The La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science (LIMS) is an Australian

institute An institute is an organisational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations ( research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body. In some countries, institutes ca ...

based at

La Trobe University La Trobe University is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora. The university was established in 1964, becoming the third university in the state of Victoria a ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

. It contains research groups in life sciences (

biochemistry Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...

and genetics), physical sciences (

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the elements that make up matter to the compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions: their composition, structure, proper ...

and

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which ...

), and applied sciences (

pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medication, medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it ...

) and teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in these areas through the School of Molecular Sciences. Established in 2009, the institute has been led by Professor Andrew Hill since 2017. It also contains two biotech companies: Hexima and AdAlta. The institute is housed in three buildings: LIMS1 and LIMS2 on La Trobe University's main campus in

Bundoora Bundoora is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Banyule, Darebin and Whittlesea local government areas. Bundoora recorded a population of 28,068 at th ...

, and the Applied Science building on the

Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban populat ...

campus.

Research

Research in the institute is organised into six strategic themes, each with an appointed leader who oversees research. * Cancer; research includes

metastasis Metastasis is a pathogenic agent's spread from an initial or primary site to a different or secondary site within the host's body; the term is typically used when referring to metastasis by a cancerous tumor. The newly pathological sites, the ...

, cell

crosstalk In electronics, crosstalk is any phenomenon by which a signal transmitted on one circuit or channel of a transmission system creates an undesired effect in another circuit or channel. Crosstalk is usually caused by undesired capacitive, i ...

, anti-tumour immunity, and

therapeutic resistance A therapy or medical treatment (often abbreviated tx, Tx, or Tx) is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a medical diagnosis. As a rule, each therapy has indications and contraindications. There are many different ...

and sensitivity. * Infection and Immunity; research includes development of

antibiotic An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the treatment and prevention ...

anti-inflammatory Anti-inflammatory is the property of a substance or treatment that reduces inflammation or swelling. Anti-inflammatory drugs, also called anti-inflammatories, make up about half of analgesics. These drugs remedy pain by reducing inflammation as o ...

, and anti-autoimmune compounds. * Neurobiology; research includes

Alzheimer's Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As t ...

Parkinson's Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

multiple sclerosis Multiple (cerebral) sclerosis (MS), also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata or disseminated sclerosis, is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This ...

, and

prions Prions are misfolded proteins that have the ability to transmit their misfolded shape onto normal variants of the same protein. They characterize several fatal and transmissible neurodegenerative diseases in humans and many other animals. It i ...

. * Molecular Design; research includes protein-drug interaction, molecular synthesis, and

surface A surface, as the term is most generally used, is the outermost or uppermost layer of a physical object or space. It is the portion or region of the object that can first be perceived by an observer using the senses of sight and touch, and is ...

and material science. * Molecular Sensing; research includes medical diagnostics, environmental sensing, food testing, and remote atmospheric sensing. * Molecular Imaging; research includes

X-ray crystallography X-ray crystallography is the experimental science determining the atomic and molecular structure of a crystal, in which the crystalline structure causes a beam of incident X-rays to diffract into many specific directions. By measuring the angles ...

NMR Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a physical phenomenon in which nuclei in a strong constant magnetic field are perturbed by a weak oscillating magnetic field (in the near field) and respond by producing an electromagnetic signal with ...

spectroscopy Spectroscopy is the field of study that measures and interprets the electromagnetic spectra that result from the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and matter as a function of the wavelength or frequency of the radiation. Matter ...

, and

microscopy Microscopy is the technical field of using microscopes to view objects and areas of objects that cannot be seen with the naked eye (objects that are not within the resolution range of the normal eye). There are three well-known branches of micr ...

Facilities

The institute has in-house facilities for bioinformatics, flow cytometry, microscopy, genomics, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and mass spectrometry, each with dedicated support staff. It additionally houses inductively coupled plasma (ICP) equipment, atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS), X-Ray diffractometer, crystallography, and laser research. La Trobe University's Biochemistry and Cell Biology research was ranked equal top with just one other University in the Australian Research Council's 2012 ERA report. Research groups in the institute have multiple collaborations and links to industry, and the institute hosts two biotechnology companies: AdAlta Pty Ltd and Hexima Ltd. AdAlta develops single-domain antibodies for use as therapeutics and diagnostics. Hexima focusses on commercialising plant-derived proteins and peptides for crop

genetic engineering Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification or genetic manipulation, is the modification and manipulation of an organism's genes using technology. It is a set of technologies used to change the genetic makeup of cells, including ...

and human

antimicrobial An antimicrobial is an agent that kills microorganisms or stops their growth. Antimicrobial medicines can be grouped according to the microorganisms they act primarily against. For example, antibiotics are used against bacteria, and antifungals ar ...

and anti-cancer therapeutics.

