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Honours
An Honours degree is a year-long independent research project that can be done following the successful completion of a Bachelor’s degree. Students spend the year in a laboratory in their chosen field conducting research and producing a thesis under the supervision of an academic staff member. An Honours degree allows students to deepen their understanding of a research topic through intensive practical work. Employers regard an Honours degree as a significant indicator of achievement and potential and it paves the way for entry into a Masters or PhD program.
QBI offers students the opportunity to do their Honours project at QBI and under the supervision of QBI researchers. However, students must enrol through, and gain permission from one of the University's teaching schools. Participation in an Honours project at QBI allows students to engage with and experience the rich intellectual resources and facilities of QBI.
Current Honours Projects Available at QBI
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Sensory systems
No projects are currently being advertised in this field. Please either e-mail directly the Group Leader(s) whose research is of interest or contact Dr. Blake Chapman, RHD Recruitment Officer at qbistudents@uq.edu.au for further information. -
Synaptic functions
No projects are currently being advertised in this field. Please either e-mail directly the Group Leader(s) whose research is of interest or contact Dr. Blake Chapman, RHD Recruitment Officer at qbistudents@uq.edu.au for further information. -
Neurogenesis and neuronal survival
Investigation of the development of the subcommissural organ
The subcommissural organ (SCO) is a small secretory organ located in the diencephalon that plays an important role in maintaining the flow of cerebrospinal fluid from the third to the fourth ventricles of the brain. Defects to SCO development have been linked to disorders such as congenital hydrocephalus. Despite its importance, our understanding of the molecular determinants regulating SCO development remain limited. In this project we will investigate how SCO development is co-ordinated during embryogenesis, with a particular emphasis on the role played by one group of transcription factors in particular, the NFI family.
Group Leader: Dr Michael Piper Contact: m.piper@uq.edu.au
Adult Neurogenesis
The adult brain contains neural stem cells that continue to make new neurons throughout life. Research in the Cooper lab has identified signaling molecules that may be harnessed to promote the birth of new neurons and their migration to damaged regions of the brain. The development of effective endogenous stem cell-based therapeutic strategies to promote neurogenesis and migration would be a major step forward in achieving functional recovery in the damaged brain.
Group Leader: Associate Professor Helen Cooper Contact: h.cooper@uq.edu.au -
Genetics and epigenetics
No projects are currently being advertised in this field. Please either e-mail directly the Group Leader(s) whose research is of interest or contact Dr. Blake Chapman, RHD Recruitment Officer at qbistudents@uq.edu.au for further information. -
Neuronal development and connectivity
Discover and study novel genes involved in axonal degeneration in C. elegans neurons
How neurons can maintain their axonal structure and function over time is not well understood. Axonal degeneration is a critical and common feature of many peripheral neuropathies, neurodegenerative diseases and nerve injuries. The genetic factors and the cellular mechanisms that prevent axonal degeneration under normal conditions and that trigger it under pathological ones are still largely unknown. We aim to use C. elegans genetics to identify the molecules and the mechanisms that control these processes.
Group Leader: Dr Massimo Hilliard Contact: m.hilliard@uq.edu.auCharacterize the membrane dynamics and synaptic distribution during axonal regeneration in C. elegans neurons
How some axons can regenerate after nerve damage while others cannot is a crucial question in neurobiology, and the answers will be of great value for the medical handling of neurodegenerative diseases and of traumatic nerve injuries. Largely unknown are the molecules and the mechanisms underlying this important biological process. In C. elegans, a new laser-based technology allows single neuron axotomy in living animals, and axonal regeneration can now be visualised in real-time and tackled with a genetic approach. Our goal is to identify the genes and conditions that control this fascinating process.
Group Leader: Dr Massimo Hilliard Contact: m.hilliard@uq.edu.auFormation of the Neocortex
The intricate neural architecture of the 6-layered mammalian neocortex is dependent on the ability of neural stem cells to differentiate into new neurons. These young neurons must then migrate into the correct cortical layers. In humans, mutations in genes controlling these processes have severe consequences for cortical development leading to intractable epilepsy, mental retardation, schizophrenia, dyslexia and autism.
Group Leader: Associate Professor Helen Cooper Contact: h.cooper@uq.edu.auAxon Navigation in the Growing Brain
The corpus callosum is the major axon tract connecting the left and right hemispheres in the human neocortex. There are more than 50 different human congenital syndromes, often associated with mental retardation and epilepsy, in which this axon tract fails to develop. This project aims to identify molecular targets that can be manipulated to encourage axon regrowth and correct pathfinding in the damaged human brain and spinal chord.
