Author: Bree

 When Dr Karen Massel, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Crop Science, part of UQ’s Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI) is working with cutting edge biotechnological tools to edit the genes of grains, she has globally significant goals in mind. 

Goals such as securing food supplies in the face of climate challenges and global population growth. By improving crops for productivity, climate resilience (against drought tolerance, abiotic stress tolerance) and sustainability.

“Farmers have been manipulating the DNA of plants using conventional breeding technologies for millennia, and now with emerging gene-editing technologies, we can do this with unprecedented safety, precision and speed,” says Dr Massel.

“If you want to bring in a trait from a wild crop and bring it into a commercial breeding line, it takes 10-15 years. It is now possible to substantially compress the time it takes to bring about crop improvements … I can do it in one year in my lab.” 

“Using biotech tools such as CRISPR9, instead of putting large fragments of genes from other species we are making extremely small, targeted changes to the genome to tweak the genetic code and get rid of traits you don’t want..”

“This type of gene editing mimics the way cells repair in nature.” 

Energy-rich cereal crops such as wheat, rice, maize and sorghum provide two-thirds of the world’s food energy intake. 

“Just 15 plant crops provide 90 per cent of the world’s food calories,” Dr Massel said. 

“It’s a race between a changing climate and plant breeders’ ability to produce crops with genetic resilience that grow well in adverse conditions and have enriched nutritional qualities. 

“The problem is that it takes too long for breeders to detect and make that genetic diversity available to farmers, with a breeding cycle averaging about 15 years for cereal crops.” 

“Plus CRISPR allows us to do things we can’t do through conventional breeding in terms of generating novel diversity and improving breeding for desirable traits.”

Gene editing to prevent white button mushrooms from browning 

One example of gene editing improving crop production is preventing white button mushrooms from browning. 

“When you slice or bruise a white button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus), it turns brown in minutes. This browning happens due to an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase (‘PPO’) being released from damaged cells and reacting with oxygen, producing brown pigments.

Using CRISPR-Cas9 the researchers were able to successfully disable one of the genes that codes for PPO to prevent discolouring. 

“Less PPO means the mushroom resists browning and holds its fresh, creamy-white look much longer after being cut or handled and therefore extending shelf life,” she explains. 

Going with the grain: genetic modifications on Queensland sorghum

Driving through southern and central parts of Queensland it’s easy to mistake fields of sorghum for corn. Sorghum, worth an estimated $1.2 billion in annual exports in 2024-25, is a staple for more than half a billion people worldwide.

In sorghum, Dr Massel and her research team have developed genetic modifications that double grain protein digestibility, improve water-use efficiency through canopy redesign, and enhance planting density for higher yields. 

“Sorghum’s grain protein is hard to digest…due to a family of storage proteins called kafirins… .. we edited the plant’s genes to unlock the digestibility level of the available proteins and to boost its nutritional value for humans and livestock.”

“In places such as Queensland, crop production quality and yield is influenced by impacted by climate variability including drought, flooding and high temperatures.”

“Our work is significant because it shows how using these tools we can be used to stack a variety of edits together for broad improvements in the crops,” says Massel. 

“This has allowed researchers to also develop more nutritious crops with improved drought resistance, which is becoming increasingly important as climate variabilities, which will have large impacts for dryland crops such as sorghum.”  

“In efforts to improve drought resilience we have modified the canopy architecture and root architecture of both sorghum and barley using gene editing to improve water use efficiency.” 

“Altering how the plant’s leaves are arranged and angled (‘canopy’) can improve light capture for photosynthesis and reduce its water requirements. Similarly, through changes in root system architecture, the plant should be able to access more water and nutrients from different soil profiles to capture better inputs especially during times of drought,” she explained.

Productivity and sustainability: expanding reach into tropical pasture grasses

Dr Massel’s research is expanding into tropical pasture grasses, with a focus on improving both productivity and environmental sustainability.

Reducing agriculture’s carbon footprint by developing low-emissions solutions is an important step that toward a more sustainable and climate-resilient production system. 

In her research, Dr Massel’s team are developing novel tissue culture protocols and gene edited pasture grasses aimed to improve livestock nutrition while also introducing anti-methanogenic traits to reduce the methane produced during digestion.  

Dr Massel describes the next 10 years as an exciting window in which to mature tools such as CRISPR9.

“We have a real opportunity to explore the potential of these tools in less studied crops and get products into the field.”

Along the west coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria, in East Arnhem Land, the Easterly winds send plastic tumbling along the shorelines. Hundreds of pieces of flotsam and jetsam nudge the feet of the Dhimurru Rangers.

The Dhimurru Rangers are part of a collective of First Nations ranger groups from across Arnhem Land undertaking programs to remove ghost nets. They are protectors and nurturers of Sea Country, its people and wildlife, carefully removing plastic waste reaching deep into the Gulf from places as far flung as the Arafura and Timor Seas and the Torres Strait.

