Organisms of the gut-invasive genus Helicobacter, such as H. felis shown, have long been a hallmark of BABS research and are the present focus of Professor Hazel Mitchell.
News and Events
Recent Events
- 30th Oct 2009 - Dr Mike Manefield's group wins largest ARC Linkage Grant at UNSW
Dr Mike Manefield is the Chief Investigator on a project that has been awarded the largest single Linkage Grant at UNSW in the latest ARC awards. The linkage partner is Biogas Energy and the project will use native microorganisms to accelerate underground conversion of coal to methane.
This project will develop a technique that uses native microorganisms to accelerate the underground conversion of coal to methane. Approximately 90 per cent of Australia's coal resources cannot be accessed economically using traditional mining technologies. A technology that converts coal to methane could generate an energy supply worth an estimated $60 billion, foster the development of an energy industry now in its infancy, and generate numerous new employment opportunities. Environmentally, methane is a cleaner burning fuel than coal, uses much less water for processing and generates the same quantity of electricity with lower CO2 emissions
More details are available at: http://www.science.unsw.edu.au/news/science-wins-23m-in-arc-project-and-grants/
- 18th Sep 2009 - Official Opening of NCRIS Recombinant Proteins Products and Biofuels Laboratories
The Recombinant Proteins Products and Biofuels Laboratories located within BABS and funded under the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) were officially opened on 18 September 2009 by Hon. Jodie McKay MP, NSW Minister for Science and Medical Research and Hon Richard Marles MP, Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Innovation and Industry.
The official guests were hosted by Professor Richard Henry, DVC (Academic), Dr Chris Marquis (Director, Recombinant Proteins Laboratory) and Professor Peter Rogers (Director, Biofuels Laboratory).
The Australian Government has established a Recombinant Products Sub-Program within NCRIS, supported with $46.5m over 5 years and matching funds from state governments and universities.
The facilities at UNSW comprise a dedicated bio-processing laboratory complex providing services in cell engineering, bioprocess development, protein production and protein purification to the Australian research community and industry.
The advent of modern methods of recombinant DNA technology and protein expression has led to the generation of a whole new range of therapeutics to detect and combat a wide range of human diseases including coronary and infectious diseases and cancer.
The biofuels lab includes pre-treatment and computer-controlled fermentation equipment for production of ethanol from a range of raw materials including sugar, starch and cellulosic biomass sources.
See story on UNSW website: http://www.unsw.edu.au/news/pad/articles/2009/sep/Biofuels.html; and more details on Faculty of Science news webpage: http://www.science.unsw.edu.au/news/3m-boost-to-biofuels-and-protein-research/.
- 10th Sep 2009 - Professor Brett Neilan NSW Scientist of the Year in his Category
Brett Neilan was the winner of the NSW Scientist of the Year in the category of Environment, Water and Climate Change Sciences. The prizes are awarded by the NSW Office for Science and Medical Research. The results of Professor Neilan's research on cyanobacteria has helped revolutionise an entire field of environmental science by identifying and characterising the four biological pathways responsible for the algae, which chokes waterways and can produce toxins that are harmful to humans and animals through contact or ingestion.
See more details at: http://www.osmr.nsw.gov.au/science_communication/science_promotion/scientist_of_the_year/brett_neilan
- 9th Sep 2009 - Associate Professor Rob Yang Awarded ARC Future Fellowship
Rob Yang is one of 15 UNSW researchers awarded an inaugural Future Fellowship from the Australian Research Council. A total of 200 fellowships Australia-wide were recently announced by the Federal Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator Kim Carr, who said the new scheme was designed to keep our top national and international mid-career researchers in Australia.
The title of Rob's research project is "The cellular dynamics of lipid droplets: implications for obesity and biodiesel production". Obesity is a pandemic that if not stopped, will lead to huge social and economic problems in Australia. In essence, the hallmark of human obesity is the accumulation of cellular lipid droplets. This research will benefit Australia by providing a fundamental understanding of how lipid droplets are formed. This will have immediate international impact at the scientific level and will also identify novel compounds and strategies for treating obesity. The proposed study will also benefit Australian agriculture and energy industry by providing strategies to improve the production of plant oil and biodiesel.
