Institute for Molecular Bioscience

Spider venom heart drug a step closer

A spider venom molecule being investigated by an IMB team has met critical benchmarks towards becoming a treatment for heart attack and stroke.

Associate Professor Nathan Palpant and Professor Glenn King (pictured above) have previously shown that the drug candidate Hi1a protects cells from the damage caused by heart attack and stroke.

A subsequent study published in European Heart Journal put the drug through a series of preclinical tests designed to mimic real-life treatment scenarios, which demonstrated it could be an effective and safe therapeutic.

World-leading critical care team joins IMB

A 20-year pioneer of critical care research has joined IMB, strengthening the Institute’s clinical links with the ultimate aim of improving health for people all over the world.

Founded in 2004 by Professor John Fraser (pictured above), the Critical Care Research Group investigates the many issues that face patients with life-threatening conditions, including heart and lung disease and sepsis, as well as developing innovative cardiac support devices to improve survival rates and quality of life.

Professor Ian Henderson said IMB will benefit from the Group's experience undertaking research designed for clinical application, with the group maintaining their base at The Prince Charles Hospital, Australia's largest cardiac hospital.

Funding injection for vaccine research

$8 million in philanthropic funding from the Leducq Foundation is helping IMB researchers to tackle the most significant cause of childhood death due to heart failure.

Professor Mark Walker is leading the development of an mRNA vaccine against Group A streptococcus (Strep A), which causes strep throat and scarlet fever, in collaboration with Moderna and other academic institutions.

Repeated Strep A infection can lead to rheumatic heart disease, which disproportionately affects First Nations people living in regional and remote areas of Australia, especially women and children.

South Asian Genes and Health in Australia study begins recruiting

Our risk of developing cardiovascular disease, our age of onset and response to treatment can vary by ancestry. However, medical guidelines on heart disease prevention and treatment are based on data mostly drawn from people of European ancestry. Greater representation of diverse communities in research will help us reduce health inequity.

South Asians make up almost 25 per cent of the world's population, but less than 2 per cent of genetic research participants. The South Asian Genes and Health in Australia study (SAGHA) aims to increase representation of Australian South Asians in genomic and health research.

Led by Dr Sonia Shah, through extensive community discussions with 70 community members, the team has developed an inclusive framework for conducting genomics research which is being used to recruit 200 participants from Queensland to assess their heart disease risk, including genetic risk. The long-term vision is to build a large national study of Australian South Asians that will allow us to better understand risk factors more relevant to this community and develop more equitable tools for heart disease prevention. 

#1 research institute in Australia
(Nature Index)

Over 300 global research partners

Supporting Groundbreaking Cardiovascular Research 

The Common Good has committed to three years of salary support for Dr Jacky Suen, a Senior Research Fellow at IMB, whose Critical Care Medicine research focuses on supporting patients, often with one or multiple organ failures.

Dr Suen is part of the Critical Care Research Group (CCRG) based at The Prince Charles Hospital, which is Australia’s leading cardiac hospital. In mid-2023, he was the first CCRG member to formally join the IMB team, deepening our connections between fundamental research and clinical practice and creating a real-time interface between discovery research in the lab and patient care. 

Dr Suen’s research focuses on finding better ways to support patients with heart and/or lung failure, including The Living Heart Project. Over several years, this project has worked to find ways to increase the number of viable donor hearts for transplant. The team has already found ways to extend the window of opportunity for heart transplants from four to more than eight hours. It has also begun to investigate the safety and viability of hearts that were previously not considered for transplant from donors who experienced neurological injury and circulatory death.

The Common Good recognises that salary support for researchers is an important way to accelerate transformative discovery research. Providing certainty for talented post-doctoral researchers enables them to remain focused in the lab, and philanthropic co-funding also increases success rates in securing highly competitive research funding from other sources.

We are grateful for the support and advocacy of The Common Good. With their help, leading Australian researchers like Dr Suen can continue their work to improve patient outcomes for people with heart disease.

Genetics links endometriosis and IBS

IMB researchers have shown that endometriosis and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) share genetic risk factors, explaining why patients with one condition may also have the other.

Professor Grant Montgomery, Dr Sally Mortlock and Dr Fei Yang found a significant relationship between the risks for endometriosis and common gastrointestinal disorders such as IBS, peptic ulcer disease and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease.