The Rangers’ utes feature specialised equipment such as cranes to hoist bigger pieces, like ghost nets, off the sands. Ghost nets are just one part of a much  bigger waste problem, with an assortment of items, from microplastics to bottles, cigarette lighters, fishing lures, toothbrushes, and lolly wrappers to fishing ropes and fuel canisters. Thousands of tonnes of rubbish is strewn along hundreds of kilometres of coastline, which is a daily reality faced by First Nations rangers from Broome to Cape York.

Tackling ocean plastic pollution and educating communities 

“The ghost nets and the debris accumulate, posing a threat to ocean life… and the consequences for communities and Country are significant,” says Dr Nina Wootton, a marine researcher at Adelaide University’s Gillanders Aquatic Ecology Lab in the School of Biological Sciences. Dr Wootton is dedicated to tackling ocean plastic pollution and helping to educate communities. She leads research on microplastics in seafood, helps develop better ways to study marine plastics, and is the lead author on a microplastic sampling manual in coastal environments in Australia. 

Plastic pollution in the marine environment is a pervasive and escalating problem, impacting ecosystems from coastal habitats to the deep sea. Persistent plastics can smother habitats, introduce toxic compounds, and be ingested by marine life, leading to injury, reduced fitness, and even mortality across a wide range of species. 

Ghost nets are abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear in oceans, lakes and rivers. These nets drift through the water, snagging and smothering coral and other critical habitats, while entangling and killing marine animals. These durable synthetic materials can take hundreds of years to break down, continuing to cause harm long after they are lost. 

Gulf of Carpentaria a hotspot for marine debris

Global expansion is suspected as the source of many of the nets and over 15,000 nets have been found and documented in the Gulf of Carpentaria alone, CSIRO figures reveal.

“The impacts are everywhere in the natural environment … places where Traditional Owners hunt, the animals, culturally significant sites, too,” says Wootton.

Toys for Turtles: transforming and repurposing plastic debris 

Dr Wootton, through the North-east Arnhem Land community, leads a marine conservation and education initiative, Toys for Turtles. The initiative was designed in collaboration with the Dhimurru Aboriginal Corporation and engages schools and the Northeast Arnhem Land community.

Through Toys for Turtles, plastic debris collected during beach cleanups is being repurposed into new, usable items. Pot plant holders, games, keyrings and soap dishes are just some of the items being made with specialised plastic recycling machinery. Ranger groups have helped design specialised moulds with local language names or symbols and these finished goods are sold at local festivals, or via other channels. 

“Marine debris is a huge problem for the environment and wildlife in Northern Australia, including the culturally significant sea turtle,” Dr Wootton says. “With the turtle representing the marine life we want to protect, this project works with the Dhimurru Rangers, Yirralka Rangers and local students to combat the plastic problem.”

On science excursions and in other settings, local students learn about marine debris by removing and surveying plastics. Recycling machinery is processing up to 5kg of plastic per hour at recycling hubs in three locations across north-east Arnhem Land. This project is funded through the Ghost Nets Innovative Solution Grants, funded through Parks Australia (DCCEEW). There is also funding through the Max Day Environmental Fellowship (Australian Academy of Sciences) and the Cybec Foundation to further expand the work, looking at microplastic contamination in local seafood sources, and expanding locations to the Tiwi islands.

Turning the tide, scratching the surface 

Toys for Turtles is one part of a broader body of work being undertaken by Wootton, including quantifying microplastics in seafood, investigating the impacts of plastics on wildlife health, and partnering with fisheries and aquaculture to reduce plastic use and loss across supply chains.

“Encouragingly, there is growing momentum in this space,” says Wootton. 

“Initiatives led by researchers, Indigenous ranger groups, industry stakeholders, and organisations such as the Ghost Nets program are demonstrating that collaborative, on-ground action can make a tangible difference.” 

Co-ordinated, sustained effort by government, industry and community is needed

Wootton suggests that while these efforts are beginning to turn the tide on marine debris, they are only scratching the surface of what is needed.

“Addressing marine debris at scale will require stronger, coordinated action, including greater investment, improved policy frameworks, and meaningful partnerships that centre local and Indigenous knowledge. A sustained push from governments, industry, and the broader community is essential to reduce plastic production, improve waste management, and prevent debris from entering marine ecosystems in the first place.” 

Ghost Nets Australia has three main goals related to the reduction of marine debris. By 2030, they want no ghost gear from international sources washing up in Northern Australia, no ghost gear from recreational fishing and a circular program for end-of-life fishing gear in the commercial sector.

Read more about Dr Nina Wootton’s work here:
https://researchers.adelaide.edu.au/profile/nina.wootton 

Read about Toys for Turtles:
https://www.toysforturtles.com/about 

Explore products made by Ranger groups from recovered plastics:
https://yirralkamiyalk.com/products/marine-debris-soap-dish
 

The treatment of burns and other injuries requiring skin grafts is slated for significant improvements following a world-first innovation by researchers at Metro North Health and UQ’s Frazer Institute.

