Facilities in Cairns

Approved arrangement facilities

We operate quarantine facilities approved by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) for research involving biological materials regulated under Australia’s biosecurity laws. The approved arrangement classifications at our sites include:

• Class 5.21 (microbiological) for work with imported microorganisms and biological samples
• Class 5.25 (invertebrate) for research involving regulated invertebrate species
• Class 5.22 (animal) for approved research with regulated animal materials

Natural Microbial Exposure facility

The Natural Microbial Exposure (NME) Facility provides a specialised research environment designed to model physiologically relevant microbial exposure conditions. Unlike relatively sterile conventional laboratory environments, the facility enables controlled microbial diversification, allowing biological systems to develop under conditions that more closely reflect those encountered in natural environments.

The NME Facility serves as the experimental platform for the Microbial Exposure–Driven Translational Research in the Tropics (MED-TRopics) Program, which is led by Dr Roland Ruscher.  It provides the infrastructure for translational studies that bridge the gap between traditional laboratory research and real-world biomedical biology. This will lead to more predictive research relevant to human health, therapeutic development, and vaccine discovery.

EduQuarium

From humble beginnings in 1997, the EduQuarium started life as a series of small glass fish tanks established by Dr Jamie Seymour and Emmy Award-winning cinematographer Richard Fitzpatrick.

Today, Professor Seymour’s EduQuarium is a world‑class research and education facility based on the James Cook University campus in Cairns, specialising in tropical Australian venomous animals and toxicology, and supporting research, training and public engagement.

Invertebrate facilities

In Cairns, we have two invertebrate facilities — a PC2 invertebrate laboratory and the Tropical Medicine Mosquito Research Facility (TMMRF), funded by the Gates Foundation. These facilities are used to house and produce large numbers of mosquitos for research on vector-borne disease transmission and control. The TMMRF features a laboratory, three constant temperature larvae rearing rooms, and two semi-field flight cages that stimulate the natural environment, allowing researchers to trial trapping and release strategies.

Tissue culture suites

Specialist tissue culture suites support infectious and non-infectious research involving human, animal and parasite cells and tissues. Our suites feature contamination-controlled, pressurised rooms with biosafety cabinets and incubators, and are OGTR-approved for work with genetically modified organisms.

Biological resource facilities

Our biological resource facilities support the housing, management and maintenance of a wide range of biological materials used in approved research projects. These facilities provide secure, controlled environments for invertebrates (e.g. mosquitoes), animals, cryostorage, and cell and tissue culture.Our experienced technical staff ensure safe, compliant and high-quality research conditions across all sites.

Cryostore and Biobank facilities

Our cryostore and biobank facilities are capable of storing and cataloguing an extensive biological sample library for biomedical research into human diseases. In total, our facilities in Cairns and Townsville can securely store up to 80,000 biological samples in liquid nitrogen (-190°C) and ultra-low temperature freezers (-80°C) and continuously monitored using a Building Management System (BMS).

TripleTOF 6600 mass spectrometer

The SCIEX TripleTOF 6600 Quadrupole Time-Of-Flight system allows researchers to analyse complex biological samples in high detail. It can identify and measure proteins, peptides and other molecules, helping researchers discover disease biomarkers, understand pathogen mechanisms and support the development of new treatments and vaccines.

MALDI-TOF/TOF MS

Our SCIEX 5800 MALDI TOF/TOF mass spectrometer enables the rapid identification of proteins and molecules, aiding research into disease processes and biomarker discovery.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectrometer

The Bruker Avance III 600 NMR spectrometer is capable of investigating structure and dynamics in proteins, RNA and small molecules including peptides, helping researchers identify potential drug and vaccine targets for tropical diseases.

Irradiator facilities

In Cairns, we use X-ray irradiators to safely treat biological samples, supporting research on infectious diseases, parasites and cell lines.

nCounter FLEX

The nanoString nCounter FLEX Analysis system uses advanced digital technology to measure multiple genetic targets at once. It can quantify up to 800 genes, small RNAs or DNA sequences in a single experiment, allowing precise study of gene expression in research on infectious and chronic diseases.

Flow cytometry facilities

We have several flow cytometry instruments that are used to identify, count and characterise cells, helping researchers understand immune responses, study pathogens and monitor experimental treatments. Both sites host a LSRFortessa X-20 5 Laser and 18 Colour Cell Analyser, used for multi-color, multi-parametric analysis of cells and particles. Cairns has both an ARIA III cell sorting instrument and a newly acquired Cytek Aurora 4-laser spectral Flow cytometer.