Get the latest research to your inbox
- Senior Research Fellow & Group LeaderInstitute for Molecular Bioscience
- Postdoctoral Research FellowInstitute for Molecular Bioscience
- Honours studentInstitute for Molecular Bioscience
- We are experts in the detection, isolation, identification and evaluation of biologically active small molecules from Nature (known as natural products).
Blaskovich Group
Group Leader
Professor Mark Blaskovich
Director of Translation, IMBProfessorial Research Fellow & GLInstitute for Molecular BioscienceResearcher profile is public:1Supervisor:Researcher biography:Professor Mark Blaskovich is an antibiotic hunter and Director of Translation at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience at The University of Queensland. He is co-founder and former Director of the Centre for Superbug Solutions at IMB.
A medicinal chemist with 15 years of industrial drug development experience prior to his academic career, Mark has been developing new antibiotics to treat drug resistant pathogens and using modified antibiotics to detect bacterial infections. He is a co-founder of the Community for Open Antimicrobial Drug Discovery, a global antibiotic discovery initiative, and has led a number of UQ-industry collaborations focused on antibiotic development. An inventor on eleven patent families, Mark has developed drugs in clinical trials, published more than eighty research articles, and received over $10m in grant funding.
Researchers
Dr Johannes Zuegg
Senior Research FellowInstitute for Molecular BioscienceResearcher profile is public:1Supervisor:Dr Zyta M Ziora
Senior Research OfficerInstitute for Molecular BioscienceResearcher profile is public:1Supervisor:Researcher biography:Dr Zyta Ziora received PhD (Wroclaw University of Science & Technology, Poland) in chemistry and has wide range of experience in development of antimalarial therapeutics (the University of Montpellier, France), antibacterial agents, enzyme inhibitors and drug candidates against Alzheimer disease (Kyoto Pharmaceutical University, Japan). Her research time is currently dedicated mainly to projects devoted to the modification of existing antibiotics, and complexing them with additional antimicrobial agents, like metal ions, to produce more potent alternatives and by this to overcome the drug resistance of superbugs. She is also working on alternative to antibiotics nature-derived compounds with antimicrobial and anticancer potency, such poliphenolic derivatives to control tyrosinase function.
Dr Sanjaya Kc
Research OfficerInstitute for Molecular BioscienceResearcher profile is public:1Supervisor:Ms Soumya Ramu
Institute for Molecular BioscienceResearcher profile is public:0Supervisor:Ms Maite Amado
Research Assistant & Casual Floor ManagerInstitute for Molecular BioscienceResearcher profile is public:0Supervisor:Dr Anthony Verderosa
Research FellowInstitute for Molecular BioscienceResearcher profile is public:1Supervisor:Researcher biography:Doctor Anthony Verderosa is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB) at the University of Queensland (UQ). Verderosa is the head researcher of a team dedicated to the design, synthesis, and microbiological evaluation of antibiotic conjugates. Their project involves synthetically linking different antibiotics and/or antibiotic adjuvants to generate novel dual-acting antimicrobial conjugates to treat resistant bacterial infections. Verderosa is an early career researcher (ECR) with expertise in synthetic organic chemistry, molecular bacteriology, antimicrobial testing, drug development, and biofilm remediation. His PhD (2020) involved transdisciplinary work (chemistry/microbiology) that focused on discovering and developing nitroxide-functionalised antibiotics - new drugs for treating and eradicating microbial biofilms. After submitting his PhD, Verderosa accepted a Postdoctoral Research position in molecular bacteriology and bacterial pathogenesis, where he developed new methods and strategies for tackling antimicrobial resistance.