The School congratulates Rob on this prestigious award. See further details at: http://www.unsw.edu.au/news/pad/articles/2009/sep/future_fellows.html
- 19th Aug 2009 - Professor Brett Neilan Wins Third Eureka Prize
The School is proud to announce that Brett Neilan was awarded the LWA Professor Peter Cullen Eureka Prize for Water Research and Innovation at the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes ceremony on Tuesday 18 August.
This is the third Eureka Prize for Professor Neilan, a Federation Fellow in the School, making him the most awarded scientist in the history of these awards. His world-class research has identified the biochemical pathways responsible for the production of lethal toxins formed in cyanobacteria. The award includes a cash prize of $10,000.
"Professor Neilan's work has fundamentally improved our understanding of the conditions that lead to toxin production in waterways and water supplies. This knowledge is critical for public health, the health of our environment, and even water security," said Frank Howarth, Director of the Australian Museum. The DNA testing, made possible by Professor Neilan, has revolutionised management of our water supplies.
Attendees at the Awards included the Governor General, Quentin Bryce; Premier of New South Wales, Nathan Rees MP and celebrities such as Cate Blanchett, a Trustee of the Australian Museum. International guests included Chris Darwin, great, great grandson of Charles Darwin.
Full details of the award can be found at: http://eureka.australianmuseum.net.au/eureka-prize/water-research-and-innovation2
- 24th Jul 2009 - Professor Brett Neilan finalist in 2009 Eureka Prize for Water Research and Innovation
Professor Brett Neilan, an ARC Federation Fellow in the School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, is one of 5 UNSW researchers who are finalists in the 2009 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes.
Professor Neilan is a world leader in the genetics of toxic cyanobacteria (blue-green algae), and is one of four finalists for the LWA Professor Peter Cullen Eureka Prize for Water Research and Innovation. This prize is awarded to an individual, team or organisation for research and innovation that has made or has the potential to make an outstanding contribution to the sustainable use and management of Australia's water resources.
Professor Neilan’s work has fundamentally improved our understanding of the circumstances favouring toxin-producing cyanobacterial blooms in lakes, rivers and reservoirs, which is critical knowledge for environmental health and water security. He has a strong history with these awards, winning the the Eureka Prize for Scientific Research in 2001 and the Eureka Prize for Interdisciplinary Science in 2005.
The Eureka Prizes recognise excellence in the fields of scientific research, science leadership and innovation, science journalism and communication and school science. Distinguished prize-winners represent the past, present and future of Australian science. The finalists will join over 900 leaders of government, science, industry, academia and the media to celebrate the 20th Australian Museum Eureka Prizes in Sydney on 18 August for the announcement of this year's winners, with 18 prizes on offer worth over $180,000.
- 5th Jun 2009 - BABS researchers featured in Channel 10 health report
Snr Lecturer Noel Whitaker and PhD candidate Ben Heng featured in a health news item on the Channel 10 news this week. Health reporter Amber Muir interviewed the BABS researchers in relation to their investigation into HPV in breast cancer. Their work was picked up from a media release from the Australian Society for Medical Research meeting in Sydney on 1 June, where Ben presented a poster covering their research looking at viruses including HPV and MMTV in breast and prostate cancer.
The prevalence of HPV in other than cervical cancer, such as head and neck tumours and breast and prostate cancers, was highlighted in the segment, which was drawing attention to the fact that from 1 July 2009 the cervical cancer vaccine will no longer be available for free, although schoolgirls will continue to receive the vaccination at no cost through their school.
The clip is available online on the Channel 10 health website with the title “Never more important to be vaccinated”.
http://ten.com.au/video-player.htm?vxSiteId=cb519624-44a2-4bf7-808b-3514d34e96e4&vxChannel=Health
- 4th Jun 2009 - Prestigious media coverage of PhD project
PhD candidate Sarah Ongley has received extensive media coverage of her research looking at whether a drug used to treat schizophrenia could help treat cancer. Epidemiological studies have found that schizophrenia patients have lower rates of cancer, particularly lung cancer, even though such patients are more likely to smoke.
