CMT Research Themes
Research Themes
- 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
- Anthropological Laboratory for Tropical Audiovisual Research (ALTAR)
- Anton Breinl Research Centre
- Agriculture Technology and Adoption Centre
- Living on Campus
- 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
- Australian Tropical Herbarium
- Australian Quantum & Classical Transport Physics Group
- Boating and Diving
- JCU-CSIRO Partnership
- Employability Edge
- Career Ready Plan
- CASE
- Careers at JCU
- Careers and Employability
- Chancellery
- Centre for Tropical Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology
- CITBA
- CMT
- 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
- Centre for Disaster Solutions
- CSTFA
- Cyclone Testing Station
- The Centre for Disaster Studies
- Daintree Rainforest Observatory
- Discover Nature at JCU
- Research Division
- Services and Resources Division
- Education Division
- Economic Geology Research Centre
- Elite Athletes
- eResearch
- Environmental Research Complex [ERC]
- Estate
- Fletcherview
- Foundation for Australian Literary Studies
- Gender Equity Action and Research
- General Practice and Rural Medicine
- GetReady4Uni
- Give to JCU
- Governance
- Information for JCU Cairns Graduates
- Art of Academic Writing
- Art of Academic Editing
- 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
- Research and Innovation Services
- 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
- 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 for Staff and Students
- 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
- Clinical Psychedelic Research Lab
The Centre for Molecular Therapeutics brings together researchers from across James Cook University together with national and international collaborators on innovative cross-disciplinary research projects using state-of-the-art technologies to discover and develop novel therapeutics and diagnostics from the tropics and for the tropics. Advanced analytical and computational approaches, play a key role on our Centre's research. CMT amalgamates over 62 research and supporting staff and over 45 post-graduate students into one cohesive research group to move research from basic science through to translation, commercialisation and impact.
Biodiscovery
Theme Leaders
Prof Denise Doolan, Prof Alex Loukas
The Biodiscovery Program aims to isolate molecules of therapeutic potential produced by tropical flora and fauna, for the treatment of a range of infectious diseases and non-infectious human illnesses, including chronic disorders, allergies and autoimmune diseases as well as envenomations. Many currently utilised medicines are derived from plants and animals. The unparalleled diversity of marine and terrestrial flora and fauna in our tropical reefs and rainforests, including the many parasites and other microorganisms which are restricted to the tropical environment, present a unique opportunity for the discovery of new immunotherapeutics, vaccine targets or diagnostics. Researchers in the Biodiscovery Theme aim to identify these novel molecules using cutting-edge functional readouts in combination with advanced analytical approaches in protein/peptide purification, computational, structural and molecular biology.
Molecular Characterisation and Design
Theme Leaders
Prof Norelle Daly & Prof Lionel Hebbard
The Molecular Characterisation and Design program aims to harness the therapeutic potential of molecules produced by tropical flora and fauna by designing and optimising synthetic versions of the naturally-derived molecules, for the treatment a range of chronic and acute illnesses and envenomations. The molecular development activities follow the biodiscovery phase and include the isolation of bioactive molecules from natural and synthetic sources and modification of those molecules to maximise their therapeutic efficacy. Design activities explore new approaches to drug design and delivery, including the synthesis of new classes of pharmacologically-active organic and inorganic compounds. Other design activities focus on the development and refinement of technologies for therapeutic delivery (e.g. vaccine platforms) or diagnostic application.
Molecular Immunology
Theme Leaders
Prof Andreas Lopata & A/Prof John Miles
The Molecular Immunology program seeks to understand the intricate pathways involved in the regulation of immune responses during infectious diseases and non-infectious human illnesses, including chronic disorders, allergies and autoimmune diseases as well as envenomations, and use that understanding to develop new therapeutic compounds.
Clinical Translation
Theme Leaders
Prof Jon Golledge & Dr Paul Giacomin
The Clinical Translation program seeks to move therapeutic molecules (immunotherapies, vaccines) or diagnostics discovered and developed in the Biodiscovery, Molecular Characterisation and Design, and Molecular Immunology programs through the R&D pipeline towards clinical studies in humans. The ultimate aim is to transition promising bioactive leads to commercial development with industry partners.