Group Leader: Associate Professor Helen Cooper Contact: h.cooper@uq.edu.auMechanisms of axon guidance and visual map formation
Professor Goodhill's lab uses theoretical, computational and experimental techniques to investigate how biological nervous systems become wired up during development. Current work is primarily focused on how growing axons find their targets by detecting molecular gradients, and how topographic maps form in the zebrafish optic tectum and the mammalian visual cortex. Honours projects are available in all of these areas.
Group Leader: Professor Geoffrey Goodhill Contact: g.goodhill@uq.edu.au -
Computation and neuronal circuits
Mechanisms of axon guidance and visual map formation
Professor Goodhill's lab uses theoretical, computational and experimental techniques to investigate how biological nervous systems become wired up during development. Current work is primarily focused on how growing axons find their targets by detecting molecular gradients, and how topographic maps form in the zebrafish optic tectum and the mammalian visual cortex. Honours projects are available in all of these areas.
Group Leader: Professor Geoffrey Goodhill Contact: g.goodhill@uq.edu.au -
Cognition and behaviour
No projects are currently being advertised in this field. Please either e-mail directly the Group Leader(s) whose research is of interest or contact Dr. Blake Chapman, RHD Recruitment Officer at qbistudents@uq.edu.au for further information. -
Ageing Dementia Research
The role of geriatric conditions in Alzheimer’s (AD) pathology – a combinatorial approach
We have crossed tau mutant mice (a model of the tau pathology in Alzheimer’s disease) with SAMP8 mice (a strain with accelerated senescence) to determine whether a geriatric condition can accelerate the pathology in mice that are pre-disposed to develop a tau pathology. By determining SNPs that are associated with the SAMP8 phenotype we aim to identify modifiers of the tau pathology, to obtain a better insight into AD pathogenesis and to use this information for a therapy. - Basic expertise in molecular and biochemical techniques is required, while experience in animal experimentation, Western blotting and immunochemical and histological techniques would be advantageous.
Group Leader: Professor Jürgen Götz Contact:j.goetz@uq.edu.auPhysiological function of tau, a protein with a central role in Alzheimer’s disease
The laboratory has an increasing interest in understanding the function of the three murine and six human tau isoforms. This is not a pure academic exercise as in frontotemporal dementia a slight change in isoform composition over time is sufficient to cause neurodegeneration and dementia. The project will involve developing tools such as monoclonal antibodies and using confocal microscopy and mass spectrometry to determine the specific role of the tau isoforms. A further project is in understanding site-specific phosphorylation under physiological conditions as 20% of tau’s amino acids can be potentially phosphorylated. - Basic expertise in tissue culture and biochemical techniques is required, while experience in proteomics, mass spectrometry, Western blotting and immunochemical and histological techniques would be advantageous.
Group Leader: Professor Jürgen Götz Contact:j.goetz@uq.edu.auSelective vulnerability
The K369I tau-expressing K3 mouse strain is characterized by a progressive loss of TH (tyrosine hydroxylase)-positive neurons in the substantia nigra. By two years of age, 60% of the TH-positive neurons are gone. What protects some neurons while others degenerate others is not understood. The project will involve Affymetrix screening in mice followed by a rescue in the roundworm C. elegans followed by a therapy in the K3 mice using viral (AAV) methods. It will further involve the mapping of protein/protein interactions to develop a potential therapy. - Basic expertise in cell culture and molecular biology techniques is required, while experience in transcriptomics, biochemistry techniques including western blotting, and animal experimentation would be advantageous.
Group Leader: Professor Jürgen Götz Contact:j.goetz@uq.edu.auMechanisms of tau-mediated Aβ toxicity
The protein tau and the peptide Abeta form the two key lesions in the Alzheimer brain, the neurofibrillary tangles and the amyloid plaques. Tau is essential for Abeta to mediate its toxic effects including excitotoxic signaling. This project will assess the structural changes in the spine that make mice in which the interaction of NMDAR and PSD95 has been transiently disrupted permanently resistant to Abeta toxicity. The project will further address the role of these interactions in learning and memory using transgenesis and complementary mouse and C. elegans models. - Basic expertise in biochemistry and molecular biology techniques is required, while some experience in animal experimentation (including behaviour), biochemistry techniques including western blotting, and histology would be advantageous.
Group Leader: Professor Jürgen Götz Contact:j.goetz@uq.edu.au
How to Proceed
Interested students should familiarise themselves with the disorders researched and research themes of QBI. Students may e-mail the Group Leader(s) whose research is of interest or contact Dr. Blake Chapman, RHD Recruitment Officer at qbistudents@uq.edu.au or +61 7 3346 6364 for further information or assistance.
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