A combined team including RCC received the ‘Going Viral Award’ at the UQ Research and Innovation Portfolio Awards on Wednesday, 9 December.
RCC, the Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis (CMM) and the Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) shared the award in recognition of their contribution of two research platforms providing critical infrastructure and support towards UQ’s COVID-19 vaccine research.
The platforms enabled the vaccine research team to ‘see’ the ‘spike-protein’, a key component of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Using cryo-electron microscopy, the researchers produced raw images of this protein. A complex software pipeline on RCC supercomputer Wiener refined the image to generate a realistic 3D representation.
The work also leveraged RCC’s research data infrastructure and UQ’s high-speed networks.
“While electron microscopy, supercomputing and data storage are only a small part of the overall workflow, they are critical to success,” said RCC Director Professor David Abramson.
“Data from electron microscopes is rarely useful in its raw form, and sophisticated supercomputer codes and supporting infrastructure are required to generate useful 3D models.”
The award-winning team included Martin Nicholls, Dr Edan Scriven, Ashley Wright and Michael Mallon from RCC; Dr Lou Brillault, Dr Matthias Floetenmeyer and Dr Rubbiya Ali from CMM; and Irek Porebski from QBI. The team was also supported by senior RCC and CMM leaders.
The ‘Going Viral Award’ was a new category in this year’s Research and Innovation Portfolio Awards. The award celebrates the extraordinary efforts of a staff member or team’s response to COVID-19, who may have stepped up to enable a rapid response, pivoted their activities, or supported staff through the transition.