History

LIMS was launched in 2009 as an institute dedicated to the study of molecular structures and processes fundamental to life. The institute was established with a A$100 million in building funds from the

Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Governmen ...

and La Trobe University. In 2015 the institute released its new stated vision to conduct multidisciplinary research in six key areas of research strength: cancer, infection and immunity, neurobiology, molecular design, molecular imaging and molecular sensing. Professor Nick Hoogenraad served as the institute's director from its founding in 2009 until his retirement in 2014, when the LIMS1 Auditorium was named after him. Professor Robert Pike joined La Trobe as director of LIMS in 2015. He was succeeded by Andrew Hill in 2017.

LIMS1 building

The institute's newest building, LIMS1, was designed by Lyons Architects, who were appointed following a design competition sponsored by the

Australian Institute of Architects (United we advance architecture) , predecessor = , merged = , successor = , formation = , extinction = , status = Professional body; members association , headquarters = L1/41 Exhibition St, Melbourne , leader_title = CEO , leader ...

. Construction began in August 2011, with an official sod turning presided by the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator

Kim Carr Kim John Carr (born 2 July 1955) is an Australian former politician who served as a Senator for Victoria between 1993 and 2022. Representing the Labor Party, he was a minister in the Rudd and Gillard Governments. Carr is a graduate of the Un ...

. The building was officially opened in February 2013 by the Parliamentary Secretary for Higher Education and Skills, Sharon Bird MP. The LIMS1 building is an , six-storey, molecular sciences research hub containing 34 laboratories, with research, support and teaching facilities. It is interconnected with the LIMS2 building, an existing adjacent building, allowing co-location of research and support staff. The building's lower levels accommodate undergraduate learning spaces, with open, flexible laboratories (accommodating up to 160 students) connected to “dry” teaching rooms. The top three levels of the building contain large interdisciplinary laboratories shared by multiple research teams. The cellular facade features

chromosomal A chromosome is a long DNA molecule with part or all of the genetic material of an organism. In most chromosomes the very long thin DNA fibers are coated with packaging proteins; in eukaryotic cells the most important of these proteins ar ...

design features that reflect the molecular research undertaken within the building, and is surrounded by landscaped courtyards. The LIMS1 building has achieved formal certification for 5 Star Green Star (Design) using the Education Tool Version 1 through the

Green Building Council of Australia Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combin ...

. Melbourne-based Indigenous artist Reko Rennie was awarded an 200,000 commission to create 'Murri Totems', an installation located at the entrance of the LIMS building. The artwork consists of four vertical structures incorporating the five

platonic forms The theory of Forms or theory of Ideas is a philosophical theory, fuzzy concept, or world-view, attributed to Plato, that the physical world is not as real or true as timeless, absolute, unchangeable ideas. According to this theory, ideas in th ...

– icosahedron, octahedron, star tetrahedron, hexahedron and dodecahedron – and painted with Rennie's traditional pattern.

Education

The research groups in LIMS teach

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-le ...

and graduate courses for La Trobe University through the School of Molecular Sciences. Teaching is organised into three departments: Biochemistry and Genetics, Chemistry and Physics, and Pharmacy and Applied Science. The first three floors of the LIMS1 building contain teaching laboratories, preparation and support rooms, and a 200-seat auditorium. Additional teaching facilities are spread through the other institute buildings. In addition, LIMS is committed to stimulating an interest in science amongst secondary school students through outreach programs.

Undergraduate

LIMS collaborates with other La Trobe University departments to teach subjects in several 3-year

bachelor's degrees A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

, each with the option of a further 1-year research

honours degree Honours degree has various meanings in the context of different degrees and education systems. Most commonly it refers to a variant of the undergraduate bachelor's degree containing a larger volume of material or a higher standard of study, or ...

. * Bachelor of Science * Bachelor of Biological Sciences * Bachelor of Biomedical Science * Bachelor of Science and Society * Bachelor of Pharmacy (Department of Pharmacy and Applied Science; Bendigo campus)

Postgraduate

The institute also runs 2-year

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

courses. * Masters of

Nanotechnology Nanotechnology, also shortened to nanotech, is the use of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale for industrial purposes. The earliest, widespread description of nanotechnology referred to the particular technological goal ...

* Masters of

Chemical Sciences Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the elements that make up matter to the compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions: their composition, structure, properties, ...

* Masters of

Biotechnology Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used ...

and

Bioinformatics Bioinformatics () is an interdisciplinary field that develops methods and software tools for understanding biological data, in particular when the data sets are large and complex. As an interdisciplinary field of science, bioinformatics combi ...

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

degrees are also available through the research laboratories housed in LIMS.

References

External links

Official website

Annual reports

Google maps streetview walkthrough of LIMS1
{{Medical research institutes of Australia , state=autocollapse La Trobe University La Trobe Institute Organisations based in Melbourne 2009 establishments in Australia Research institutes established in 2009 Buildings and structures in the City of Darebin