Medicine Chemistry

Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Development

About

Medicinal chemistry is focused on the development of drugs, which could be either small molecules or peptides and proteins, for treatment of disease. Modern medicinal chemistry and drug development is highly interdisciplinary and encompasses synthetic organic chemistry, enzymology, biophysical techniques (including protein NMR, protein crystallography and the study of protein-ligand interactions), computational chemistry, protein engineering and pharmacology.

Groups

Molecule

Our research interests lie at the interface between biology, chemistry and physics where fundamental chemistry underlies biological function.

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Malins group

The Malins group develops synthetic tools for small molecule, peptide and protein synthesis, including for applications in chemical biology and drug discovery.

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Drug chemistry

The McLeod group employs a wide range of techniques to study drug metabolism.

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We develop chemical tools to target, manipulate and study peptides and proteins related to infectious diseases.

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Organic molecule

Our research program involves the design of sequences of cycloaddition reactions, free radical reactions and transition metal-mediated reactions

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Xu

In Xu group, our mission is to develop new electron crystallography methods for crystal structure characterisation, at the same time, improving the capability, robustness and availability of these methods. By doing so, we aim to equip chemists, biologists, and material scientists with innovative tools for ground breaking research.

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Facilities

Separation and Reaction Facility

Providing synthetic and separative solutions to the RSC

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Projects

Our goal is to develop an anti-malarial Trojan horse that will deliver a chemical payload to the malaria parasite that it cannot avoid, thus limiting the potential for resistance.

Student intake

Open for Honours, Master, PhD, Summer scholar students

This project will explore additional opportunities for the efficient electrochemical modification of peptides, including through the use of novel “electrochemically-active” amino acids.

Student intake

Open for Honours, Master, PhD, Summer scholar students

This project will involve collaboration with industry partners (Beta Therapeutics) and partners within the Centre of Excellence in Peptide and Protein Science.

Student intake

Open for Honours, Master, PhD, Summer scholar students

This project will combine analytical and synthetic chemistry to study the metabolic fate and biological activity arising from designer steroids use, with the goal of developing assays to detect the abuse of these agents in sport.

Student intake

Open for Honours, Master, PhD, Summer scholar students

This project will capitalise on these achievements and explore biocompatible synthetic routes to various kinds of bicycles and their applications in drug discovery.

Student intake

Open for Honours, Master, PhD, Summer scholar students

This project will screen numerous boronic acid derivatives available at the Research School of Chemistry (optional: computational screening of data banks). Screening hits will be modified to generate drug-like inhibitors with anti-dengue activity.

Student intake

Open for Honours, Master, PhD, Summer scholar students

Members

Academic staff

Professor
Westpac Research Fellow

Associate Professor

Associate Professor Christoph Nitsche

Associate Professor
ARC Future Fellow

Associate Director (Education)
Professor

Emeritus and Honorary

Honorary Professor

Articles

Fighting antibiotic resistance takes guts. Dr Lara Malins discusses her research into antibiotic resistance.

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