The breakthrough is the development of a complete skin replica containing blood vessels and immune cells. By incorporating these critical components, the model more closely replicates real human skin, allowing researchers to better study wound healing, inflammation, infection, and gain insight into how patients may respond to treatments before they attend a clinic.

Stem cells were used to successfully grow a ‘replica’ of human skin, known as skin organoids, complete with all skin layers. These include hair follicles, sebaceous glands, pigmentation, and nerves, and now, blood vessels, capillaries and immune cells.

“Advancements in stem cell research have enabled us to grow mini versions of skin by taking human skin cells and reprogramming them into induced pluripotent stem cells*, which can be turned into almost any type of cell in the body,” explains Dr Abbas Shafiee, UQ Frazer Institute Researcher and Metro North Health Practitioner.

“We used these same stem cells to create vascular organoids, tiny living networks of blood vessels, and added these into the growing skin organoids to generate vascularised skin organoids.”

Transforming understanding of human skin development

Dr Shafiee said the research is an exciting step forward that will transform researchers’ understanding of human skin development, wound healing, inflammatory skin diseases, and future regenerative treatments.

“For many years, recreating the complexity of real human skin, particularly the integration of blood vessels, has been a significant challenge. Bringing together advances in stem cell biology, vascular biology, and organoid engineering developed over many years of research is what made our innovation possible.”

Skin graft transplants transformed by innovation

“Looking ahead, having these skin replica for research will transform how we study skin diseases and develop new therapies. In the longer term, they have the potential to revolutionise skin graft transplants and regenerative medicine, particularly for patients with severe burns, chronic wounds and genetic skin disorders.

“Unlike traditional biological skin models, our skin organoids closely mimic the structure of real human skin, including blood vessels and immune cells. This is critical, as successful skin grafting relies on how well transplanted skin integrates with the patient’s body, establishing blood supply, responding to inflammation and resisting infection.

“Our model allows the study of living human skin in ways that were not previously possible,” Dr Shafiee said.

“The skin organoids can grow and change over time in the laboratory. This enables us to study how human skin develops, how diseases emerge and progress, and how different treatments affect skin function over time.”

Learnings from this research could be used to accelerate the development of new treatments for skin wounds, and the next generation of skin grafts.

“Burns and treating burns is complex. There are so many variables in terms of how a burn will behave, likelihood of infection, extent of scarring, frequency/volume of skin grafts and revision surgery – as well as longer term complications such as chronic inflammation before skin ‘products’ are considered safe and reliable.

“Our technology changes that by providing a more predictive platform for developing new therapies before they are tested in patients.”

Dr Shafiee said that previously when researchers wanted to study skin, animals, particularly rodents, were used to study skin biology and test treatments. While valuable, rodent skin differs from human skin in structure, composition, immune response, healing processes and hair follicle biology, limiting how well findings translate to patients.

The Burns Registry of Australia and New Zealand for example records around 3,000 major burns admissions annually. Of these, approximately 70% of adult patients and over 50% of paediatric patients who undergo surgical wound procedures require skin grafts.

“This skin model will enable us to further progress those treatments, along with wound healing, regenerative medicine and precision dermatology by providing a more realistic human platform for testing therapies and understanding diseases. At the same time, we are continuing to improve the functionality of our skin organoid models.”

A new generation of research and regenerative therapies

Achieving the successful integration of blood supply and immune cells to this skin model was a six-year undertaking**.

While this innovation is already providing new opportunities to study human skin development, its use as a therapeutic skin graft for patients is still some years away.

“The possibilities are incredibly exciting,” Dr Shafiee says. “This breakthrough opens the door to a new generation of research and regenerative therapies, and it is a space worth watching closely in the years ahead.”

Further information

The research received funding from Metro North Health and was conducted at the Translational Research Institute.

• Vascularised skin replica model
• Skin replica model developed before the vascularised version:
  • Development of Physiologically Relevant Skin Organoids from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
  • The empowering influence of air-liquid interface culture on skin organoid hair follicle development

• Dr Shafiee’s commentary on the potential of Skin Organoids as a New Biological Standard

*Pluripotent stem cells are remarkable cells that can continuously renew themselves and develop into almost any cell type in the human body. This unique ability makes them a powerful tool for researchers seeking to understand embryonic development, uncover disease mechanisms, and develop new treatments.

**Team members included Jane Sun, and Mitchell Mostina, who were Research Assistant and PhD candidate, respectively, at the time of this discovery. The study was co-led by Professor Kiarash Khosrotehrani, a clinician scientist and dermatologist at the UQ Frazer Institute.

Within interactive gaming, it remains uncommon for players to engage with virtual experiences that portray significant cultural ceremonies. 

But this is exactly what Rhett Loban set out to do through Torres Strait Virtual Reality (TSVR), with a storyline based on the Tombstone Opening ceremony, a significant cultural gathering held at the end of the mourning period for loved ones who have passed away. 

The project demonstrates how virtual reality (VR) can become a vehicle for deep cultural representation and communication to audiences.  

