Researchers from the University of Adelaide have received federal grants that will support two projects that will help develop a vaccine to protect poultry against salmonella and identify important plant compounds.
The ARC Linkage Projects grants are designed to help research projects establish long-term strategic research partnerships and foster the transfer of skills, knowledge, and ideas between researchers and partner organisations.
The team working on the vaccine project, led by Professor Kapil Cousalkar, seeks to develop a vaccine that could help reduce the prevalence of salmonella on farms by targeting multiple salmonella serotypes, such as the emerging Salmonella Enteritidis.
The project received $728,752 through the grant program and will also involve partners from vaccine research company Bioproperties, the Australian Centre for Diseases Preparedness, and Ghent University in Belgium.
Knowledge generated from the research is expected to significantly reduce risks of future salmonella outbreaks and economic loss.
The second project, which received $452,662 from the ARC Linkage Projects grant program, seeks to develop a new method for identifying specific chemical compounds found in plants, which are used for their nutritional value or as traditional medicine.
The team working on the project have proposed a new method to identify the molecular targets of many compounds in complex plant extracts. Through the initiative, researchers aim to revolutionise the understanding of the nutritional and medicinal effects of plans, which will allow for accelerated commercialisation.
The project involves partners Chuulangun Aboriginal Corporation, Zhendong Group, and the Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium of South Australia.
For more information on the 2023 Round 1 ARC Linkage Grants, visit the Australian Research Council’s page here.
