Physical Sciences

Kaveh Shahbaz

Associate Professor Chemical Engineering
kaveh.shahbaz@jcu.edu.au

Sourav Das

Adjunct Senior Lecturer
sourav.das@jcu.edu.au

Gunther Paul

Adjunct Associate Professor
gunther.paul@jcu.edu.au

Andrew Calcino

Lecturer, Bioinformatics
andrew.calcino@jcu.edu.au

Matt Field

Professor, Promotional Chair
matt.field@jcu.edu.au

Ulf Schmitz

Associate Professor, Bioinformatics
ulf.schmitz@jcu.edu.au

Ira Cooke

Associate Professor, Bioinformatics
ira.cooke@jcu.edu.au

Robert Streit

Adjunct Research Fellow
robert.streit1@jcu.edu.au

Jon Day

Adjunct Principal Research Fellow
jon.day1@jcu.edu.au

Understanding specificity and flexibility in coral symbioses

Ira Cooke - Physical Sciences

01 Jul 2024 - 30 Jun 2027

Coral health is underpinned by complex interactions between the host animal and its symbiotic partners, probably the most important of which are the photosynthetic alga. The interactions of reef-building corals with their photosymbionts are thought to be highly specific, but as yet the bases of this specificity and the nature of the dialogue that must occur during the establishment of a mutualistic relationship are unclear. By making use of model systems and recent advances in DNA sequencing technology, this study seeks to understand these molecular interactions, specifically in the context of some unique features on both sides of the interaction.

Dugong population genetic services to Parque Nacional do Arquipélago do Barzaruto, Moçambique - 2

Ira Cooke - Physical Sciences

02 Jan 2025 - 01 Feb 2028

Provision of research support to estimate genetic diversity and assess changing population sizes on 15 dugong tissue samples (11 skin, 4 tissue) collected from Moçambique. The work will include DNA extractions, genomic sequencing, bioinformatic analyses, and interpretation in a written report. The work is designed to enable comparison with existing estimates of dugong genetic diversity and population size changes. Specific bioinformatic analyses include: Genetic diversity estimates - heterozygosity - genome-wide nucleotide diversity - runs of homozygosity (inbreeding indicator) Population size change estimates - Tajima’s D - Multi sequential Markovian Coalescent analyses - Gone analyses (to estimate recent effective population size changes)

Does genome rearrangement enable adaptation in times of environmental change?

Ira Cooke - Physical Sciences

30 Jun 2025 - 31 Dec 2028

This project aims to investigate the role of genomic rearrangement in adaptation of marine animals during times of rapid past environmental change. By employing long-read genomic sequencing, powerful demographic analyses, and eco-evolutionary modeling this project expects to generate new knowledge regarding the impact of structural variation on population persistence during future environmental change. Expected outcomes of this project include models of future scenarios including climate change and the consequences of proposed genomic interventions. This should provide significant benefits for informing management interventions including assisted gene flow and assisted evolution.

Improving Hepatocellular Carcinoma Immunotherapy

Ulf Schmitz - Physical Sciences

31 Jul 2025 - 31 Dec 2026

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) constitutes 80-90% of all liver cancers and is the third leading cause of cancer-related death globally. There are just a few therapeutic options available for HCC patients. The most promising is immunotherapy, which uses the antibodies atezolizumab, an immune check point inhibitor, and bevacizumab an angiogenic inhibitor, that direct the immune system to kill HCC tumour cells. However, immunotherapy is effective in just 30% of HCC patients and can in some instances promote tumour progression and have adverse effects. The major reason for this is that the HCC immune environment is immunosuppressed in 70% of patients, and the molecular events leading to this are poorly understood. This project will use murine HCC models and atezolizumab and bevacizumab therapeutic equivalents, single cell sequencing and advanced cell biology to decipher how HCC escapes immunotherapy, and hence determine new therapeutic targets to treat immunosuppressed HCC.