To bring new therapeutics into clinical use, understanding their mechanisms of action is essential. However, many drug candidates identified through phenotypic screening do not have known targets. To overcome this challenge, the Australian drug discovery landscape urgently needs access to new technologies to accelerate the development of these drug candidates into new medicines.
To meet this demand, the Bioplatforms-supported Monash Proteomics & Metabolomics Platform (MPMP) has launched Australia’s first Drug Target Identification (DTI) node, thanks to a successful MRFF Critical Research Infrastructure Initiative grant led by Prof. Darren Creek. The program provides researchers and clinicians with access to technologies designed to (i) identify and validate the molecular targets of new drug candidates and (ii) provide a systems pharmacology evaluation of drug mechanisms.
Researchers, clinicians and industry partners in the ANZ region and beyond will benefit from this initiative.
This project employs advanced proteomics and metabolomics techniques, along with transcriptomics and functional genomics. Specifically:
- High-resolution mass spectrometry including proteomics, metabolomics and lipidomics
- Genomics, transcriptomics, CRISPR-screening, cell painting
- Technologies specifically utilised in drug target identification such as LiP-MS or chemo-proteomics
In addition to Monash University, this project is supported by other institutions including WEHI, Griffith University, Australian National University (ANU) and the Centre of Cancer Biology (CCB).