GRIDD is a world-class research facility, offering unique resources and drawing on a global network of partners to target the world’s most devastating diseases.
GRIDD is a Griffith University research institute with a focus on early stage and pre-clinical drug discovery. GRIDD’s aim is to utilise its unique resources, dedicated researchers and international partnerships to drive the discovery and development of revolutionary new treatments to improve human health.
We are currently focusing on a number of key discovery areas, including cancer, infectious diseases, Parkinson’s disease, drug resistance and spinal cord injury repair. Innovating at the cutting-edge of both chemistry and biology, we collaborate with governments, academia, industry and communities to create knowledge that transforms lives.
GRIDD is home to two significant resources in Compounds Australia and NatureBank. Compounds Australia is the nations’ industry standard compound curation facility, unmatched in the Southern hemisphere and a leader globally. NatureBank is Australia’s largest collection of raw biota, processed into large extract and fraction libraries. Both resources are available to researchers and industry worldwide that, like GRIDD, are seeking to discover new treatments and cures for debilitating illnesses.
Directions in drug discovery
Delve deeper into our research and find out more about our approaches, innovation and collaborations across key research areas:
Cancer
An estimated 130,470 new cases of cancer were diagnosed in Australia in 2016, with that number set to rise to 150,000 by 2020. Professors Vicky Avery, Sally-Ann Poulsen and Associate Professor Rohan Davis are working to discover compounds that are active against breast, prostate and pancreatic cancer.
Infectious diseases
Infectious diseases kill more than one million people annually. GRIDD Professors Kathy Andrews, Vicky Avery and Ronald Quinn are seeking new drugs to treat diseases like malaria and TB, while Associate Professor Tina Skinner-Adams is exploring antiparasitic drug discovery and drug target identification, with a goal to improve the lives of those at risk of parasite infection.
Parkinson’s disease
About 70,000 Australians are affected by this progressive disease of the nervous system. Professor George Mellick’s research explores the genetics of Parkinsonism and the interactions between genetic and environmental factors that contribute to onset and development of the disease.
Drug resistance
Professor Sally-Ann Poulsen has discovered a new way to reverse multidrug resistance in cancer, while Professor Jenny Martin is exploring how to disarm bacteria so they cannot cause disease.
Spinal cord injury repair
Up to half a million people globally suffer from spinal cord injury. GRIDD’s Associate Professor James St John in the Clem Jones Centre for Neurobiology and Stem Cell Research offers hope of new therapies. The 2017 Australian of the Year, Professor Emeritus Alan Mackay-Sim pioneered this research.
Our researchers
See the team who make up GRIDD and find out more about our individual research strengths.
Latest news
New method shows promise in identifying disease-fighting drug targets
28 Jan 2021
A new method of identifying molecular targets to fight disease could help accelerate future drug...
Griffith celebrates recipients of 2021 Australia Day honours
27 Jan 2021
2021 Australia Day honours have been bestowed upon a number of Griffith University staff,...
We almost have a COVID-19 vaccine.. but what next?
24 Nov 2020
New details of the promising Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine signals hope for 2021 … but what does this...
Paralysis treatment closer after donation funds Australian-first research trial
06 Nov 2020
An Australian-first rehabilitation trial considered the next crucial step in treating paralysis...
Unique Resources
Explore our unrivalled resources available for use
NatureBank
Access NatureBank’s collection of 60,000 natural product fractions ready for screening against any disease.
Compounds Australia
Australia's only dedicated compound management facility, Compounds Australia connects chemists and biologists for drug discovery research.
Key technologies
Our key technologies include high-throughput screening, Fourier transform mass spectrometry and fragment-based screening.
Research Highlights
Australian of the Year 2017
Professor Emeritus Alan Mackay-Sim
Alan Mackay-Sim is a world-renowned trailblazer in cell transplantation, who paved the way for innovative research to repair damaged spinal cords to return the gift of movement to paralysed people.
Fighting antibiotic resistance
Dr Maria Halili speaks about her work at the Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery finding solutions for antibiotic resistance using disulfide bonds.
Using ion channels to fight Parkinson's Disease
Dr Linlin Ma speaks about her work at the Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery using ion channels in the fight against Parkinson's Disease.
Artificial intelligence in drug discovery
Have you ever wondered how technology can help improve drug discovery research in the future? GRIDD's Dr Miaomiao Liu is working on using artificial intelligence (AI) to analyse natural products for drug discovery in areas such as malaria and tuberculosis.
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