“This genetic finding supports the clinical observation of an increased incidence of gastrointestinal disorders in women with endometriosis,” Professor Montgomery said. "“We hope that this study will raise more awareness about the overlap of these conditions.”

Genetics shed light on causes of intestinal disease

IMB researchers have used genetics to reveal much of the risk of developing a common and sometimes fatal intestinal disease is inherited.

Dr Yeda Wu and Professor Naomi Wray studied the causes of diverticular disease of intestine (DivD), an overlooked and understudied disease that is highly prevalent in Australia, particularly among older people.

A genome-wide association study of more than 700,000 people showed DivD is highly heritable with 150 genetic factors linked to the risk of getting the disease - previously it was believed that a low-fibre diet was the main risk factor.

Kidney disease patients being recruited for trial

Patient recruitment is underway for a clinical trial led by IMB's Professor Andrew Mallett to test the effectiveness of a diabetes drug to slow the progression of polycystic kidney disease (PKD).

Professor Mallett said the trial, conducted with the Australasian Kidney Trials Network (AKTN), aims to find a new treatment for PKD.

“We’re investigating the diabetes drug metformin – we already have a wealth of data about how it works and it’s relatively inexpensive,” Professor Mallett said. “We know it is safe, and now we want to explore its potential to slow the rate of kidney decline in PKD."

Hope for autoinflammatory disease treatment

IMB researchers have discovered how the ‘on-switch’ for the body’s inflammation machinery can get stuck, causing rare genetic inflammatory diseases.

Professor Kate Schroder and her team have been studying the NLRP3 inflammasome, a protein complex that drives inflammation.

“The inflammasome protects us during infection by triggering an immune response, but it can also go wrong and cause uncontrolled inflammation and disease,” Professor Schroder said.

“Our team found NLPR3 can be switched on permanently by a mutation in the protein NLRP12, with further tests revealing that NLRP12 also acts as a natural inhibitor to control NLRP3."

Professor Schroder said because NLRP12 exists naturally in our cells, NLRP12 modulators may provide an effective treatment for people with autoinflammatory disease associated with overactive inflammasome NLRP3 signalling.

Support to close the gap of endometriosis diagnosis

Over the last few years, philanthropic support has become increasingly important in enabling our dedicated endometriosis research team to continue their work to improve the lives of people impacted by endometriosis. Generous donors including Lorraine and Bob Christiansen, UQ Young Alumni and many individual donors have supported the development of a Clinical Decision Support Tool. This project, led by Professor Grant Montgomery and Dr Sally Mortlock, addresses a critical knowledge gap in the diagnosis of endometriosis.  

For patients, this tool will enable them to share their symptoms with doctors and specialists through a focussed questionnaire that has been compiled through analysing data from tens of thousands of patients, producing a report that will help doctors to quickly identify patients for specialist referral and treatment. For doctors and other healthcare professionals, this tool will assist with the complexity and diversity of how endometriosis presents in different patients, helping to distil seemingly disparate information into a meaningful clinical picture.  

Thanks to donor support, this tool is progressing to the clinical validation stage – a critical milestone that brings us within sight of creating significant impact for patients and clinicians. 

With donor support, IMB’s world-leading endometriosis researchers are committed to reducing diagnostic delays, helping doctors understand the clinical implications of patient experiences, and developing targeted treatments for the many patients whose lives are impacted by this painful and debilitating disease.

A strong collaboration – QENDO and IMB endometriosis research

Professor Montgomery is the research patron of QENDO – a peak Australian organisation with a community of over 64,000 for those affected by endometriosis, adenomyosis, PCOS, infertility and pelvic pain.  With Professor Montgomery and his team having decades of experience in endometriosis research, this long-standing collaboration with QENDO is highly valued and key part of their research on this chronic, debilitating disease that affects circa 1 million Australians to:

• Reduce diagnostic delays (currently there is an average of 7 years for an endometriosis diagnosis)
• Help doctors understand the clinical implications of patient experiences
• Develop targeted treatments for the many patients.

The CEO of QENDO, Jessica Taylor – an endometriosis expert and advocate – values this close relationship with UQ endometriosis research.

“I’ve always believed that, if you want to go far, go together. It is wonderful to partner with IMB and believe that, together, we can make a difference for those with endometriosis and transform discovery into hope.”

