Institute for Molecular Bioscience

Institute for Molecular Bioscience We harness nature to discover cures for a better world Our vision is to create a world with a cure for every disease.

We harness our knowledge of nature to create sustainable cures for diseases that plague people, animals and plants. Our researchers use Australian venoms, plants and soils to stop superbugs in their tracks, to create better cancer treatments, to ensure patients survive strokes and heart attacks, to solve inflammatory diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, and to develop environmentally friendly and effective pesticides. We are based at The University of Queensland in Brisbane/Meanjin, Australia.

Today joins the global community supporting International Women's Day 2026 — celebrating the achievements of women whi...
07/03/2026

Today joins the global community supporting International Women's Day 2026 — celebrating the achievements of women while recognising the work still needed to achieve gender equality.

This year’s theme, , highlights the power of collective action; giving support, visibility, and resources to help women thrive.

On Friday the 6th, IMB hosted a panel discussion exploring research into women’s health and how institutions can better support women to succeed in science. The conversation featured A. Professor Sonia Shah, Dr Lena Oestreich, Professor Brett Collins, Anjali Henders, and PhD researcher Caroline Brito Nunes.

Our community also came together for a fundraising bake sale, raising money for to support research and awareness for a condition affecting millions of women worldwide.

Women’s health has long been under‑researched and under‑recognised. Through science, collaboration and advocacy, IMB is committed to helping change that.

Some frogs and wasps are literally weaponising pain—and UQ scientists just figured out how 🐸🐝Researchers at , led by Dr...
06/03/2026

Some frogs and wasps are literally weaponising pain—and UQ scientists just figured out how 🐸🐝

Researchers at , led by Dr Sam Robinson, have discovered that some wasps and frogs have evolved toxins that mimic a key pain molecule in vertebrates—basically hijacking the biology of predators to say: “Don’t mess with me!”

This isn’t inherited from other animals. It’s a case of convergent evolution: completely separate species independently evolving the same trick. Wasps use it in venom, frogs in their skin secretions, and the result? A painful surprise for predators.

Beyond being fascinating, this discovery reveals a new class of defensive toxins, strengthens the idea that evolution often finds the same solutions to common problems, and could lead to new applications in medicine, agriculture, and biotechnology.

Science just proved life can be clever, sneaky, and… painfully creative.

Read more. See link in bio 👆

👆

We celebrated International Women's Day 2026 early this year with two uplifting events that brought energy and connectio...
06/03/2026

We celebrated International Women's Day 2026 early this year with two uplifting events that brought energy and connection across the institute.

We started the morning with an engaging women’s health research panel, where our speakers shared thoughtful perspectives on equity, opportunity and the future of women’s health science. Their conversation sparked meaningful discussion and left us inspired for what’s ahead.

And of course — the IWD Bake Sale was a huge hit! From cupcakes to cookies, our community baked (and bought!) their hearts out, raising funds for Endometriosis Australia and helping support vital research and awareness.

A big thank you to everyone who took part, volunteered, presented or simply stopped by. Days like today remind us how powerful it is when our community comes together!

✨ Future scientists in the making 🧬IMB was thrilled to be part of the 2026 UQ Alumni Book Fair, bringing hands-on scienc...
02/03/2026

✨ Future scientists in the making 🧬

IMB was thrilled to be part of the 2026 UQ Alumni Book Fair, bringing hands-on science fun to an estimated 300 young minds across the day.

Curious young visitors built delicious DNA with confectionery, created colourful microbe colonies, explored peptides found in venoms and plants, and discovered what makes their genetic fingerprint unique. Our junior scientist photo booth was a standout, with lab coats and plenty of proud parent photos captured in front of the IMB banner.

A huge thank you to our incredible Science Ambassadors and partners at the ARC Centre for Innovation in Peptide and Protein Science (CIPPS) for making the experience so engaging, and to the Alumni team for having us. We loved seeing so many families connect with science in such a fun and accessible way.

Here’s to inspiring the next generation of researchers 🔬💡

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27/02/2026

Can a brain scan diagnose depression? 🧠

Nearly 8,000 brain scans later, the answer is: not yet.

In a major international study led by researchers at UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience, MRI scans did reveal subtle structural signals linked to depression — but not nearly strong enough to work as a diagnostic test.

Even cutting-edge AI couldn’t crack it.

The takeaway? Depression is far more complex than a single brain snapshot. Biology matters — but so do genetics, life experience and environment. If we want better prediction and treatment, we need to look beyond grey matter alone.

Read the full story 👉 https://bit.ly/3MXlE9w




Parents often worry when babies gain weight quickly or grow differently from their peers. New findings from Researcher...
23/02/2026

Parents often worry when babies gain weight quickly or grow differently from their peers. New findings from Researchers Dr. Nicole Warrington, Dr. Geng Wang and Dr Kathryn Kemper reveal that our genes can influence these changes 🧬

This study followed children from infancy to late adolescence and found that the genes influencing body size don’t stay the same throughout childhood. The genes that contribute to an infant’s body size may be different to those contributing to a teenager’s body size, meaning a baby’s size tells only a tiny part of the story. Further, this research highlights how certain growth patterns are genetically linked to later risks like high blood sugar, cholesterol issues, and high blood pressure. That means understanding the biology of healthy growth (not single body size measurements) could help doctors identify when a child might benefit from extra support long before problems arise, eventually transforming how we track growth 📈

By applying these techniques to long‑term human data, researchers are opening new doors to understanding childhood development — and the early roots of lifelong health.