Mrs Tania Da Silva Duarte
Postdoctoral Research FellowInstitute for Molecular BioscienceResearcher profile is public:1Supervisor:Miss Holly Floyd
Research Technician/AssistantInstitute for Molecular BioscienceResearcher profile is public:0Supervisor:Support Staff
Miss Veah Tapat
Manager, ResearchInstitute for Molecular BioscienceResearcher profile is public:0Supervisor:PhD Students
Mr Abdulmujeeb Onawole
Associate Research Assistant/TechnicianInstitute for Molecular BioscienceResearcher profile is public:0Supervisor:Ms Michelle Novais de Paula
Researcher profile is public:0Supervisor:Sadaf Khan
External PhD StudentsResearcher profile is public:1Supervisor:Mr Ye Yuan
PhD studentInstitute for Molecular BioscienceResearcher profile is public:0Supervisor:Miss Beth Rayner
Researcher profile is public:0Supervisor:Ms Paulina Hall
Global Challenges ScholarInstitute for Molecular BioscienceResearcher profile is public:0Supervisor:Ms Amy Lalruatdiki
Researcher profile is public:0Supervisor:Mr Glen Lamb
Researcher profile is public:0Supervisor:Mx Lily Kenchington-Evans
Global Challenges ScholarInstitute for Molecular BioscienceResearcher profile is public:0Supervisor:Miss Xiaowen Xu
Researcher profile is public:1Supervisor:Ms Rhiannon Baxter
PhD studentInstitute for Molecular BioscienceResearcher profile is public:0Supervisor:Marut Jain
External PhD StudentsResearcher profile is public:1Supervisor:Facility Managers
Dr James Springfield
Microscopy Facility ManagerInstitute for Molecular BioscienceResearcher profile is public:0Supervisor:Dr Peta Harvey
Research OfficerInstitute for Molecular BioscienceResearcher profile is public:1Supervisor:Researcher biography:Dr Peta Harvey was appointed to the Institute of Molecular Bioscience NMR Facility in January 2009. Dr Harvey is an instrumental specialist with more than 25 years of experience in the use of NMR techniques as well as the operation, systems management, training and supervision of spectrometer usage. Having applied multinuclear NMR methods during her PhD studies in mechanistic organic chemistry, she has diversified her interests from liver dysfunction and altered drug metabolism in the cirrhotic and aged liver (Canberra Clinical School of University of Sydney) to structural studies of muscle related proteins (Australian National University). More recently whilst at IMB, her particular expertise has extended to the structural and functional characterization of peptides and small proteins with complex cross-linked topologies and the use of such bioactive peptides in drug design.
Body:Dr Peta Harvey was appointed to the NMR Facility in January 2009. Dr Harvey is an instrumental specialist with more than 20 years of experience in the use of NMR techniques as well as the operation, systems management, training and supervision of spectrometer usage. Having applied multinuclear NMR methods during her PhD studies in mechanistic organic chemistry, she has diversified her interests from liver dysfunction and altered drug metabolism in the cirrhotic and aged liver (Canberra Clinical School of University of Sydney) to structural studies of muscle related proteins (Australian National University). More recently whilst at IMB, her particular expertise has extended to the structural and functional characterization of peptides and small proteins with complex cross-linked topologies and the use of such bioactive peptides in drug design.
Dr Harvey has contributed to numerous multi-disciplinary collaborative research projects. She is the co-author of over 45 papers in high quality international peer-reviewed journals.
Mr Alun Jones
Mass Spectrometry Facility ManagerInstitute for Molecular BioscienceResearcher profile is public:0Supervisor:Body:Alun has more than 28 years of experience in biological mass spectrometry in both academia and industry in the UK, Canada and USA. During this time, he has developed HPLC-mass spectrometry interfaces, methods of analysis for natural products, drug and pesticide analysis, peptide and protein analysis.
Ms Angelika Christ
UQ Sequencing Facility ManagerResearcher profile is public:0Supervisor:Body:Angelika Christ is Facility Manager of the IMB Sequencing Facility, where she leads a team of sequencing and bioinformatition specialists, producing high-quality sequencing libraries and next-generation sequencing data.
Angelika and her team help find researchers the best approach to their sequencing projects — ranging from agriculture, to drug development and medical research — and ensure the best outcomes.
