Griffith University

Our Research

We focus on the isolation and structure elucidation of  bioactive compounds from plants, fungi or marine invertebrates that could potentially become new lead compounds or drugs. Bioassay-, mass-, UV- or NMR-guided fractionations are routinely used to purify the bioactive constituents from crude biota extracts. For the past 3 years the group has focussed on new anti-infective compounds from nature, with a particular interest in the discovery of new antimalarial and antibacterial natural products.

We are going back to nature to look for new compounds that can be developed into drugs to fight infectious diseases, such as malaria and multi-drug resistant bacterial infections.
-Dr Rohan Davis

Some recent compounds isolated by the Davis Group

Study Opportunities

Available student projects:

• Natural product scaffolds in the generation of novel chemical libraries
• Cytotoxic natural products from Great Barrier Reef marine organisms
• New chemistry and anti-infective agents from endophytic fungi
• Antimalarial compounds from nature
• Anti-infective agents from Australian endemic plants

20 Recent Publications

1. Yin, S.; Davis, R.A.; Shelper, T.; Sykes, M.L.; Avery, V.M.; Elofsson, M.; Sundin, C.; Quinn, R.J. Pseudoceramines A-D, new antibacterial bromotyrosine alkaloids from the marine sponge Pseudoceratina sp. Org. Biomol. Chem. 2011, 9(19), 6755-6760.
2. Yang, X.; Feng, Y.; Duffy, S.; Avery, V.M.; Camp, D.; Quinn, R.J.; Davis, R.A. A New Quinoline Epoxide from the Australian Plant Drummondita calida. Planta Med 2011, 77(EFirst), 1644,1647.
3. Xu, M.; Andrews, K.T.; Birrell, G.W.; Tran, T.L.; Camp, D.; Davis, R.A.; Quinn, R.J. Psammaplysin H, a new antimalarial bromotyrosine alkaloid from a marine sponge of the genus Pseudoceratina. Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 2011, 21(2), 846-848.
4. Martin, F.; Grkovic, T.; Sykes, M.; Shelper, T.; Avery, V.M.; Camp, D.; Quinn, R.J.; Davis, R.A. Alkaloids from the Chinese Vine Gnetum montanum. J. Nat. Prod. 2011, accepted 10 Oct 2011.
5. Liberio, M.S.; Sooraj, D.; Williams, E.D.; Feng, Y.; Davis, R.A. Kingamide A, a new indole alkaloid from the ascidian Leptoclinides kingi. Tetrahedron Lett. 2011, 52(50), 6729-6731.
6. Devakaram, R.; Black, D.S.; Andrews, K.T.; Fisher, G.M.; Davis, R.A.; Kumar, N. Synthesis and antimalarial evaluation of novel benzopyrano[4,3-b]benzopyran derivatives. Bioorg. Med. Chem. 2011, 19(17), 5199-5206.
7. Davis, R.A.; Sykes, M.; Avery, V.M.; Camp, D.; Quinn, R.J. Convolutamines I and J, antitrypanosomal alkaloids from the bryozoan Amathia tortusa. Bioorg. Med. Chem. 2011, 19(22), 6615-6619.
8. Davis, R.A.; Hofmann, A.; Osman, A.; Hall, R.A.; Mühlschlegel, F.A.; Vullo, D.; Innocenti, A.; Supuran, C.T.; Poulsen, S.-A. Natural Product-Based Phenols as Novel Probes for Mycobacterial and Fungal Carbonic Anhydrases. J. Med. Chem. 2011, 54(6), 1682-1692.
9. Camp, D.; Davis Rohan, A.; Campitelli, M.; Ebdon, J.; Quinn Ronald, J. Drug-like Properties: Guiding Principles for the Design of Natural Product Libraries J. Nat. Prod.accepted 28 Nov 2011.
10. Barnes, E.C.; Carroll, A.R.; Davis, R.A. Mitchellenes A–E, Cyclic Sesquiterpenes from the Australian Plant Eremophila mitchellii. J. Nat. Prod. 2011, 74(9), 1888-1893.
11. Yin, S.; Sykes, M.L.; Davis, R.A.; Shelper, T.; Avery, V.M.; Camp, D.; Quinn, R.J. New galloylated flavanonols from the Australian plant Glochidion sumatranum. Planta Med. 2010, 76(16), 1877-1881.
12. Yin, S.; Cullinane, C.; Carroll, A.R.; Quinn, R.J.; Davis, R.A. Botryllamides K and L, new tyrosine derivatives from the Australian ascidian Aplidium altarium. Tetrahedron Lett. 2010, 51(26), 3403-3405.
13. Yin, S.; Boyle, G.M.; Carroll, A.R.; Kotiw, M.; Dearnaley, J.; Quinn, R.J.; Davis, R.A. Caelestines A-D, Brominated Quinolinecarboxylic Acids from the Australian Ascidian Aplidium caelestis. J. Nat. Prod. 2010, 73(9), 1586-1589.
14. Yang, X.; Davis, R.A.; Buchanan, M.S.; Duffy, S.; Avery, V.M.; Camp, D.; Quinn, R.J. Antimalarial Bromotyrosine Derivatives from the Australian Marine Sponge Hyattella sp. J. Nat. Prod. 2010, 73(5), 985-987.
15. Pasay, C.; Mounsey, K.; Stevenson, G.; Davis, R.; Arlian, L.; Morgan, M.; Vyszenski-Moher, D.; Andrews, K.; McCarthy, J. Acaricidal activity of eugenol based compounds against scabies mites. PLoS One 2010, 5(8), e12079.
16. Feng, Y.-J.; Davis, R.A.; Sykes, M.; Avery, V.M.; Camp, D.; Quinn, R.J. Antitrypanosomal Cyclic Polyketide Peroxides from the Australian Marine Sponge Plakortis sp. J. Nat. Prod. 2010, 73(4), 716-719.
17. Feng, Y.; Davis, R.A.; Sykes, M.L.; Avery, V.M.; Carroll, A.R.; Camp, D.; Quinn, R.J. Antitrypanosomal pyridoacridine alkaloids from the Australian ascidian Polysyncraton echinatum. Tetrahedron Lett. 2010, 51(18), 2477-2479.
18. Feng, Y.; Davis, R.A.; Sykes, M.L.; Avery, V.M.; Camp, D.; Quinn, R.J. Pseudoceratinazole A: a novel bromotyrosine alkaloid from the Australian sponge Pseudoceratina sp. Tetrahedron Lett. 2010, 51(37), 4847-4850.
19. Davis, R.A.; Innocenti, A.; Poulsen, S.-A.; Supuran, C.T. Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors. Identification of selective inhibitors of the human mitochondrial isozymes VA and VB over the cytosolic isozymes I and II from a natural product-based phenolic library. Bioorg. Med. Chem. 2010, 18(1), 14-18.
20. Davis, R.A.; Healy, P.C. N-Benzyl-2-(3-chloro-4-hydroxyphenyl)acetamide. Acta Crystallogr., Sect. E: Struct. Rep. Online 2010, E66(10), o2521.