Communicating culture through immersive technology 

The ceremony depicted in TSVR is the Tombstone Opening, a deeply significant Torres Strait Islander cultural practice that brings together families from across the Islands and mainland Australia to pay respects and remember a family member or loved on who has passed away. 

Within the virtual environment the player takes on the role of someone involved in the Tombstone Opening preparation.  

The player participates in activities connected to cultural life and preparation for the ceremony. Gathering dugong and turtle for the feast, travelling to northern islands to obtain items from Papua New Guinean traders, and encountering native flora and fauna. 

The project also incorporates Torres Strait stories and cosmologies through constellation imagery, narrated storytelling (by an Elder) and encounters with Torres Strait Islander story characters. 

Respectfully sharing Torres Strait stories in immersive media 

“There was not much Torres Strait Islander representation or knowledge depicted in digital game or interactive immersive media.” Rhett says.  

“I created the game because I felt Torres Strait Islander culture was not widely known or depicted in interactive immersive media. I wanted to help young people and students engage with Torres Strait Islander culture.”

Developing a digital experience that is culturally sound 

To help ensure the experience was both well designed as a digital experience and aligned with cultural protocols, and an Elder and the Torres Strait Islander community were involved throughout the game development.  

The team was led by a Torres Strait Islander (Rhett) with an Elder embedded into the team who was helping shape the game and also creating game assets in the form of narrator’s voice and drawings of constellations that would be depicted at night. During playtests and quality assurance process, the team engaged with community for input as a part of an iterative cultural protocol and the software development process. 

“The Torres Strait stories, knowledge practices and depictions were constructed from the Elder and various community members’ input, external research, cultural stories/knowledge passed down and the product of interactions between Rhett,  the Elder and community. 

From game design into new contexts 

The game is being applied in a wide range of educational contexts. 

For example, Rhett worked with a fellow academic to implement TSVR in an environmental policy course. TSVR showed how different laws, policies and treaties were established to facilitate various existing cultural practices and relationships which were depicted through the VR experience. 

“You’re engaging the senses in a variety of ways – seeing environments change from day to night, being guided from one environment to the next, collecting drums, mats, harpoons and spears, being led by a narrator. You are immersed in the story and environment. This is very powerful and could help provide a greater understanding and context to what’s being studied or read in a book.” 

For Rhett, the broader goal is to create digital experiences shaped by Indigenous perspectives and cultural understandings. 

“The cultural focus is key to integrating culture into games where cultural depictions are more than visual objects, but rather, reflections of deep cultural understandings of the world,” he says.

Dr Rhett Loban is the Director of Indigenous Education in the School of Computer Science, and Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology at the University of Technology Sydney.   

He is the author of ‘Embedding Culture into Video Games and Game Design’, a book that helps game designers and those interested in games to thoughtfully embed culture into video games and the game design process.

Fishing supports the livelihoods of at least 34 million people and feeds billions, but it is also one of the biggest drivers of marine biodiversity decline. This introduces a fundamental tension: how do we keep seafood on our plates while protecting the ecosystems that produce it?

Associate Professor Carissa Klein is an ARC Future Fellow at The University of Queensland and Director of the Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science. Klein is a conservation scientist and leads The Ocean Conservation Team, a group of students and post-doctoral researchers focused on developing science to support marine and coastal conservation. Sustainable seafood is one of Associate Professor Klein’s key research areas.

Her work follows seafood from ocean to plate: how is it caught, where it comes from and how it travels through global trade networks.

Australia has an imported seafood problem

In Australia, 60-70% of the seafood we consume is imported (and that’s 12–15kg per person). Most of these imports come from a small number of countries, many with weaker environmental protections, higher risks of illegal fishing, and greater vulnerability to labour exploitation.

A/Prof Klein says this effectively exports Australia’s environmental and socioeconomic impacts of its seafood consumption to other countries, placing pressure on ecosystems and communities far beyond ours.

“This happens in other regions such as Europe, and countries such as the US and the UK.”

“Imported seafood may come from countries with weaker environmental protections, poor labour standards, illegal fishing practices, weaker fisheries management, and limited social and political protections.”

But tracing exactly where that seafood comes from, and under what conditions it was caught, is far harder than it sounds. By the time seafood reaches a plate, its origins are almost impossible to trace.

Fish and chips, with a catch

Mislabelling and complex seafood supply chains mean most Australians are making seafood purchase decisions without knowing the type of seafood or whether it is sustainably sourced. Klein encourages consumers to be proactive.

“If you don’t know where your seafood is from or what species you are eating, don’t buy it,” Klein suggests. “Refer to sustainable seafood guides, like MSC or the Good Fish Guide. For instance, if you’re told it’s ‘ocean trout’ ask questions. What species is it? Is it wild caught or farmed? Make careful and informed choices.”

Preventing fishy imports entering Australia

Despite the growing reliance on imported seafood globally, only three countries have implemented legislation to regulate whether the seafood arriving at their borders was legally caught. Australia is not one of them, though efforts to develop such a policy have been crawling along for years.