This September, we will join forces with QENDO and members of the community to raise funds and awareness through Bridge to Brisbane. With your help, we can transform discovery into hope.

~$50M in research funding per year

Bacteria behind meningitis in babies explained

A milestone study led by IMB researchers has identified the main types of E. coli bacteria that cause neonatal meningitis, and revealed why some infections recur despite being treated with antibiotics.

IMB's Professor Mark Schembri and Dr Nhu Nguyen with Associate Professor Adam Irwin from UQ’s Centre for Clinical Research led a team which discovered that around 50 per cent of neonatal meningitis infections are caused by two types of E. coli.

“Neonatal meningitis is a rare but life-threatening disease that occurs when a newborn baby is infected with bacteria. E. coli is the most common cause of meningitis in babies born pre-term, but knowing which types allows us to test for those strains and treat them appropriately," Professor Schembri said.

Revealing what makes bacteria life-threatening

Queensland researchers have discovered that a mutation allows some E. coli bacteria to cause severe disease in people while other bacteria are harmless, a finding that could help to combat antibiotic resistance.

Professor Mark Schembri and Dr Nhu Nguyen from IMB and Associate Professor Sumaira Hasnain from Mater Research found the mutation in the cellulose-making machinery of E. coli bacteria.

Professor Schembri said the mutation gives the affected E. coli bacteria the green light to spread further into the body and infect more organs, such as the liver, spleen and brain.

“Our discovery explains why some E. coli bacteria can cause life-threatening sepsis, neonatal meningitis and urinary tract infections (UTIs), while other E. coli bacteria can live in our bodies without causing harm - the 'good' bacteria make cellulose and the 'bad' bacteria can't,” Professor Schembri said.

New antibiotics coming – but not quickly enough

A report by IMB researchers has warned a global crisis of antibiotic resistance is inevitable, despite promising developments in new antibiotics.

IMB's Centre for Superbug Solutions has monitored the clinical pipeline for more than a decade, with its latest snapshot showing 62 new antibiotics in development.

Professor Mark Blaskovich said it was encouraging that 34 of those were based on structures not previously used as an antibiotic.

“It means the resulting medication will be less likely to have existing resistance in the bacteria and potentially it will take longer for resistance to develop,” Professor Blaskovich said. "But it’s still a glass half-empty situation compared to other classes of drugs, where pharmaceutical companies stand to gain more profit. Sixty-two new antibiotics in development is still very low compared to almost 2,000 in the cancer drug pipeline."

#1 in Australia for research commercialisation, which translates
our discoveries into clinical and community impact

Amplifying impact with a 'trusted helper'

UQ Alumna Cynthia Burnett (Bachelor of Arts (Honours) ’69; Graduate Diploma of Education ’70; Master of Educational Studies ’94; Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics ’96) has supported many initiatives across UQ over the years, from supporting students to undertake immersive foreign language study overseas, to enabling the purchase of critical medical equipment for teaching and learning in memory of her father, Dr Francis Baron Burnett (Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery ’40), who was one of the University’s first medical graduates. 

In 2023, Cynthia met with several IMB scientists engaged in genetics research to learn about their work. After meeting the team at the Human Services Unit (HSU), and hearing how the unit supports a diverse range of genomics research, Cynthia asked them how a gift to support equipment could amplify the impact of their work. 

After a few weeks of research and discussion, Cynthia generously agreed to support the purchase of a liquid-handling robot and several other pieces of equipment that will create far-reaching impact across several key research programs.

These include the SALSA Project (Motor Neurone Disease), Rhythm and Blues (a study on the link between depression and circadian rhythm), the South Asian Genes and Health in Australia study (investigating specific cardiovascular risk factors for people of South Asian descent), Liver Transcriptomics research (aimed at increasing the pool of available donor livers) and Anti-depressant Cell-Omics (understanding how genetic factors affect individual response to anti-depressant medication). 

Cynthia recalls that her father, who served as a General Practitioner in Brisbane throughout his career, always told her that genetics would be the future of medicine. This was nothing short of prescient, given that the human genome was in the process of being sequenced when IMB was established in 2000. 

Thanks to Cynthia’s generous gift, the Human Services Unit team are now positioned to dramatically amplify the impact of work across the IMB Centre for Population and Disease Genomics. Recently, Cynthia was delighted to learn that the robot has been named after her dog Cosmo – a fitting tribute for a trusted friend and helper. 

