MONASH UNIVERSITY

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Securing Privacy-Preserving Cloud Computation Against Active Attacks. This project aims to devise practical cryptographic tools for securing privacy-preserving cloud computation applications from active attack threats that go beyond eavesdropping. It expects to remove a fundamental barrier to secure deployment of privacy-preserving cloud computation technology. The project is expected to generate novel methods to significantly reduce the risk of cloud data privacy breaches which have plagued enterprise and personal data in recent years. Expected outcomes of the project include a practical active security toolkit for deployment in cloud applications such as privacy-preserving Artificial Intelligence services. This should benefit cloud services by bolstering privacy and reducing the frequency of data breaches. Field of research: 4604 - Cybersecurity and Privacy Cloud computing applications, including Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, are vulnerable to data privacy breaches and cybercrime, which have been estimated to cost over $40B annually to the Australian economy. Homomorphic Encryption (HE) is an emerging encryption technology that allows computation on encrypted data and has the potential to significantly reduce the likelihood of cloud computing data privacy breaches. However, a major practical barrier is that existing HE technology only provides privacy against cloud data eavesdropping attacks, but is vulnerable to a more realistic class of attacks known as active attacks, involving malicious data modification and injection. This project will address this problem by devising novel practical cryptographic algorithms for safeguarding a range of HE-based cloud computation applications against active attacks, enjoying strong security guarantees. The project will develop and evaluate an open-source active security software toolkit suitable for integration with existing HE technology. The toolkit will help enable Australian businesses to securely adopt HE technology to their cloud computing applications and significantly reduce their risk of data privacy breaches. The project will also train sovereign research and development capabilities in a cutting edge cybersecurity technology.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

The next great escape – how does mtDNA become extracellular? . Eukaryotic cells contain two genomes, nuclear and mitochondrial (mtDNA). There are myriad conditions in which mtDNA escapes its mitochondrial confines and once outside of its organelle, mtDNA becomes a potent danger signal to the cell, with potentially debilitating consequences to the organism. This project is focused on understanding the biological processes that allow mtDNA escape outside not just the mitochondria, but outside the cell itself. The study builds on discoveries made by a team with world-leading expertise in mitochondrial biology and microscopy – and brings innovative, cutting-edge techniques in cell biology and imaging to investigate a fundamental biological phenomenon for which the cellular mechanism is currently unknown. Field of research: 3101 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology Mitochondria, the powerhouses of our cells, contain their own DNA (termed mtDNA). In some cases, mtDNA escapes from mitochondria and outside the cell. Once outside, mtDNA causes inflammation in humans and animals alike. This project addresses a fundamental unanswered question: how does mtDNA escape outside a cell? We will provide the first clear picture of mtDNA release and novel insights into this biological process. As such, the knowledge gain from this study has the ability to significantly impact the direction of future research & industry collaborations into the treatment of multiple agricultural and human conditions. For example: cell-free mtDNA has been found in cattle suffering mastitis- a condition that costs the Australian dairy industry ~35 million/yr- with no understanding of how the mtDNA got there. Thus, insights from this project could have major economic benefits to our nation’s third largest rural industry. Further, mtDNA signalling is an emerging target in neurodegenerative and auto-immune conditions, thus (whilst beyond the scope of this project) our findings have the long-term potential to uncover new avenues for treating these major health burdens, with significant social and economic benefits to the Australian population. To maximise the understanding and translation of our research, all findings will be freely available through open access journals online, and directly communicated with any consumer/industry groups with potential benefits from our work.

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Early Bipolar Androgen Therapy for Advanced Prostate Cancer Category: Medical Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Uncovering Aboriginal culture and histories through artefact collections. This project aims to investigate poorly understood Aboriginal artefact collections from southeast Australia using archaeological techniques, ethnohistory and traditional cultural knowledge. The project expects to generate new knowledge of how Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people lived and managed Country using the latest techniques in stone sourcing, archaeobotany, carbon dating, and microscopic residue analysis to work out how artefacts were sourced, made, and used. Expected outcomes include a more accurate picture of the significance of Aboriginal places and artefacts in cultural heritage assessments. Social and cultural benefits include a deeper appreciation for Aboriginal culture in Victoria and the groundwork for Aboriginal Keeping Places. Field of research: 4501 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Culture, Language and History Early artefact collectors desecrated Aboriginal cultural landscapes in Victoria during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. As a result, significant Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung artefacts made from stone and wood are now rarely found except in museum collections. Yet these unique items are poorly understood, including their role in Aboriginal culture and management of Country. Further, artefact collections are rarely consulted as part of heritage assessments to understand how development might impact Aboriginal places and artefacts. These gaps will be addressed through archaeological analyses, archival research and traditional cultural knowledge-sharing in three key artefact collections, including Museums Victoria. The results of this project will unlock new knowledge of Aboriginal people, culture and Country by uncovering how artefacts were sourced, made, and used. Project benefits include a detailed picture of precolonial Aboriginal artefacts and cultural landscapes to help Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung better protect and manage their cultural heritage. Museums Victoria will benefit from new knowledge of the artefacts to develop Aboriginal-led exhibitions and public engagement. Project results will help build appreciation among the Australian public for Aboriginal artefacts, innovations, and culture. New histories generated by the project will be communicated widely through Aboriginal-curated artefact videos, school resources, and a major exhibition at Museums Victoria.