Consumer countries such as Australia have the opportunity to use their market power to raise the bar. The goal is not just better paperwork, but a coordinated global front against illegal fishing. Better traceability and stronger verification of legal origin could reduce the likelihood of illegal seafood entering Australian markets.

Seafood labelling guidelines a limiting factor

Whether at fish and chip shops, or restaurants, most Australians find it challenging to determine what seafood is sustainable.

“‘Fish’ can refer to almost anything,” says Klein.

“When we order wine, we know the grape. We care so much about where our beef or eggs come from. With fish, consumers often cannot tell which species they are eating, where it originated, how it was caught, or whether it is sustainable.”

New laws coming into effect this year will require seafood to be labelled as imported, Australian or mixed; a step forward, but one that falls short of what consumers need to make informed choices.

“Australia needs laws that require more stringent labels on seafood sold – whether at a fish and chip shop, a restaurant, or a supermarket. Together with consistent sustainable seafood certification, labelling laws could help make the consumption of more sustainable seafood the easy, default choice.”

Can commercial fishing and conservation coexist? A look at Southern Bluefin Tuna

The story of Southern Bluefin Tuna is a rare piece of good news. Historically overfished, it was listed as conservation dependent under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act 1999 in the early 2000s.

The Southern Bluefin Tuna is a major export species, but robust fisheries management and international collaboration have helped support its recovery and was delisted in 2024, demonstrating that commercial fishing and conservation can coexist,

Plenty more fish in the sea?

“Deep contradictions exist in the Australian context,” Klein explains.
Klein’s research team has identified multiple marine species that are both listed under the EPBC Act and subject to commercial fishing, four of which are legally exported from Australia: the orange roughy, blue warehou, school shark and, until recently, southern bluefin tuna.

We are working to protect some marine species in our waters while we continue to export them.”

“Why are we still catching and selling species we are trying to protect?”

It points to a persistent gap between conservation intent and industry practice, one that Australia’s key environmental legislation, the EPBC Act, has so far been unable to close.

“Further reform is needed to Australia’s environmental laws, as threatened fish species continue to be legally caught and exported.”

Policy tension

The EPBC Act is designed to protect vulnerable species and ecosystems yet operates alongside commercial fisheries and export industries. It has been under long-term review for years.

From imported seafood to domestic fisheries, from mislabelling to illegal fishing, the challenge is the same: aligning what we catch, trade and consume with what we are trying to protect.

Until then, Australia’s seafood industry will continue to reflect fundamental contradictions. Ultimately, the sustainability of what ends up on our plate depends on what we choose to buy and consume.

Ella Legg, with insights from A/Prof Carissa Klein.

Microbes living in soils in Australia’s coastal areas, inland agricultural regions and vast deserts may hold important links to the next generation of antibiotics for humans and animals. 

Dr Zeinab Khalil, a 2024 ARC Future Fellow whose work focuses on “Towards the sustainable discovery and development of new antibiotics” is at the centre of this effort. 

Based at the UQ Biosustainability Hub, part of the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology at The University of Queensland, Dr Khalil is an internationally recognised expert in microbial natural product biodiscovery, medicinal chemistry and metabolomics. 

Her work is aimed at countering the growing global threat of antimicrobial resistance in humans, animals and agriculture while doing so in ways that protect ecosystems. 

Turning microbial diversity into sustainable solutions 

Through her ARC Future Fellowship, Dr Khalil is building BLOOM. BLOOM, which stands for Biosustainable Life Out Of Microbes, is an integrated research platform dedicated to unlocking the potential of microbes collected from diverse environments including soils, marine ecosystems, plants seaweeds and host-associated microbiomes. 

“Through our BLOOM program we are turning microbial diversity from nature into practical, sustainable innovations for health, agriculture and the environment,” she says. 

BLOOM brings together microbial discovery, chemistry, genomics, protein analysis and metabolomics techniques that allow scientists to identify, characterise and understand the molecules microbes produce to bridge the gap between fundamental scientific discovery and real‑world application, discovering new, useful molecules and developing them at scale. 

From citizen science to deep discovery 

Dr Khalil previously directed Soils for Science, Australia’s first citizen science program designed to engage the public in studying soil microbes. That experience helped shape both her scientific approach and her commitment to collaboration.  

“My ARC Fellowship is enabling me to study microbes at a far more in‑depth level than before, moving from discovery alone to understanding microbial chemistry, genetics and biosynthetic potential in detail,” she says. “Through this integrated, multidisciplinary approach is how we find the next generation of drug leads.” 

This deeper level of analysis allows her team to explore not just whether a microbe produces a useful compound, but how stable, scalable and sustainable that production could be. 

Why microbes matter across every sector 

Microbes have largely been overlooked as a source of future biosustainable solutions, despite historically underpinning many of the most transformative discoveries in medicine and agriculture. Many of the world’s most important antibiotics, antifungals and bioactive compounds including penicillin and streptomycin were originally derived from microorganisms. 