Sarah's poster was chosen to be part of a media release at the Australian Society for Medical Research meeting held on 1 June in Sydney, where Sarah reported the preliminary findings of her work. The work is also featured on the ABC Science Unit website. Sarah's supervisor is Dr Louise Lutz-Mann.
- 25th May 2009 - Professor Ian Dawes to be Acting Dean of Science
Professor Ian Dawes has agreed to become acting Dean of Science effective 3 August 2009, when Professor Mike Archer will step down in order to concentrate on his research career. Professor Dawes, who is a member of BABS and Director of the Ramaciotti Centre will be assisted by the current Associate Deans and Heads of School.
- 10th May 2009 - Antarctic Research Highlighted on US Government Website
BABS researches Professor Rick Cavicchioli and Drs Mark Brown and Federico Lauro were part of a recent multinational expedition to Antarctica. The team comprised collaborators from the J Craig Venter Institute and the US department of Energy Joint Genome Institute. The group is using metagenomics to sequence the DNA in entire environmental samples from Antarctica, and is also studying microorganisms that live throughout the length, depth and breadth of the vast Southern Ocean.
The ongoing research has recently received coverage on the website of the US Department of Energy. Professor Cavicchioli is quoted in the article, and some of his photographs from the expedition are also featured. For further information see: http://www.jgi.doe.gov/News/news_09_05_18.html
- 1st May 2009 - NCRIS Funding for Recombinant Products Facility
The Recombinant Products Facility based in BABS has received financial support from NCRIS (Commonwealth Government), the NSW State Government and UNSW to provide services in protein and antibody production and purification.
Director Dr Chris Marquis advised that the facility has secured a further 200K in funding over 2 years to support the appointment of an applied molecular biologist to add to the full-time staff. The facility currently houses of a range of fermentation and purification equipment and has three full-time technical staff (Edwin Huang, Scott Minns and Doris Suen) as well as associations with a number of academic and professional staff.
For further information see the website.
- 20th Apr 2009 - Commercial Demand for Dr Nico Wanandy's Thesis
2008 PhD Graduate Dr Nico Wanandy has had his PhD thesis published by VDM Verlag. Only a very small percentage of theses are in sufficient demand to warrant commercial publication.
Biopharmaceuticals: A Study of Apoptosis and Cell Cycle to Augment Transfection Efficiency in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) Cells is available via Amazon.com. The work centres on the fact that there are essentially three components that play a main role in producing biopharmaceutical products: the host cell, the expression vector and the bioreactor and/or production environment, with the choice of a suitable host one of the most important. A balance between cell viability and the effort for augmenting transfection efficiency must be achieved in order to achieve maximum biopharmaceutical yields.
- 11th Mar 2009 - Professor Brett Neilan wins Khwarizmi International Award
ARC Federation Fellow Professor Brett Neilan travelled to Iran in February to accept the 2008 Khwarizmi International Award from the Iranian Research Organisation for Science and Technology. The prize is sponsored primarily by UNESCO and is awarded to individuals who have made an outstanding achievement in research, innovation and invention in science and technology.
- 7th Mar 2009 - Recycling with Purpose - PNG Connection
Six boxes of pre-loved science and medical textbooks, all recent or the latest editions, have been sent to the School of Medicine and Health Sciences at the University of Papua New Guinea and the Immunology Department at the PNG Institute of Medical Research.
This is an initiative of Deputy Head of School A/Professor Andrew Collins, who has long-established links with PNG. Andrew would love to see this idea spread, and believes there must be thousands of recent-edition books gathering dust that would be invaluable for research and teaching institutions in neighbouring countries.
- 6th Mar 2009 - Three BABS students win University Medals
The 2008 University Medal in Molecular Biology has been awarded to James Krycer from A/Professor Andrew Brown's lab. “I’m absolutely exhilarated about winning the University Medal” said James, “but I should not be the only one to be recognised for achievement. Congratulations to every student who passes their Honours year – you’ve made it through the first year of your (potential) research career.”
