CMT About the Centre
About the Centre
- Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders in Marine Science
- Courses
- Future Students
- Current Students
- Research and Teaching
- Partners and Community
- About JCU
- Reputation and Experience
- Celebrating 50 Years
- Academy
- ALTAR
- Anton Breinl Research Centre
- Agriculture Technology and Adoption Centre
- Living on Campus
- Advanced Prawn Breeding Research Hub
- Advanced Analytical Centre
- Applying to JCU
- Alumni
- AMHHEC
- JCU Aquaculture Solutions
- AusAsian Mental Health Research Group
- ARCSTA
- Area 61
- Association of Australian University Secretaries
- Australian/NZ Students
- Australian Lions Stinger Research
- Boating and Diving
- JCU-CSIRO Partnership
- Employability Edge
- Career Ready Plan
- Australian Tropical Herbarium
- Careers at JCU
- Careers and Employability
- Australian Quantum & Classical Transport Physics Group
- Centre for Tropical Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology
- CITBA
- Chancellery
- CMT
- CASE
- College of Business, Law and Governance
- College of Healthcare Sciences
- WHOCC for N&M Education and Research
- College of Medicine and Dentistry
- College of Science and Engineering
- CPHMVS
- COVID-19 Advice
- Centre for Disaster Solutions
- CSTFA
- Cyclone Testing Station
- The Centre for Disaster Studies
- Daintree Rainforest Observatory
- Diploma of Higher Education
- Discover Nature at JCU
- Research Division
- Services and Resources Division
- Education Division
- Division of Tropical Environments and Societies
- Division of Tropical Health and Medicine
- Economic Geology Research Centre
- Elite Athletes
- eResearch
- ERC
- Estate
- Financial and Business Services Office
- Fletcherview
- Foundation for Australian Literary Studies
- Gender Equity Action and Research
- GetReady4Uni
- Give to JCU
- Governance
- Information for JCU Cairns Graduates
- Graduate Research School
- Graduation
- Indigenous Education and Research Centre
- Indigenous Engagement
- Indigenous Legal Needs Project
- Inherent Requirements
- IsoTropics Geochemistry Lab
- IT Services
- International Schools
- International Students
- JCU Connect
- JCU Eduquarium
- JCU Events
- JCU Global Experience
- JCU Ideas Lab
- JCU Job Ready
- JCU Motorsports
- JCU Prizes
- JCU Sport
- JCU Turtle Health Research
- Language and Culture Research Centre
- CEE
- LearnJCU
- Library
- Mabo Decision: 30 years on
- MARF
- Marine Geophysics Laboratory
- New students
- Off-Campus Students
- Office of the Vice Chancellor and President
- Virtual Open Day
- Orpheus
- Outstanding Alumni Awards
- Parents and Partners
- Pathways to university
- Planning for your future
- Placements
- Policy
- PAHL
- Publications
- Professional Experience Placement
- Queensland Research Centre for Peripheral Vascular Disease
- Rapid Assessment Unit
- RDIM
- Researcher Development Portal
- Safety and Wellbeing
- Scholarships
- Contextual Science for Tropical Coastal Ecosystems
- Staff
- State of the Tropics
- Strategic Procurement
- Student Equity and Wellbeing
- Student profiles
- SWIRLnet
- TARL
- TESS
- TREAD
- TropEco
- TQ Maths Hub
- TUDLab
- Unicare Centre and Unicampus Kids
- UAV
- VAVS Home
- Work Health and Safety
- WHOCC for Vector-borne & NTDs
- Media
- Copyright and Terms of Use
- Australian Institute of Tropical Health & Medicine
The Centre for Molecular Therapeutics (previously the Centre for Biodiscovery & Molecular Development of Therapeutics, CBMDT) is based at JCU Cairns, Nguma-bada campus, Smithfield, which is adjacent to the World Heritage-listed Daintree Rainforest and the iconic Great Barrier Reef.
The Centre for Molecular Therapeutics is uniquely situated to discover and develop novel compounds of therapeutic potential. The Daintree Rainforest is considered the world’s oldest tropical rainforest, and The Great Barrier Reef is the largest reef structure and marine park in the world. Both provide exceptionally high and unparalleled biodiversity.
North Queensland also harbours many parasites and other microorganisms that are restricted to tropical environments. This enormous biodiversity provides a unique opportunity to explore and test new medicines derived from these natural resources as novel therapeutics for a range of infectious diseases and non-infectious human illnesses, including chronic disorders, allergies and autoimmune diseases as well as envenomations.
The world’s tropical regions also have special significance as home to a number of major global health pathogens as well as important emerging or re-emerging infectious disease threats. It is estimated that half of the world’s population will live in the tropics by 2050, highlighting the urgent need for immunotherapeutics, vaccines and diagnostics to manage these diseases.
The Centre for Molecular Therapeutics provides a unique framework for researchers with diverse expertise to collaborate on innovative cross-disciplinary research projects using state-of-the-art technologies to discover and develop novel therapeutics, Vaccines and diagnostics from the tropics and for the tropics. We aim to translate discoveries in the tropics to commercial activities that reach the global market.
About JCU
JCU is Australia’s leading tropical research university, dedicated to teaching and research excellence in disciplines of particular relevance to the tropics.
The University's main campuses are located in the tropical cities of Townsville, Cairns and Singapore, and its extensive network of research stations and facilities includes sites on two UNESCO World Heritage areas – the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics rainforests of Northern Queensland.
The University conducts nationally significant and internationally recognised research in areas such as marine sciences, biodiversity, tropical ecology and environments, and tropical medicine and public health care.