GRIDD tackles devastating diseases using unique resources and a global network of partners
Our unique resources, dedicated researchers and international partners create an ideal context for drug discovery that drives our search for revolutionary new treatments.
Innovating at the cutting-edge of chemistry and biology, we collaborate with governments, academia, communities and the health industry to create new knowledge that transforms lives for the better.
We thank our supporters including AEGIUM, Cancer Therapeutics CRC, the Clem Jones Foundation, GHIT-Japan, Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), Parkinson’s Queensland, Perry Cross Spinal Research Foundation, and the Queensland and Australian Government. We are also proud to foster the next generation of drug discovery scientists.
Latest news
Inspiring the next generation of scientists…that’s RAD!
13 Aug 2019
Professor Kathy Andrews will launch the latest in a series of books designed to inspire the next...
Indigenous Griffith students present at World Congress
12 Jul 2019
Two of just three Australian students chosen to present at the World Congress of Undergrad Research...
New insights into clinically used malaria drug offers hope
05 May 2019
Researchers find commonly used antimalarial drug has better activity against malaria parasites than...
Test improves the odds when cancer strikes the brain
26 Apr 2019
Treatment reverses resistance to commonly used brain cancer drug.
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.
Drug resistance
Director Professor Jenny Martin, who was elected to the Australian Academy of Science in May 2017, talks about her research into the rapidly growing problem of antibiotic resistance.
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 Director Professor Jenny Martin is exploring new approaches to treat complicated urinary tract infections as well as melioidosis, a common disease in northern Australia.
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 Director 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.
Connect with us