The University Medal in Microbiology was won by Lay Hoon Seah, an Honours student from Professor Rick Cavicchioli's lab, and the University Medal in Genetics was awarded to Suresh Nair, an Honours student from Professor Ian Dawes's lab.
- 6th Mar 2009 - Prof. Brett Neilan New South Innovations Inventor of the Year Finalist
Congratulations go to Federation Fellow, Professor Brett Neilan, who has been selected as one of 11 finalists over 4 categories in the inaugural UNSW NSI Inventor of the Year Awards.
The awards recognise and reward innovative technologies that could benefit the community and the environment and carry a total prize pool of $20,000. One finalist will be named a winner in each award category, together with overall Inventor of the Year, during a gala event on 23 April 2009.
- 1st Mar 2009 - Week 0 - Start of Session 1, 2009
The session starts with this week dedicated to preliminary lectures, laboratory and tutorial enrolments and other administrative actions.
- 11th Feb 2009 - The Earliest History of Life: Solution to Darwin’s Dilemma
On 11 February 2009, J. William Schopf from the Department of Earth & Space Sciences at the University of California Los Angeles presented a seminar addressing Darwin's dilemma. The seminar covered the lack of evidence in the form of fossil records of the Precambrian era, and the recent discovery that has assisted in the resolution of this puzzle.
- 9th Feb 2009 - BABS PhD Students win poster prizes
Congratulations to PhD students Ignatius Pang and Tim Couttas who were each awarded a Poster Prize at the 14th Australasian Proteomics Conference, held in February in Lorne, Victoria. Their work was selected from over 100 posters at the conference. Both students are studying protein methylation networks in the model organism, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, also known as baker's yeast. To date, they have shown that the methylation of proteins is much more widespread than previously thought and that this methylation may be involved in the control of protein-protein interactions. They are part of the recently established NSW Systems Biology Initiative, directed by Prof. Marc Wilkins.
- 12th Dec 2008 - Opening of The Barrow Room
It was the privilege of the Professor William Ballard, the Head of School, to officially name and open The Barrow Room in honour of one of The School's greatest contributors and previous Head of School, Associate Professor Kevin Barrow.
- 12th Dec 2008 - Head of School Discretionary Awards
It was the pleasure of Professor Bill Ballard, the Head of School, to present each of Peter White, Wendy Glenn, Li Zhang, Anne Galea, Helen Speirs, Vince Murray, Joyce Chiu, Sue Jackson, Wolf Nittel, Kylie Jones, Hunny Jumrieng & Michele Potter a discretionary award for service given to The School above and beyond the call of duty (or in some way drawing attention to themselves).
- 5th Dec 2008 - New Senior Lecturer in BABS
BABS is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Torsten Thomas as a new Senior Lecturer. Torsten brings with him valuable experience in research and scientific communication and we heartily congratulate him and welcome him to the School.
- 5th Dec 2008 - Reappointment of Scientia Professor
Staffan Kjelleberg has been reappointed as Scientia Professor for five years. Staffan will continue his excellent standard of research and teaching as director of the CMB.
- 15th Oct 2008 - BABS QE2 Fellowships Recipients
Drs Mark Tanaka and Mark Brown have each been awarded a prestigious Discovery Project Queen Elizabeth II Fellowship by the ARC for their projects entitled, respectively, "Mathematical models and bioinfomatic analyses of bacterial genome evolution" and "Towards a predictive model for coastal marine microbial assemlages". These awards are another indication of the growing strength of applied mathematics and modelling within BABS.
- 19th Sep 2008 - BABS A/Prof Appointments
Congratulations to Associate Professor Brown and Associate Professor Yang on their promotions.
- 29th May 2008 - Opening of the Australian Centre for Astrobiology
Australian Centre for Astrobiology member NASA astronaut Dr Andy Thomas opened the ACA at its new UNSW home.
Among distinguished guests at the opening was the Director of the NASA Astrobiology Institute Carl Pilcher, who joined the gathering via a live link from NASA Ames in California.
