Our research
Innovative approaches to understand and target disease
From ground-breaking fundamental research to preclinical screening and lead optimisation, we have over 150 research members across the University with significant capability in five major disease areas.
Cancer
Our researchers are working to unlock the molecular mechanisms of cancers, developing innovative molecules for targeted interventions and more effective treatments in partnership with the Cancer Research Network.
Targeting DNA Methylation and EZH2 Activity to Overcome Melanoma Resistance to Immunotherapy (Tiffen et al., Trends Immunol., 2019)
Targeting Cancer Cell Dormancy (Munoz et al., Trends Pharmacol. Sci., 2019)
Cardiovascular and metabolic diseases
Diseases relating to metabolic and cardiovascular disorder, such as diabetes and obesity, represent a rapidly growing health problem in Australia and globally. Drug discovery research in these areas are pursuing therapeutic leads to target such diseases, working in collaboration with the Cardiovascular Initiative and Charles Perkin Centre.
Therapeutic regulation of VE-cadherin with a novel oligonucleotide drug for diabetic eye complications using retinopathy mouse models (Gamble et al., Diabetologia, 2019)
Thromboinflammation: challenges of therapeutically targeting coagulation and other host defense mechanisms (Jackson et al., Blood, 2019)
Central nervous system disorders
Neurodegenerative and central nervous system disorders such as dementia and systemic pain, affect 1 in 5 Australians and are becoming increasingly prevalent as our life-spans increase. We are working with researchers at the Brain and Mind Centre to identify targets and develop lead compounds that selectively modulate the central nervous system.
A tetrapeptide class of biased analgesics from an Australian fungus targets the m-opioid receptor (Christie et al., PNAS, 2019)
Targeting the Oxytocin System: New Pharmacotherapeutic Approaches (Werry et al., Trends Pharmacol. Sci., 2019)
Infectious diseases
Our researchers are working to tackle the spread of infectious diseases and overcome drug resistance by discovering new targets and lead compounds for tuberculosis, malaria and fungal infections. This research is in collaboration with the Marie Bashir Institute for Infection Diseases.
We are also supporting urgent research into COVID-19 drug discovery through platfoms for drug screening and protein production and a seed funding program in partnership with the Marie Bashir Institute.
Reverse Chemical Proteomics Identifies an Unanticipated Human Target of the Antimalarial Artesunate (Gotsbacher et al., JACS, 2019)
Structure-Activity Relationships of cyclo(l -Tyrosyl- l -tyrosine) Derivatives Binding to Mycobacterium tuberculosis CYP121: Iodinated Analogues Promote Shift to High-Spin Adduct (Triccas et al., J. Med Chem., 2019)
Inflammation
Regulating the body’s inflammatory responses for treating pain and inflammation have applications in a growing list of disorders.
Our research focuses on the identification and validation of novel targets implicated in pain, inflammation and autoimmunity, with potential applications in the understanding and treatment of cancers, central nervous system, metabolic and cardiovascular disorders.
Singlet molecular oxygen regulates vascular tone and blood pressure in inflammation (Payne et al., Nature, 2019)
Platelet Protein Disulfide Isomerase Promotes Glycoprotein Iba-Mediated Platelet-Neutrophil Interactions Under Thromboinflammatory Conditions (Hogg et al., Circulation, 2019)
Researcher spotlights:
Julie Djordjevic
With seed funding from the DDI EMCR Translational Innovations program and the Marie Bashir Institute, A/Professor Djordjevic’s research identifies key enzymes for anti-fungal drug design and develops new compounds to target them. These new drug candidates have the potential to overcome the significant side effects and sub-optimal efficacy of current antifungal treatments.
A team of researchers led by Professor Mark Gorrell have recently published their research into the protease DDP4 as a possible target of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, The multidisciplinary team were able to show that, unlike MERS, SARS-CoV-2 does not bind human DPP4. This work was performed in collaboration with the DDI COVID-19 protein production platform and Sydney Analytical Drug Discovery node.
DDI funded projects
- Development and application of a new drug discovery strategy to valuable therapeutic targets (Joel Mackay, Richard Payne, Jason Low, Mary Christie)
- Tumour-Selective Metal Chelators for Multiple Theranostic Applications (Louis Rendina, Peter Rutledge, Peter Lay, Rachel Codd, Zdenka Kuncic, Viive Howeel, Kelly McKelvey, Dale Bailey, Hillary Byrne, Alexander Engel, Mitra Safavi-Naeini, Benjamin Fraser, Nigel Lengkeek)
- Identifying inhibitors of a fungal inositol polyphosphate kinase as a new antifungal therapy (Julianne Djordjevic, Jacqueline Matthews, Lorna Wilkinson-White, Tania Sorrell, Philip Thompson (Monash))
- Screening Stem Cell-Derived Inhibitory Neurons to find novel pain killers (Greg Neely, Mary Collins)
- Discovery of Potent SARS‐CoV‐2 Entry Inhibitors via mRNA Display (Richard Payne, Toby Passioura, Joel Mackay, Annelise Ashhurst)
- Further development of CoVID-19 targeted monobodies as therapeutic and diagnostic reagents (Jason Low, Joel Mackay, Toby Passioura, Jamie Triccas)
- Cholesterol accumulation in late endosomes/lysosomes to reduce coronavirus infection (Thomas Grewal, Phil Hansbro, Kim Chan)
- Therapeutic targeting of TGF-β and Smad3 in SARS-CoV-2 infection (Tim Newsome, Hannah Sassi)
DDI Fellow
Dr Andrew Montgomery
With a background in medicinal, organic and computational chemistry, Dr Andrew Montgomery - the inaugural DDI Fellow - sees his future in the field of drug discovery. Find out more about his work, and how he's benefited from being part of the DDI community.
Find out how the DDI can help to support your research.
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