{"links":{"self":"http://dataportal.arc.gov.au/NCGP/API/grants/FT250100191"},"data":{"type":"grant-details","id":"FT250100191","attributes":{"code":"FT250100191","administering-organisation":"The University of Sydney","announcement-administering-organisation":"The University of Sydney","scheme-name":"ARC Future Fellowships","grant-status":"Active","funding-commencement-year":2025,"years-funded":4,"project-start-date":"2026-06-30","anticipated-end-date":"2030-06-29","grant-summary":"Mechanoimmunology: swarming & mechanical memory in immune cell collectives. Swarming, the rapid aggregation of many individuals around a focal point, is a phenomenon that pervades biological systems, from insects, birds, and fish to larger mammals. In cells, swarming behaviour has been mechanistically described in neutrophil and T cell populations. This project will explore and quantitatively uncover whether swarming is a universal phenomenon among immune cell populations, and determine how such collective behaviour is influenced by the mechanics of the environment, and whether immune cells can retain a memory of the mechanical landscape they traverse. The project will advance our understanding of how the cells of our immune systems communicate and congregate, and also inform engineering solutions of the future.","funding-current":1314708.00,"funding-at-announcement":1286884,"investigators-current":[{"title":"A/Prof","firstName":"Maté","familyName":"Biro","roleName":"Future Fellowship","roleCode":"FT","isFellowship":true,"orcidIdentifier":"0000-0001-5852-3726 "}],"investigators-at-announcement":[{"title":"A/Prof","firstName":"Maté","familyName":"Biro","roleName":"Future Fellowship","roleCode":"FT","isFellowship":true,"orcidIdentifier":"0000-0001-5852-3726 "}],"organisations-current":[{"organisationName":"The University of Sydney","roleName":"Administering Organisation","state":"NSW"}],"organisations-at-announcement":[{"organisationName":"The University of Sydney","roleName":"Administering Organisation","state":"NSW"}],"field-of-research":[{"isPrimary":true,"code":"3101","name":"Biochemistry and Cell Biology","type":"FOR20"},{"isPrimary":false,"code":"310105","name":"Cellular Interactions (Incl. Adhesion, Matrix, Cell Wall)","type":"FOR20"},{"isPrimary":false,"code":"320404","name":"Cellular Immunology","type":"FOR20"},{"isPrimary":false,"code":"400307","name":"Mechanobiology","type":"FOR20"}],"socio-economic-objective":[{"code":"280102","name":"Expanding Knowledge In the Biological Sciences","type":"SEO20"},{"code":"280120","name":"Expanding Knowledge In the Physical Sciences","type":"SEO20"}],"international-collaboration":["Canada","Germany","Singapore","United States of America"],"lief-register":[],"achievement-summary":null,"national-interest-test-statement":"This project aims to expand our understanding of the intricate natural principles that govern our immune cells. The outcomes of the project will fill important knowledge gaps about the complex mechanisms that underpin one of the most basic functions of immune cells, namely to migrate and to assemble in great numbers wherever they are needed. Such knowledge will not only advance our understanding of one of our most critical cellular systems, but also expand our grasp of how cells communicate and interact more broadly, which may have impactful biotechnological, medical, and theoretical benefits in the future. The significance of the project outcomes could be far-reaching in future applications outside of biology too, not least in the design of optimal strategies for robot and drone swarms, such as in search and rescue operations, and aerial displays. Moreover, this project presents a unique opportunity to up-skill and train early-career Australian researchers in a multidisciplinary science interweaving physics, biology, and engineering, the intersections of which will be more and more important in the theory, design, and application of scientific principles in the biotechnology and manufacturing spaces more broadly in Australia. Finally, an understanding of mechanical memory will support emerging applications reliant on in vitro cell culture, including conservation biology and biodiversity preservation, as well as industrial applications like bioreactor-grown plant-based meats."}}}