Read more 👉 https://bit.ly/4tMUToY

Beauty...with a sting at This striking image from Darren Brown highlights the needle‑like trichomes of the Gympie‑Gymp...
19/02/2026

Beauty...with a sting at

This striking image from Darren Brown highlights the needle‑like trichomes of the Gympie‑Gympie stinging tree — a venomous plant studied by Professor Irina Vetter and her team in the Vetter Group at UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience 🔬🌱

Their research investigates how toxins from this plant interact with nerve pathways and trigger pain, offering fresh insight into novel pain mechanisms and the potential for new, non‑opioid treatments.

Learn more about Queensland's toxic native plants here 👉 https://imb.uq.edu.au/article/2023/05/stinging-tree-injects-promise-pain-relief

Our skin does more than cover our bodies — it also helps protect the tiny nerve fibres that let us feel touch, temperatu...
17/02/2026

Our skin does more than cover our bodies — it also helps protect the tiny nerve fibres that let us feel touch, temperature and pain 💢

researchers, including Dr Sean Coakley (School of Biomedical Sciences), Professor Massimo Hilliard (Queensland Brain Institute) and Dr Igor Bonacossa-Pereira (IMB), have discovered a previously unknown protective scaffold in the skin. Using a tiny roundworm as a model, they found a nanoscale “skin cast” made of spectrin proteins that shields fragile axons from mechanical stress 🪱

“Focusing on the tissue surrounding the axon might uncover new ways of treating and preventing injury and disease,” said Dr Bonacossa-Pereira. “All animals have spectrins, which suggests these molecules are a key building block and will now be the subject of significant further study.”

The discovery reshapes our understanding of nerve health and opens the door to new treatments for nerve injury and neurodegenerative disease — by strengthening the tissue around nerves, not just the nerves themselves.

Read more here 👉 https://news.uq.edu.au/2026-01-pleasure-and-pain-tiny-worm-reveals-secret-protecting-skin-sensations

👭Today is International Day of Women and Girls in Science👩‍🔬 stands with the global community to champion the 2026 the...
11/02/2026

👭Today is International Day of Women and Girls in Science👩‍🔬

stands with the global community to champion the 2026 theme From Vision to Impact: Redefining STEM by Closing the Gender Gap. Because scientific progress doesn’t happen by chance — it happens when inclusion, equity and opportunity are built in, not bolted on.

At IMB, we see the impact of diverse perspectives every day. Different experiences, backgrounds and ways of thinking don’t just enrich discovery — they accelerate it. When every researcher is empowered to contribute, lead and thrive, science becomes stronger, fairer and more transformative.

Today, we celebrate the women and girls who challenge conventions, expand what’s possible, and are shaping the future of science right now.

National Research and Innovation AgencyDrug‑resistant tuberculosis remains one of Southeast Asia’s most urgent health th...
08/02/2026

National Research and Innovation AgencyDrug‑resistant tuberculosis remains one of Southeast Asia’s most urgent health threats — and IMB’s Professor Mark Blaskovich is leading a bold push to change that 🩺

With funding from the latest e‑ASIA Joint Research Program, Professor Mark Blaskovich's project has the potential to redefine how tuberculosis is diagnosed across the region. His team is developing nanotechnology‑based tools that rapidly capture TB bacteria and detect drug‑resistant strains, cutting out slow culture steps and enabling faster, life‑saving treatment.

The collaboration brings together UQ, Monash University Malaysia, and The National Research and Innovation Agency, showing how sustained collaboration and multidisciplinary expertise can accelerate real‑world solutions to global health issues.

Read more here 👉 https://global-partnerships.uq.edu.au/article/2026/02/uq-researchers-secure-two-major-projects-highly-competitive-asia-pacific-health-research-program

It's a full house!IMB extends our sincere thanks to Professor Dame Carol Robinson for visiting us at and delivering an...
06/02/2026

It's a full house!

IMB extends our sincere thanks to Professor Dame Carol Robinson for visiting us at and delivering an inspiring lecture on the evolution and future of gas phase structural biology, a field she has been instrumental in shaping.

In her presentation, Professor Dame Carol Robinson traced the remarkable progression of mass spectrometry as a tool for understanding protein assemblies in the gas phase. She highlighted how, with carefully tuned experimental conditions, proteins can retain their folding and topology, enabling early breakthroughs in studying antibody–antigen complexes, viruses, ribosomes and chaperones.

We are grateful to Professor Dame Carol Robinson for sharing her expertise and for inspiring researchers across career stages to push the boundaries of what is possible in structural biology.

Today, IMB is delighted to welcome Professor Dame Carol Robinson and Professor Simon Newstead from the Kavli Institute f...
06/02/2026

Today, IMB is delighted to welcome Professor Dame Carol Robinson and Professor Simon Newstead from the Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery at the University of Oxford.

Their visit marks the beginning of a new partnership built on strong relationships, shared strengths and a commitment to collaborative, interdisciplinary science. By bringing people together across institutions and career stages, the partnership creates new opportunities for research collaboration, researcher mobility and training pathways across areas including brain health, infectious disease, antimicrobial resistance and next-generation biomaterials.

We look forward to the exciting opportunities this collaboration brings.

Picture 1: Professor Simon Newstead, David Phillips Chair of Molecular Biophysics, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford; Professor Dame Carol Robinson, Dr Lee’s Professor of Chemistry and Director, Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, University of Oxford & Professor Ian Henderson, Executive Director, Institute for Molecular Bioscience.

Picture 2: Professor Sue Harrison, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) & Professor Dame Carol Robinson, Dr Lee’s Professor of Chemistry and Director, Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, University of Oxford

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IMB is a multidisciplinary life sciences research institute. Our scientists use world-leading infrastructure to drive discoveries from genome to drug design, disease discovery application and sustainable futures. Our research is framed through centres focused on superbugs, pain, heart disease, inflammation, solar biotechnology and the genomics-disease interplay.