Australasian Peptide Chemistry

Professor Paul Alewood is Group Leader in the Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB) at the University of Queensland and co-chair of the Australian Peptide Society. He is the author of over 300 publications (H = 60), mostly in the field of bioactive peptides. He is an inventor on 14 licensed patents. Professor Alewood's research is in peptide, protein, and medicinal chemistry. His research projects include the development of structure–function relationships of cysteine-rich bioactive peptides, the design and synthesis of new peptide drugs, peptidomimetics, and proteomics. Current research targets involve the discovery and development of novel bioactive peptides for the treatment of chronic pain and ion channel therapeutics.

John D. Wade obtained his Ph.D. on the structural basis of the diabetogenic action of human growth hormone from Monash University, Australia, in 1979. He received a Nuffield Foundation Fellowship to Cambridge University, UK, where he undertook post-doctoral studies in the laboratory of Dr R. C. Sheppard at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology on the development and use of the Fmoc-solid phase peptide synthesis methodology. In 1983, he returned to Melbourne at the invitation of the now Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, where he is currently Head of Peptide and Protein Chemistry. His principal research skills are in solid phase peptide synthesis for the construction of large, complex, functionalized and often multi-chain peptides. Professor Wade is Senior Principal Research Fellow, an NHMRC of Australia Principal Research Fellow, and a Fellow of both the Royal Australian Chemical Institute and the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK). He is also the co-Editor-in-Chief of the Australian Journal of Chemistry.