Research Projects
New strategies for improved tuberculosis vaccines (Old ID 23218)
Andreas Kupz
01 Jan 2018 - 31 Dec 2021
Tuberculosis is a major global public health problem and continues to cause significant morbidity and mortality due to the low efficiency of the only licensed anti-tuberculosis vaccine, BCG. This project aims to produce novel, highly efficacious vaccination regimens against tuberculosis, especially pulmonary tuberculosis, which is currently the most difficult manifestation of infection to control. The results of this project have the potential to not only save millions of lives in the developing world but also to decrease socioeconomic burden of tuberculosis, particularly in the context of HIV co-infection.
Smart Ear Tag for Livestock (Old ID 23414)
Ian Atkinson
29 Sep 2017 - 31 Mar 2021
CeresTag is investing in the development of a smart ear tag for livestock to enable near real-time geo-location and health monitoring. The developed ear tag will be compliant with the current NLIS identification system and cost only marginally more than existing tags. This technology will revolutionise the industry through enhanced animal welfare, improved land management practices and increased profitability. It will form the starting point of block chain traceability that will underpin the continued success of this important component of the Australian economy and help maintain the premium status of Australian livestock products.
HOT NORTH - Indigenous Development and Traning Grant (Old ID 25053)
Ruth Barker
01 Jul 2018 - 30 Jun 2019
Michelle Dougan will undertake the role of Aboriginal Allied Health Assistant/Co-researcher for our HOT North pilot project titled 'Talking after Stroke'. The Indigenous Development and Training grant will support Michelle by enabling her to undertake a Certificate IV Allied Health Assistant (Speech Pathology and Physiotherapy), providing both course fees and backfill for her position at Wuchopperen. The grant will also enable Michelle to attend a forum in Darwin for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander co-researchers, access face-to-face training for her role no the pilot project and to attend key conferences (IAHA and Lowitja) to share findings.
Coastal wetland restoration techniques and evaluation ready for up-scaling (Old ID 26542)
Nathan Waltham
12 Jun 2019 - 31 Jul 2022
First component examines how fish move around floodplains that are impacted following land use conversions. The River herring (Chesapeake Bay) needs access to freshwater and the ocean; population numbers are low because of migration barriers (roads, degraded habitat, dams). The project will include a collaborative study with the Smithsonian Institute to understand how fish access critical habitat during life-stages. The river herring is analogous to the barramundi and mangrove jack in north Queensland: both are highly prized and migrate across catchments and floodplains between freshwater and ocean that have been modified following agricultural expansion and urban sprawl. The second involves investigating how catchment nutrients contribute to coastal hypoxia-fish kills. Like the GBR catchments, nutrient loads in Chesapeake Bay is worsening. The project will include collaborative research on coastal hypoxia and determining the susceptibility of coastal oyster reefs and fisheries to diseases and death (a topic of national interest following a large fish kill in Murray Darling Basin).
Reducing nitrogen runoff without reducing industry productivity (Old ID 26960)
Aaron Davis
01 Jan 2020 - 10 Dec 2020
Many NESP TWQ Hub projects have contributed to an improved understanding of nitrogen (N) management in sugarcane farming leading to reduced dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) losses via improved management advice and practical solutions. The synthesis project will bring together a range of approaches that are addressing mechanisms for reducing N-losses, with a particular focus on real-time water quality monitoring, detection of N- loss hot-spots, on-farm N management, reef credit trading and other economic levers that incentivise improved farm management practices.
Modelling future testing needs for SARS-CoV-2 (Old ID 27032)
Emma McBryde
21 Oct 2020 - 22 Oct 2020
The Project will enable greater understanding of the current and projected future testing demand for severe acute respiratory acute syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) in Australia. The scope of this project is limited to assessing the demand for laboratory based, or near patient point-of-care, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, the gold standard test to diagnose COVID-19.
RP228 Landholder Stewardship Research to understand the human dimensions influencing land management practice change in Great Barrier Reef catchments (Old ID 27051)
Rachel Hay
20 Sep 2020 - 31 Aug 2021
Focussing on the sugarcane and grazing industries in GBR catchments, this project will address Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan knowledge needs by synthesising existing knowledge around human dimensions and improved land management practice adoption. It will explore potential solutions to several knowledge gaps through a number of discrete, multilayered and integrated action-based research foci (ABRF). The focus of targeted investigations emerging from the literature review include: a) causes of transaction costs incurred by graziers when improving land management practice (and approaches to overcome these); b) the impact of social capital, trust and power dynamics on technology adoption (cane growers) and c) grazier perceived and actual risk of engagement in improved land management practices and programs.
Proposed development of revised framework for operational and implementation research in health and disease control programmes. (Old ID 27222)
Karen Carlisle
26 Apr 2021 - 24 Sep 2021
Strong, responsive and resilient health systems are the critical foundation for global health security. Health systems depend on effective functioning of both people and networks in order to implement effective disease control programmes, detect and respond quickly to infectious disease threats and develop evidence-informed policy/practice. The purpose of this work is to develop a revised framework for operational and implementation research (OR/IR) in health and disease control programs. This framework can be used to develop adequate and sustainable OR/IR capacity in public health programs and create an organisational culture of policy and practice that is informed by evidence-informed decision making.
Making headway with Ericaceae – a contribution toward a Flora of Australia account of Epacridoideae (Old ID 24706)
Darren Crayn
01 Jul 2018 - 30 Jun 2021
Generic boundaries in the predominantly Australian subfamily Epacridoideae (Ericaceae; c. 580 Australian taxa) have recently been resolved following many years of phylogenetic research, paving the way for the description of undescribed species and a Flora of Australia treatment. This project will complete part of such a treatment by formalizing generic-level nomenclature, describing 25 new species and completing species profiles for all capsular-fruited taxa (c. 150 species). This research will aid conservation efforts, particularly in south-western Australia, where there is a high level of diversity, with many species subject to multiple threats.
New Equipment for TB vaccine development - GNT900485 (Old ID 24799)
Andreas Kupz
01 Jan 2017 - 31 Dec 2018
Tuberculosis is a major global public health problem and continues to cause significant morbidity and mortality due to the low efficiency of the only licensed anti-tuberculosis vaccine, BCG. This equipment will facility investigations into novel mechanisms for improved TB vaccines. Tissue dissociation is an integral part of Flow Cytometry and is used on a daily basis in my lab. The gentleMACS™ Octo Dissociator with Heaters is a benchtop instrument capable of fully automated and standardised tissue dissociation or homogenisation of up to eight samples. The instrument allows the user to create user-defined programs for almost any biological material. Using a Gentle MACS Dissociator enhances cell viability, cell yield and significantly decreases the time needed to process organs.