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Healthy sleep: Advancing the treatment and prevention of insomnia Category: Medical Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Improving understanding of natural history, refining diagnosis and... Category: Medical Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Improving health outcomes for sick and premature infants Category: Medical Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Advancing the evidence-base in cardiac arrest and resuscitation Category: Medical Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Novel approaches to enhance the quality of systematic reviews that... Category: Medical Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Androgen disruption as a novel treatment approach in hormone... Category: Medical Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Investigating Neuronal Check Points in Circuits Generating Epileptic... Category: Medical Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Unravelling evolutionary effects of mitochondria on sperm and male... Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Interrogating GPCR dynamics through high-resolution, time-resolved... Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Optimsing the scale-up of evidence-based tools for control and local... Category: Medical Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Cellular recycling, a route to productivity in ageing. Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Data driven approaches to outsmart skin cancer Category: Medical Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Development of Allosteric and Bitopic Ligands to Tune Receptor Signalling. G protein-coupled receptors are the largest protein family encoded by the human genome and the largest class of drug target. These receptors are located on the cell membrane and transduce extracellular signals into physiological effects within the cell. This proposal aims to develop new chemical-biology probes for selectively targeting signalling pathways mediated by these receptors using the M4 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor as an exemplar. Novel ligands that possess different binding modes to the natural ligand (i.e. allosteric and bitopic ligands) will be developed and their potential to act as pathway selective agents that can preferentially activate the desired signalling pathways and reduce unwanted side effects will be explored. Field of research: 3101 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology A significant challenge in the life sciences is understanding how chemicals outside the cell signal to proteins inside the cell, how this produces a biological response and how these responses can be controlled by synthetic molecules. G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest family of cell surface signalling proteins and are responsible for the regulation of numerous vital physiological functions. They are also an important drug target, with over 30% of currently approved pharmaceuticals acting at these receptors. Despite their importance, much remains to be learned about the way in which small molecules regulate GPCRs. This project will generate new knowledge on how these receptors signal into the cell to produce their associated biological effects and will also develop novel approaches to control these processes. These goals will be achieved by developing tool molecules which interact with these receptors via novel binding modes that confer greater selectivity for the desired biological response and reduce unwanted side effects. In terms of expected outcomes, the proof of concept achieved in this study has the potential to advance new paradigms for the development bioactive molecules with more selective modes of action. This would provide significant benefits to Australia such as the generation of new intellectual property as well as the catalysis of commercial/translational activity and has the potential to afford significant downstream health benefits.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Encoding Material Agency: Generative Design for a Sustainable Future. This project aims to revolutionise design methodologies by controlling the spontaneous dynamics of emergent systems with the guidance of new artificial intelligence techniques. The project expects to develop novel design processes that embed material behaviour within agent-based and machine learning computational design strategies. Expected outcomes of this project include new design knowledge demonstrated through architectural prototypes that fuse computational design, robotic craftsmanship, and biomaterials. This should provide significant benefits by opening new territories in architectural creativity while delivering a sustainable blueprint to minimise waste, curtail mineral reliance, and reduce the carbon footprint of construction. Field of research: 3301 - Architecture Architectural design and construction are currently facing major sustainability challenges, as building construction accounts for 18% of the nation’s carbon emissions and 25% of materials end up as waste. Recent progress in robotic 3D printing offers promising solutions for sustainable material fabrication, especially using renewable biomaterials. However, current generative computational design systems struggle to effectively design with these complex, heterogeneous materials. This project will accelerate digital transformation in Australia’s creative industries by enabling practical realisation of radically new forms of design. By creating zero-emission, sustainable prototypes, it will promote awareness and adoption among design professionals, yielding environmental, economic, and cultural benefits and advancing Australian design innovation. Additionally, the project will help catalyse innovation in building construction and enhance the uptake of additive manufacturing. The research will be disseminated through architectural demonstrators, academic papers, online media, and open-source code libraries. Architectural demonstrator projects will showcase the research’s direct application to architectural design. A public media hub will provide access to computer code, material processes, robotic configurations, and other essential data for fabricating with biomaterials, allowing others to replicate and expand on the project's research.

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Knowledge Enriched Approach for Effective Personalization Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Unravelling evolutionary effects of mitochondria on sperm and male... Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Impact of biased agonism at the GLP-1R in the treatment of obesity and... Category: Medical Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Harnessing disease tolerance and immune protection to treat fungal... Category: Medical Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Innovating diagnostics, antibiotic treatment, and prevention strategies... Category: Medical Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Spatiotemporal patterning of dendritic computations and learning by... Category: Medical Research

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2025 · 2025-01

Personalising brain care in preterm babies Category: Medical Research