Technology Sciences

We’re made up of computational scientists, biologists, and chemists who help develop cutting-edge statistical, computational, and AI strategies alongside structural, chemical and molecular biology approaches. We analyse and interpret biomedical ‘omics’ and imaging data generated across research to decode the genetic and molecular processes that govern human cell development.

In collaboration with biomedical researchers across the institute, we aim to uncover how diseases arise, evolve, and spread, while discovering novel therapeutic targets to improve the care and patient outcomes.

• Developing algorithms, software and data frameworks to interpret complex omics datasets (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics).
• Developing precise biological tools and agents to target disease pathways.
• Investigating kinase signalling to understand how cellular communications break down in disease.
• Mapping molecular architectures to design and optimise targeted, small-molecule therapeutics.
• Modeling how diseases adapt, mutate, and develop resistance to therapies.
• Unraveling fundamental cell death mechanisms (like apoptosis) to target cancer and neurodegenerative disorders.

• Professor Guilaume Lessene elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences.
• Professor Alan Cowman AC awarded the Macfarlane Burnet Medal and Lecture for his work in malaria.
• Dr Belinda Phipson receives the Christopher Heyde Medal for her work in bioinformatics.
• Professor Sant-Rayn Pasricha recognised with the Gustav Nossal Medal for his work to reduce the burden of anaemia in mothers and children in low-income countries.
• Project to develop a blood-based test to identify patients with early pancreatic cancer.
• Research into a potential early diagnosis test for dementia.
• Professor Gordon Smyth wins the 2024 Eureka Prize for Excellence in Research Software.
• New tools and methods to investigate the impacts of an unusual protein, which could help lay the foundation for future studies in diseases.
• Potential new antimalarial drug candidates developed through an extended drug-discovery collaboration.
• Discovered why mucus produced by patients with respiratory illnesses is thicker than usual, which could help improve treatments.

Dr Belinda Phipson discusses her work providing the foundations needed to turn large-scale datasets into reliable biological discoveries.

Professor Guillaume Lessene discusses leading the development of a new class of cancer drugs that can cross the blood-brain barrier and transform brain cancer treatment.

The rogue molecule that triggers auto immunity. Mitochondria are coloured red and DNA is marked in green.