Molecules and mechanisms regulating axonal degeneration and regeneration in Caenorhabditis elegans neurons. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying nerve degeneration and regeneration is essential to tackle and provide treatment for neurodegenerative diseases and injury of the nervous system. This project aims to discover, using a genetic approach and a simple animal model system, the molecules regulating these crucial biological processes.
Using mouse genetics to understand skin development and cell biology. During embryonic development the skin forms a protective barrier which permits life outside the womb and provides a window into the biology of cells. This project aims to use the skin to identify and characterise genes necessary for embryonic development and maintenance, the development of diseases and to explore their broader roles in other organs.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120101311
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Role of intrinsic versus extrinsic cues in cell type determination during development and regeneration. During development all of the different cell types are generated by the action of genes and also signals from the embryo that read out which cell types are present or missing. This project studies how much environmental signals affect cell type generation developmentally and if they can be used to regenerate only the types missing in different diseases.
Understanding gonadal development and disease using a unique model system, the avian embryo. This project will provide information on normal and abnormal gonadal development during embryonic life. The study will aid in the diagnosis and management of humans born with disorders of sexual development and will be useful for sex ratio manipulation in the poultry industry.
Genetic regulation of testis development in the chicken embryo. This project aims to shed light on the genetic control of testis development during embryonic life, using the chicken embryo as a model. The results will have implications for sex ratio manipulation in poultry and for our understanding of sexual disorders in humans.
Left-right patterning of the heart. This project aims to investigate how the heart responds to left-right (LR) signals, which tissue is dominant in this response; determine tissue intrinsic factors at play, and determine whether we can manipulate this. Expected outcomes include fundamental information about how organs are patterned.
The Embryological And Molecular Basis Of Zic2 Involvement In Holoprosencephaly
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$624,145.00
Summary
The brain is the most complex organ in the human body and diseases or disorders of the brain can become evident at any stage of life. Generally such problems have profound consequnces for the affected individuals and their families. One of the most common problems of brain development that is evident either at birth or within the first years of life is called holoprosencephaly (HPE). This condition affects the midline of the brain and the face and can lead to delay in mental, motor and language ....The brain is the most complex organ in the human body and diseases or disorders of the brain can become evident at any stage of life. Generally such problems have profound consequnces for the affected individuals and their families. One of the most common problems of brain development that is evident either at birth or within the first years of life is called holoprosencephaly (HPE). This condition affects the midline of the brain and the face and can lead to delay in mental, motor and language development, seizures, and obvious facial abnormalities. In its most severe form only one eye develops in the middle of the face, a condition known as cyclopia and a large majority of the severely affected children will die late in gestation or at birth. This condition can be inherited, but because the genetic lesions that cause this problem affect different people differently, people can carry the causative genetic change(s) without knowing it. We need to identify and study the genetic lesions that contribute to this condition in order to begin to understand how we can stop these mutations affecting the developing foetus. Because it is difficult to study embryonic development in humans we have generated a mouse model of this condition. In the mouse model just one gene (called Zic2) is altered and embryos that have two copies of this alteration develop the most severe form of cyclopia and die in the second half of gestation. This means that the normal role of this gene is to stop us developing HPE. We will use this mouse model to see just when and how the Zic2 gene prevents HPE. In addition, we will look to see what other genes Zic2 interacts with by breeding mice that carry the mutation in Zic2 with mice that carry a mutation in a second gene that can also cause HPE. These experiments are very important because if we understand how Zic2 and other genes protect us from HPE we can begin to design strategies to decrease the risk of a child developing this condition.Read moreRead less
Investigating a novel factor impacting stem cell development. This project aims to investigate how stem cells are controlled during animal development, by exploring how a specific protein, essential for embryonic development, controls cell fate decisions during the early stages of life. This project expects to generate new knowledge in stem cell biology, embryonic development, and general mechanisms controlling cell fates, using innovative approaches in gene editing and high-throughput imaging. ....Investigating a novel factor impacting stem cell development. This project aims to investigate how stem cells are controlled during animal development, by exploring how a specific protein, essential for embryonic development, controls cell fate decisions during the early stages of life. This project expects to generate new knowledge in stem cell biology, embryonic development, and general mechanisms controlling cell fates, using innovative approaches in gene editing and high-throughput imaging. Expected outcomes of this project include enhanced capacity for fundamental stem cell biology in Australia. This should provide significant benefits, such as training of young Australian researchers in frontier technologies, and new knowledge in fundamental aspects of life, including embryonic development.Read moreRead less
Genetic analysis of lymphatic vascular development. This project investigates the fundamental molecular components that regulate lymphatic vascular system development in the zebrafish embryo. Lymphatic vessels play critical roles in vascular diseases and cancer metastasis. This study will identify and examine key new molecules that will further our basic understanding of lymphatic development.
The molecular control of lymphatic vascular differentiation. This project aims to improve our understanding of how a new vascular system forms and the molecules that control this process. Lymphatic vasculature plays roles in fluid drainage, inflammation, obesity, metastasis and tissue repair, yet we cannot readily promote or inhibit lymphatic vessel formation. This project aims to build new knowledge that is expected to improve our ability to generate lymphatic vessels for stem cell application ....The molecular control of lymphatic vascular differentiation. This project aims to improve our understanding of how a new vascular system forms and the molecules that control this process. Lymphatic vasculature plays roles in fluid drainage, inflammation, obesity, metastasis and tissue repair, yet we cannot readily promote or inhibit lymphatic vessel formation. This project aims to build new knowledge that is expected to improve our ability to generate lymphatic vessels for stem cell applications, tissue engineering, tissue repair and regeneration. This project will use zebrafish embryos, new genomic datasets and novel tools to uncover the genetic control of this process, and should have implications in stem cell biology, tissue engineering, repair and regeneration.Read moreRead less