“If you look around,” Dr Khalil says, “most antibiotics and many other drugs and natural products all came from microbes. What interests me is biosustainability – beyond soil microbes and in marine environments, plants, animal guts, and even the human gut.” 

Many microbes, and the compounds they produce, support human health, regulate immune systems, protect crops, improve soil structure and strengthen ecosystems. For example, soil microbes can suppress plant pathogens and promote healthier crop growth, while microbes in the human gut produce metabolites that influence immunity and overall health. Yet in Australia, one of the world’s most microbially diverse continents, this resource remains largely unexplored. 

“Australia spans bushland, deserts, beaches and marine environments,” she says. “Within these lie enormous chemical diversity that could help solve some of the world’s most pressing global concerns, such as antimicrobial resistance to sustainable agriculture and environmental restoration.” 

Rethinking agriculture and environmental impact 

BLOOM’s work is timely in agriculture, where reliance on synthetic fungicides is increasing resistance, reducing soil biodiversity, polluting waterways and creating resistant pathogens. 

“Growers are facing increasing antifungal resistance,” Dr Khalil explains. “Often the approach is to flood environments with chemical agents. Yes, they may kill the target fungus, but they also disrupt soil microbes, accumulate in waterways, and impact aquaculture, fish and even seaweeds.” 

Microbe‑based solutions such as biological fertilisers and naturally derived antifungals offer a sustainable alternative.

Collaboration brings complementary strengths 

BLOOM brings together academia, industry, community groups and policymakers and their complementary strengths, working together in ways that that accelerate discovery-to-application pipelines, reduce time to market, and enable scalable, real-world solutions. 

This work is further strengthened through partnerships with industry leaders such as Agilent Technologies, whose advanced analytical platforms support high-resolution metabolomic profiling and accelerate the identification of novel bioactive compounds. These collaborations ensure that discoveries are not only scientifically robust, but also scalable and ready for translation into practical solutions. 

Through the UQ Biosustainability Hub, research teams spanning genomics, microbiology, synthetic biology and chemistry are directly paired with industrial partners to fast-track innovation from early discovery to application and commercialisation.

“We bring all parties together and ask: what real-world problems are you facing?” Dr Khalil says.  “Then we design microbial solutions to meet those needs, whether that means discovering new antibiotics, developing sustainable antifungals for agriculture, or identifying beneficial microbes for gut health and functional foods.” 

Collaborators range from international universities exploring biodegradable food packaging derived from microbial compounds, to industry partners studying gut microbes for next‑generation functional foods such as weight‑management yoghurt. 

In another collaboration, the Capricorn Conservation Council in Rockhampton is working with BLOOM to explore soil microbiomes and their role in water retention. 

The partnership includes school visits, community talks and on‑site sample collection, integrating biosustainability education alongside science innovation.

 

A growing, shared platform 

BLOOM is still in its early stages, but it is developing rapidly. The platform already includes around 250 environmental samples, yielding more than 600 microbial strains. Dr Khalil’s vision is to make BLOOM a shared international resource. 

“I want BLOOM to be a platform anyone can contribute to and benefit from,” she says. “Drug discovery is just one part. Others might study these microbes for agriculture, environmental repair or new materials.” 

For Dr Khalil, Citizen Science Month speaks to the essence of BLOOM’s philosophy: science works best when sectors share knowledge and expertise. 

“The more expertise involved … community members and students to farmers, industry and policymakers, the greater the impact we can have, and scale of discoveries we can unearth.”

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a common and usually innocuous virus that infects up to 95% of the world’s population. Typically transmitted through saliva, EBV remains in the immune system for life. In individuals with certain genetic risk factors it may later trigger problems with how the immune system behaves. While infection is often asymptomatic, a small proportion of individuals develop glandular fever. 

However, growing evidence suggests that the virus may play a much more significant role in disease pathogenesis. Research has shown that the vast majority of people who develop the complex autoimmune and neurodegenerative condition multiple sclerosis (MS) have previously been infected with EBV, indicating EBV as a key contributor to disease development.

Over the past decade, EBV-MS research has expanded rapidly, spanning large population studies, genomics, immunology and clinical trials across multiple continents. 

In Australia, more than 37,700 people are living with MS.  

Researchers around the world are investigating the connection between EBV and MS, examining whether the development of the disease may be linked to specific genetic variations, or strains, of EBV.

Dr Yuan Zhou is the lead investigator of a major Australian project (funded by MRFF) within the Australian Consortium for EBV Research in MS (ACE-MS). Dr Zhou is based at the Menzies Institute for Medical Research at the University of Tasmania. 

Coordinated by MS Australia, the ACE-MS consortium attracted participation from 20 research groups across Australia and brought together 11 major EBV projects with >$10M in funding for EBV research.   

Dr Zhou’s team is working to establish whether particular EBV genetic variants are associated with an increased risk of developing MS, with the aim of developing a risk scoring approach.
 

Building Australian EBV reference genomes 

As part of the project, a library of EBV reference genomes specifically relevant to the Australian population will be created. This resource could help inform the design of future EBV vaccines. 

