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$414,000.00
Summary
Conferring life-like functions to protocells. For life to have arisen, simple self-assembled chemicals must have performed key life-like functions. This project aims to generate new knowledge in the fields of soft condensed matter physics and astrobiology by understanding how primitive life could have obtained nutrients and completed “cell” division without proteins. This ambitious goal is expected to not only contribute towards understanding the origins of life, one of the grand challenges in s ....Conferring life-like functions to protocells. For life to have arisen, simple self-assembled chemicals must have performed key life-like functions. This project aims to generate new knowledge in the fields of soft condensed matter physics and astrobiology by understanding how primitive life could have obtained nutrients and completed “cell” division without proteins. This ambitious goal is expected to not only contribute towards understanding the origins of life, one of the grand challenges in science, but also to elucidate principles in membrane biophysics and self-assembly. The fundamental scientific findings will be applied to making responsive capsules that can confer advanced functionalities to soft materials. Several international collaborations are anticipated.Read moreRead less
Bioelectronic logic. This project aims to understand ion-electron interactions relevant to bioelectronics, and create transducing interfaces. Bioelectronics is a frontier field which aims to connect biological systems with modern electronics and so create biomedical devices. Transducing ion and electron signals using a biocompatible functional interface is difficult since ion and electron physics are different. By combining individual transducers, this project intends to demonstrate ground-break ....Bioelectronic logic. This project aims to understand ion-electron interactions relevant to bioelectronics, and create transducing interfaces. Bioelectronics is a frontier field which aims to connect biological systems with modern electronics and so create biomedical devices. Transducing ion and electron signals using a biocompatible functional interface is difficult since ion and electron physics are different. By combining individual transducers, this project intends to demonstrate ground-breaking bioelectronic logic capable of interface-level processing. The stretch goal is to test this new logic with a biological neuronal model. The project could deliver new science and interfacing elements to integrate tissue and circuitry, and demonstrate these in a real biological model.Read moreRead less
Co-oligomer amphiphiles for novel living and fixed nanomaterials. By using the Australian breakthrough Reversible Addition-Fragmentation chain Transfer (RAFT) polymerization technique to make new molecular structures, we will assemble these into nanoparticles and nanostructured materials and surface coatings with novel properties for a broad range of new technologies and applications.
The role of redox balance and reactive oxygen species in beer stability using an integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis. A better understanding of yeast redox balance will enable it to be used to predict fermentation outcomes and to link raw materials and processes to the quality of the final product. These data will produce economies in the brewing industry by the introduction of quality control regimes for raw materials and can be extrapolated to the wine industry. This will prov ....The role of redox balance and reactive oxygen species in beer stability using an integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis. A better understanding of yeast redox balance will enable it to be used to predict fermentation outcomes and to link raw materials and processes to the quality of the final product. These data will produce economies in the brewing industry by the introduction of quality control regimes for raw materials and can be extrapolated to the wine industry. This will provide real economic advantage to Carlton and United Breweries which is an Australian company that has an international profile within a highly competitive industry.Read moreRead less
A scalable, synthetic retina: signal processing in droplet systems with DNA. This project aims to design DNA-based nanotechnology for processing optical signals in synthetic biological systems. The intended outcome of this project is to develop a system for signal transduction in artificial bilayers using new DNA nanostructures. The anticipated goal of the project is to deliver: 1) light-based control of membrane protein insertion into artificial bilayers; 2) novel DNA-based pores that can trans ....A scalable, synthetic retina: signal processing in droplet systems with DNA. This project aims to design DNA-based nanotechnology for processing optical signals in synthetic biological systems. The intended outcome of this project is to develop a system for signal transduction in artificial bilayers using new DNA nanostructures. The anticipated goal of the project is to deliver: 1) light-based control of membrane protein insertion into artificial bilayers; 2) novel DNA-based pores that can transduce signals across membranes; 3) signal processing using multi-compartment biological components composed. Together, this technology allows us to use light and external signals to control biochemical pathways in synthetic systems.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE140100090
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$200,000.00
Summary
Surface and Colloid Characterisation Facility. Surface and colloid characterisation facility: Surface science lies at the heart of biointerface and colloid science. This facility will enable particle size, shape, distribution, surface area and charge to be measured as well as the amount of material adsorbed to interfaces, the configuration of that material and the response of the surface to stimuli such as changing pH or salinity. All these parameters influence the properties of these important ....Surface and Colloid Characterisation Facility. Surface and colloid characterisation facility: Surface science lies at the heart of biointerface and colloid science. This facility will enable particle size, shape, distribution, surface area and charge to be measured as well as the amount of material adsorbed to interfaces, the configuration of that material and the response of the surface to stimuli such as changing pH or salinity. All these parameters influence the properties of these important systems. As such this facility will underpin the research of a number of groups across three institutions over the next decade and promote collaboration between scientists with a range of complementary expertise in fields where surface science is important from biology to ionic liquids.Read moreRead less
Application of functional genomics to study early fermentation parameters and flavour development in industrial fermentations. The aim of this research is to use genome-wide analyses to identify yeast genes involved in flavour compound production in order to manipulate the flavour profiles of industrial fermentations. This will identify those metabolic pathways and cellular processes that are important in the maintenance of flavour production during fermentation and give extensive insight into t ....Application of functional genomics to study early fermentation parameters and flavour development in industrial fermentations. The aim of this research is to use genome-wide analyses to identify yeast genes involved in flavour compound production in order to manipulate the flavour profiles of industrial fermentations. This will identify those metabolic pathways and cellular processes that are important in the maintenance of flavour production during fermentation and give extensive insight into the way metabolism changes during the fermentation process. Flavour is a major component of the product of fermented beverages and its development and maintenance in the finished product is of primary concern to the brewing and wine industries. This research will lead to a more competitive Australian-owned company with a major stake in the beer and wine industry.Read moreRead less
The geometry of genome access: lessons from HIV. Access to the cell’s nucleus, and hence its genome, is of deep scientific and commercial significance. It is controlled by a phase-separated diffusion barrier within the nuclear pore complex. Recent evidence, however, has shown that HIV can cross this barrier with its protective capsid intact, despite it being over one thousand times larger than the limit for passive transport. Combining concepts from soft-matter physics with recombinant assays, t ....The geometry of genome access: lessons from HIV. Access to the cell’s nucleus, and hence its genome, is of deep scientific and commercial significance. It is controlled by a phase-separated diffusion barrier within the nuclear pore complex. Recent evidence, however, has shown that HIV can cross this barrier with its protective capsid intact, despite it being over one thousand times larger than the limit for passive transport. Combining concepts from soft-matter physics with recombinant assays, this project aims to uncover the link between the unique geometry of HIV capsids and their ability to subvert the nucleus’ defenses. The expected outcome is a step-change in the understanding of nuclear access control, with downstream benefits to virology, bio-engineering and bio-technology.Read moreRead less