News & events
News
Extremely short, or tiny, fragments of RNA – working copies of our genetic code – play a critical role in keeping the immune system in check, preventing inflammation and the onset of autoimmune disease, according to an international team of researchers led by scientists from The Hudson Institute of Medical Research in collaboration with The Australian National University (ANU).
The discovery of a new critical enzyme could help engineer climate resilient crops capable of sucking far more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in a much more efficient way.
Professor Alexander Maier wants us to change our mind about parasites.
Meet the PhD researcher exploring how bacterial proteins could hold the key to reducing our reliance on fossil fuels.
Researchers have discovered why malaria parasites are vulnerable to some drug therapies but resistant to others, offering scientists another piece of the puzzle in the global fight against the disease.
A low-cost, non-toxic cancer treatment has been developed by researchers at The Australian National University (ANU). The treatment uses dead bacteria to help kick-start the immune system and shrink cancer.
Events
Throughout my PhD, I determined the transport mechanisms of two proteins that we show break the standard channel / transporter definitions and instead function as anion “chansporters” - proteins that exist somewhere on the spectrum between transporters and channels.
BSB Seminar Series: Structural Basis of Heteromeric Amino Acid Transporters for Targeted Drug Design
Heteromeric amino acid transporters (HATs) play essential roles in the transport of amino acids, thyroid hormones, and various amino acid–like drugs. Mutations in HATs are associated with several inherited disorders, including cystinuria, lysinuric protein intolerance, and autism spectrum disorders.
Autotransporters (ATs) are virulence factors found in Gram-negative bacteria that consist of three domains: an N-terminal signal peptide, a central passenger domain, and a C-terminal β-barrel domain. Here, we used RpeA from rabbit enteropathogenic Escherichia coli as a model AT.
The ability of Plasmodium falciparum to access and utilise vital nutrients, including riboflavin (vitamin B2), is essential for its growth and proliferation, positioning riboflavin metabolism as a promising target for antimalarial intervention.
My work studies how platelets control malarial infection, and through this has revealed the specific anti-plasmodial actions of platelets and molecules with novel mechanisms of parasite killing.
Leveraging artificial intelligence and deep learning to generate proteins de novo has unlocked new frontiers of protein design. This approach can be used to design bespoke binders that target specific proteins and domains.