“The development of a country‑specific library of EBV reference genomes is significant because EBV is not genetically uniform across populations. Its variation is shaped by geography, ethnicity and local transmission patterns,” explains Dr Zhou. 

A nationally representative EBV genome library may help identify high‑risk viral variants, enable more accurate links between EBV strain types and disease outcomes, and support the development of targeted prevention and screening strategies
 

Dr Zhou’s team, in collaboration with researchers from QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute and the University of Queensland, is working closely with interdisciplinary research teams across Asia and Europe to improve MS diagnosis, treatment and prevention. 

Key international collaborators include the Genome Institute of Singapore and partners involved in the European EBV-MS Consortium, funded through the Horizon Europe research program and comprising >10 institutions across different European countries such as the Netherlands, Switzerland and Spain.
 

“Currently, by the time MS is diagnosed, there is already damage occurring in the brain. It is hard to turn back the clock,” says Dr Zhou.
 

“If we are able to show that MS development is influenced by specific EBV strains, there may be future opportunities to prevent the disease through early or preventative interventions.” 

Part of a global research effort 

Dr Zhou says these national and international collaborations are contributing to a growing global effort to better understand the role of EBV in MS and related conditions.
 

Genomic studies form one part of a much broader body of research into EBV and MS, alongside work on EBV‑specific T‑cell therapies and clinical trials investigating their use in people with MS.
 

“The rate of MS continues to grow, and there is presently no cure. While there are treatments that can help manage the disease, they cannot prevent disability from progressing,” Dr Zhou says.
 

“Collectively, researchers are trying to make significant inroads towards improving outcomes for people with MS.” 

“The beauty of this work is that if we are on the right path, there is great potential to develop a vaccine that could benefit many people.”
 

Evidence from the US 

A major study published in Science followed more than 10 million US military personnel and found compelling evidence that infection with Epstein-Barr virus is a trigger for most cases of multiple sclerosis.
 

Of the 801 individuals who developed MS during the study period, all but one had tested positive for EBV before their MS symptoms began. The findings suggest EBV is the strongest known risk factor for MS, increasing the risk of developing the disease by more than 30‑fold following infection.  

 

One of the body’s smallest organs, the human brain, makes up around 2% of our body weight. Yet it consumes approximately 20% of the body’s energy. This makes the brain one of the most energy hungry organs in the body.

These facts are derived from studies that measure how much oxygen and glucose the brain and body consume. Using metabolic and brain imaging techniques, researchers can track how much fuel is used by different parts of the body.

Why does the brain need so much energy?

So where does all this energy go? A large part of the answer lies in how neurons communicate. The brain contains about 86 billion neurons. These specialised cells send electrical signals and communicate with other neurons, muscles, and gland cells using chemical messengers called neurotransmitters.

Each time a neuron sends an electrical signal, tiny, charged particles move across its cell membrane. To keep this system working, neurons must constantly maintain and restore delicate differences in these charged particles, known as ion gradients, across the membrane.

Maintaining these gradients is surprisingly metabolically expensive. After each electrical signal, the neuron must actively pump these ions back across the membrane to reset itself for the next message. These pumps run continuously and consume large amounts of energy.

The hidden cost of neural signalling

Electrical signalling is just one part of the story. When an electrical signal reaches the end of a neuron, it triggers the release of chemical messengers called neurotransmitters. These molecules cross a tiny gap between neurons known as the synapse, allowing one neuron to pass information to the next.

This chemical communication is also metabolically expensive. Neurons must produce neurotransmitters, package them into tiny vesicles, release them at the synapse, and then recycle or break them down after the signal has been transmitted.

Multiply these processes across 86 billion neurons and more than 100 trillion synapses, working continuously even when you are resting, the brain’s enormous energy demands begin to make sense.

Why evolution favoured such an expensive organ

This raises an interesting question: if the brain is so metabolically expensive to run, why did evolution favour such a costly organ?

The answer is that brains provide enormous advantages for flexible behaviour. Organisms with relatively simple nervous systems can rely on reflexes, or automatic responses to stimuli. But organisms with larger and more complex brains can do much more. They can learn from past experiences, anticipate future events, plan actions, and adapt to changing environments.

In other words, the brain’s main role is not just thinking in the abstract. Its job is to guide behaviour in ways that increase the chances of survival and reproduction. By integrating information from the senses and predicting what might happen next, the brain helps organisms make better decisions about how to act.

Energy efficiency and the predictive brain

Interestingly, the brain’s high energy cost may also help explain how it operates. Because neural activity is metabolically expensive, the brain cannot afford to process every piece of information in full detail. Instead, many scientists believe the brain has evolved strategies to be efficient.

One influential idea in neuroscience is that the brain constantly predicts incoming sensory information, allowing it to process the world more quickly and with less energy.

This link between brain activity and energy use is also important for neuroscience research. Many brain imaging methods, such as PET and fMRI, do not measure neural activity directly. Instead, they detect changes in metabolic activity, glucose consumption, blood flow, and oxygen use, which serve as indirect indicators of how active different parts of the brain are.