8 Fellows of the
Australian Academy of Science

2 Fellows of the Royal Society

Nutrient research reveals pathway for treating brain disorders

IMB Group leader Dr Rosemary Cater has found molecular doorways that could be used to help deliver drugs into the brain to treat neurological disorders.

Dr Cater led a team which discovered that an essential nutrient called choline is transported across the blood-brain barrier into the brain by a protein called FLVCR2.

“This blood-brain barrier prevents molecules in the blood that are toxic to the brain from entering. While this barrier is an important line of defence, it presents a challenge for designing drugs to treat neurological disorders.

“We used high-powered cryo-electron microscopes to see exactly how choline binds to FLVCR2. This is critical information for understanding how to design drugs that mimic choline so that they can be transported by FLVCR2 to reach their site of action within the brain, and will inform the future design of drugs for diseases such as Alzheimer's and stroke."

Caterpillar venom reveals toxins borrowed from bacteria

IMB researchers have discovered the venom of a notorious caterpillar has a surprising ancestry and could be key to the delivery of lifesaving drugs.

A team led by Dr Andrew Walker and Professor Glenn King found toxins in the venom of asp caterpillars punch holes in cells the same way as toxins produced by disease-causing bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella.

“We were surprised to find asp caterpillar venom was completely different to anything we had seen before in insects,” Dr Walker said. “The venom in these caterpillars has evolved via the transfer of genes from bacteria more than 400 million years ago.”

“Venoms are rich sources of new molecules that could be developed into medicines of the future, pesticides, or used as scientific tools.

3 Fellows of the
Australian Academy of Health
and Medical Sciences

Endowment creates impact in perpetuity

When donors Alan and Wendy Grummitt were introduced to the work of IMB, they wanted to find a way to enable more great research ideas to become the next breakthrough.  The Ignite Innovation Awards were launched with the support of donors in 2021 to encourage innovative ideas and foster an entrepreneurial culture within the next generation of scientists.  

The Grummitts established an endowed fund to ensure that groundbreaking research will continue to be supported into the future. Thanks to their generosity and the support of many donors from the community, the Ignite Innovation Award has now helped three early-to mid-career researchers develop research projects including: research that applies the oxygenating properties of micro-algae to wound healing that may potentially transform patient outcomes for those affected by serious burns; advances in imaging technology to improve cancer diagnosis and treatment, and developing targeted treatments for people living with the debilitating impacts of Irritable Bowel Disease.

For early and mid-career researchers, the seed funding that the Ignite Innovation Prize provides can be catalytic. Dr Melanie Oey, the inaugural recipient went on to win the Inflazome Translation Award in 2022, and has since formed many collaborations with clinicians, industry and other researchers to help translate her research into practice.  

For the Grummitts, being connected with passionate young researchers who are working hard to improve lives has proven very rewarding, giving them a ‘new lease on life.’  

We are so grateful for the generosity of all Ignite Innovation donors, and particularly the Alan and Wendy Grummitt, whose gift will continue to create impact in perpetuity thanks to the establishment of the Grummitt Family Ignite Innovation Endowment.  

564 PhDs awarded since 2000

Supporting the next generation of research leaders: Women in Science and Technology (WIST) Award

To continue achieving breakthroughs in medical and environmental research, we need to harness the talents of diverse people. In the life sciences field in Australia, over half of all Bachelor of Science and PhD graduates are women, and have been since the mid-1980s. Yet, only one in four senior investigators are women.

With your help, we will overcome inherent barriers to propel incredible female scientists through their careers and empower them to make discoveries that benefit our local and global communities.

Multi-award-winning IMB researcher and Group Leader Professor Kate Schroder sees the challenges that can impact career progression for women in research.

As a champion for advancing women in science, Kate decided to help build an endowed fund to support the Women in Science and Technology Award in perpetuity.

Thanks to her generosity and vision, this fund will now provide an award that the recipients can use to overcome the often-invisible barriers to progression. Funds from this award can support a wide range of career-enhancing activities, including funding care-giving support to allow conference attendance or fees to access technical training. 

The Director's Circle recognises our most generous donors, a dedicated group of philanthropists who create change in our global community through support of high-performing research.

Learn more about how you can help drive discovery at IMB:
Director’s Circle - Institute for Molecular Bioscience - University of Queensland (uq.edu.au)