University of Adelaide – 2002
2002 – $1.5 million capital works grant
Types of Cancer: Leukaemia
Research Institution: Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Adelaide, S.A.
Director of Research: Associate Professor Shaun McColl
Feature Outcome:
Construction of various laboratories to enable the establishment of the Adelaide Proteomics Centre and the purchase of proteomics equipment housed within the Centre. (Proteomics is the large-scale study of gene expression at the protein level that ultimately will provide direct measurement of protein expression levels and information on the activity state and function of all proteins).
Click here for bios on Professor Shaun McColl and other Adelaide researchers involved in this project.
Background / Overview:
The Adelaide Proteomics Centre, supported with funds by the Australian Cancer Research Foundation, will offer researchers in the School of Molecular and Biomedical Science and the Hanson Institute and researchers in Adelaide a state of the art Proteomics facility. The Proteomics centre will have the latest mass spectrometry technology to identify proteins and their post-translational modification.
The Centre will also provide researchers with the latest technology in differential fluorescence and isotopic labelling of complex protein mixtures, including their separation and imaging, in order to provide direct measurement of protein expression levels.
Further details / Outcomes:
Molecular biology has revolutionised our understanding of how living systems work, providing completely new tools to monitor and intervene in the operation of living systems. Advances in molecular biology, and in particular the genomics revolution, have opened up new investigative frameworks and methodologies for understanding and treating diseases such as cancer.
The genomics of organisms, particularly information about gene sequences and gene expression levels in response to various stimuli, does not translate unambiguously into information about the operation of living cells. To overcome this problem, proteomics, a powerful technique that enables direct observation of cellular molecular responses ranging from the global to the highly specific, has been developed.
This ability to directly monitor global or specific cellular protein responses is of critical importance for the advancement of our understanding of pathological processes such as those related to cancer development. Cancer researchers in Adelaide need direct access to this equipment to maintain and extend their leading edge research.
Expected benefits of the Adelaide Proteomics Centre to cancer research outcomes
This state-of-the-art technology will enable scientists in Adelaide to extend their nationally and internationally-recognized leadership in cancer research. The Proteomics Centre will provide a focus and impetus for increased productivity in cancer research.