Thinking isn’t free

So the next time you feel mentally tired, it may help to remember that thinking is not free. Even when you are resting, your brain is quietly consuming a remarkable share of your body’s energy – about one in five calories – to keep billions of neurons ready to process the world.

Bradley Jack was a 2024 ACT Young Tall Poppy recipient.

Ref:

Dr Bradley Jack

Turning the tide: seagrass as critical natural infrastructure

Most Australians will never see it.

Beneath shallow coastal waters, from Western Australia’s southern coastline near Esperance to the tropical lagoons of the Great Barrier Reef, vast underwater meadows stretch quietly across the seafloor. They rarely make headlines.

These seagrass meadows may be among the most important ecosystems on earth.

“These underwater meadows are out of sight for most people, which is probably why they’ve been overlooked for so long,” says Professor Peter Macreadie, Director of the Blue Carbon Lab and Director of the Centre for Nature Positive Solutions at RMIT University. “But if you were designing the perfect coastal ecosystem — one that supports fisheries, protects shorelines, filters water and stores carbon — you’d end up with something that looks a lot like seagrass.”

A global ecosystem hiding in plain sight

Seagrasses occur in shallow coastal waters on every continent except Antarctica, forming extensive underwater meadows that support marine life and stabilise coastal environments.

Australia is a global stronghold for seagrass. The country supports roughly half of the world’s seagrass species and some of the largest meadows ever recorded, including the vast seagrass landscapes of Shark Bay in Western Australia. Northern Australia in particular is recognised as a global hotspot for seagrass diversity. “Australia holds an extraordinary share of the planet’s seagrass ecosystems,” Macreadie says. “We also carry a major responsibility for protecting them.”

“These meadows are the ecological engine rooms of our coasts,” Macreadie says. “They underpin fisheries, support biodiversity and help keep coastal waters healthy.”

Globally, scientists recognise more than 60 species of seagrass, forming one of the ocean’s most productive ecosystems.

The nurseries of the sea

Seagrass meadows act as nursery habitat for many marine species.

Their dense leaves create shelter where juvenile fish, prawns and crabs can hide from predators while they mature. Many species that support commercial and recreational fisheries depend on seagrass habitats during early life stages.

“When you lose seagrass, you’re not just losing plants,” Macreadie says. “You’re losing the nursery grounds that sustain fisheries.”

Seagrass meadows also support iconic wildlife. Green turtles feed on seagrass leaves, while dugongs depend heavily on seagrass meadows for food.

“These animals are sometimes described as the grazers of the sea,” Macreadie says. “Where you have healthy seagrass meadows, you often see healthy populations of turtles and dugongs.”

Natural coastal protection

Seagrass also plays a critical role in stabilising coastlines.

Its root and rhizome systems bind sediments together while the leaves slow water movement, helping to reduce erosion and keep coastal waters clearer. In combination with coral reefs and mangroves, seagrass ecosystems can reduce wave energy and protect shorelines from storm impacts.

“In a world where we spend enormous sums building coastal defenses, it’s easy to overlook the protection that natural ecosystems already provide,” Macreadie says.

A powerful carbon sink

Seagrass ecosystems also play a significant role in climate regulation.

Like plants on land, seagrasses absorb carbon dioxide through photosynthesis. Much of this carbon becomes trapped in the sediments beneath the meadows, where it can remain stored for millennia.

“Seagrass ecosystems are among the most efficient natural carbon sinks on the planet,” Macreadie says. “They capture carbon and lock it away in coastal sediments for thousands of years.”

Because of this ability, seagrass ecosystems are recognised as an important component of the world’s blue carbon systems, alongside mangroves and salt marshes.

A disappearing ecosystem

Despite their importance, seagrass ecosystems have declined in many regions around the world.

Coastal development, declining water quality, sediment runoff, dredging and climate change have all contributed to losses.

Scientists estimate that globally, seagrass meadows have been disappearing for decades, with significant declines documented across many coastal regions.

“These ecosystems are incredibly valuable, yet historically we’ve treated them as expendable,” Macreadie says.

Turning the tide: seagrass as critical natural infrastructure

In encouraging news, when pressures are reduced, seagrass ecosystems can recover.

Improving water quality, protecting coastal habitats and restoring damaged areas have already helped seagrass recover in several regions.

“In places where we reduce pollution and protect habitat, seagrass can return,” Macreadie explains. “That shows us these ecosystems are resilient if we give them the chance.”

For Macreadie, the next step is recognising seagrass meadows as critical natural infrastructure.

“If we want resilient coastlines, healthy fisheries and meaningful climate action, protecting seagrass needs to be part of the solution. Seagrass might not be as famous as coral reefs, but its importance is enormous. These underwater meadows quietly support the health of our oceans and our coastlines.”

Macreadie says there is no silver bullet. “If seagrass is seen as conservation, it competes for limited public and philanthropic funding. Treat seagrass as infrastructure, and it becomes part of how we manage coasts, economies and risk.”