- 28th May 2008 - BABS Success in the 2008 ARC Linkage Grants
Researchers led by Professor Rick Cavicchioli from the School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences have been awarded $1.1 million over four years for work on improving the sustainability of Australia's water resources.
Professor Cavicchioli heads the world's leading laboratory on the molecular basis for cold adaptation in archaea. He has made seminal contributions (13 years) to the field of archaeal cold adaptation through studies of archaeal proteins, intracellular solutes, tRNA, lipids, gene regulation, comparative genomics and proteomics, and to the broader fields of extremophiles, archaeal biology and cold adapted proteins. The focus on cold and extreme adaptation has served to foster a biotechnology program aimed at developing enzymes with enhanced performance, including 7 patent applications and the establishment of strong linkages with industry partners. Important contributions have also been made to the study of oligotrophic marine bacteria with recent work focused on cold adaptation, proteomics and comparative genomics. The focus on adaptation of individual archaea and marine bacteria has provided a strong background for genome-based studies of whole ecosystems, particularly cold environments.
This group has received continuous operating grant funding from the ARC since 1995, has frequently been awarded ARC infrastructure grants, funding for commercially orientated projects and funding from non-conventional sources (e.g. US Air Force funding, Antarctic field expeditions and genome sequencing; an example of the latter is US $2,035,000 from the Moore Foundation for metagenome sequencing of Antarctic samples at the J. Craig Venter Institute in 2007/08). Through acquisition and careful management of Australian and overseas funds Cavicchioli's group has grown in 2008 to include 8 postdoctoral level staff, 6 visiting scientists, 6 enrolled and 4 applying PhD students, 3 Honours students, and 4 visiting overseas students. The group's involvement in genomics expanded to 6 microbial genome and 3 metagenome projects with the JCVI and DOE JGI (Vestfold Hills Antarctic lakes; Antarctic Palmer Station; Southern Ocean). As a result of the intellectually stimulating and active research environment the group has consistently attracted superb research staff (e.g. EMI appointment and APD applicant Federico Lauro) and students (e.g. 16 co-authored publications with Cavicchioli's first PhD student Torsten Thomas).
- 23rd Apr 2008 - New ARC Federation Fellow in BABS
Professor Brett Neilan has been made a Federation Fellow of the ARC. Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Les Field FAA, offered his congratulations: "Professor Brett Neilan is an outstanding molecular biologist and a world expert in the study of toxic cyanobacteria".
The Neilan research group at UNSW is considered to be one of the world's leaders in the genetics of toxic cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). As its founding member, Professor Neilan has undertaken the research that has led to the discovery of all four biochemical pathways responsible for the production of potent bacterial and algal toxins that contaminate our water supplies and accumulate in seafood.
The results of this basic research and other studies of the evolution of cyanobacteria have revolutionised an entire field of environmental biology.
Brett's current research encompasses two main areas; 1) The origins, evolution, diversity and unique physiologies of microbial life on Earth, especially in extreme ecosystems such as stromatolites, volcanoes, Antarctica, as well as in symbioses, and 2) Non-ribosomal peptide, polyketide, and alkaloid biosynthesis in aquatic bacteria and algae as the basis for the production of toxins, traditional medicines and potential pharmaceuticals.
Work on these projects involves the disciplines of microbiology, molecular biology and biochemistry. Brett has been recognised as an international expert and one of the top molecular biologists in the field. Achievement has been measured by numerous invited reviews, seminars and visiting appointments, including an adjunct professorship at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Nationally, the research has been awarded Australian Museum Eureka Prizes (2001, 2005), the Australian Academy of Science Fenner Medal in Biological Research (2004), the Walter Burfitt Prize (Royal Society of NSW, 2006), and a Federation Fellowship (Australian Research Council, 2008). Research has been continually funded by the ARC for the last 14 years and has involved the research training of 30 PhD students and collaboration with colleagues in Germany, USA, Italy, Japan and Norway.
More than one hundred and sixty peer-reviewed publications have arisen from this research.