Angelika has 13 years of commercial and research laboratory experience. She has worked in the field of next-generation sequencing since 2010 on various technology platforms and applications.
Angelika holds a Dipl.-Ing (FH) (equivalent to masters degree) in Biochemistry from the Mannheim University of Applied Sciences in Germany and a brings experience in organic chemistry and peptide chemistry as well as cell culture and assay development to her work at the IMB Sequencing Facility.
Dr Christian Nefzger
Senior Research Fellow - GLInstitute for Molecular BioscienceResearcher profile is public:1Supervisor:Researcher biography:Kindly visit my laboratory's webpage for more information
Dr Dominique Gorse
Chief Executive Officer - QFABInstitute for Molecular BioscienceResearcher profile is public:0Supervisor:Professor Grant Montgomery
Director, UQ Genome Innovation HubNHMRC Leadership Fellow - GLInstitute for Molecular BioscienceResearcher profile is public:1Supervisor:Researcher biography:Professor Grant Montgomery FAHMS FSRB Hon FRSNZ
Professor Montgomery was born in New Zealand, completed PhD studies in Animal Science at Massey University and post-doctoral research in France. In 1987, he co-founded the New Zealand Sheep Genomics Program in the Biochemistry Department at the University of Otago and pioneered the introduction of genome mapping methods in farm animals. He moved to Australia in 1999 and joined the Queensland Institute of Medical Research where he ran a successful genome mapping program for human complex disease. In 2016, he moved to the University of Queensland and holds joint appointments at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB) and the Queensland Brain Institute (QBI). He is a National Health and Medical Research Council Leadership Fellow and Director of the UQ Genome Innovation Hub. He was elected a Fellow the Society for Reproductive Biology in 2012, Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences in 2015, and Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand in 2016. His research focusses on discovery of critical genes and pathways increasing risk for common diseases especially reproductive diseases including endometriosis.
Body:Highlights
Professor Grant Montgomery uses genetic approaches to discover critical genes and pathways increasing risk for reproductive disorders. He applies state of the art genomic techniques to identify risk factors and understand how these genetic differences regulate gene expression and epigenetics to alter disease risk. The goal is to understand disease biology and help develop better methods for diagnosis and treatment.
A major focus is women’s health and the pathogenesis of endometriosis. Together with colleagues in Brisbane, he led a recent large international study on genetic risk factors for endometriosis which confirmed 14 regions of the genome are associated with the disease, including 5 novel regions. His research is now moving to functional studies to identify the target genes in each region and determine how changes in the regulation of these genes contribute to disease. Professor Montgomery has published the first examples of likely target genes for two regions.
He is also using genomic approaches to help understand environmental risk factors for this disease. Environmental risk factors may leave epigenetic signals on DNA that are associated with disease and he is part of an international study on global methylation analysis in endometriosis.
Video
Connect
Pages
Strawberry DNA extraction activity
Extract and view DNA from a strawberry using common household ingredients.
Get started
The Edge: Infection
The latest research and discovery
We are tackling the problem of drug-resistant bacteria through developing new diagnostics and treatments, and by empowering the community with knowledge on how to fight back against the threat of superbugs.
Do a PhD at IMB
Apply for the Global Challenges PhD Scholarship
We are training the next generation of researchers to tackle some of the most pressing global issues of our time.
Apply for the Domestic round and boost your stipend with our IMB Global Challenges Scholarship.
This year's theme is 'Drugs inspired by nature' where you can look to the world around us to develop new medicines.
Learn from the best see what you can achieve.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Get the latest research straight to your inbox.
Stay up-to-date as we answer questions about hot topics, and share the latest news at IMB, Australia’s #1 research institute.
General enquiries
+61 7 3346 2222
imb@imb.uq.edu.au
Media enquiries
IMB fully supports UQ's Reconciliation Action Plan and is implementing actions within our institute.
Support us
Donate to research
100% of donations go to the cause