Research Overview

On-going technological advancements have led to dramatic increases in the amounts of biological data being generated. Along with the evolution of high performance computing and computational tools, this has provided us with a wealth of information, analytical power and the opportunity to investigate fundamental health and biotechnological problems of a different magnitude and kind, complementary to and able to guide conventional approaches. Our group is interested in developing and experimentally validating novel computational methods to exploit this data, enhancing the impact of genome sequencing, structural genomics, and functional genomics on biology and medicine.

One of our main areas of interest is in the development of predictive and analytical tools and databases to investigate and understand the relationship between protein sequence, structure and function and phenotype, allowing us to gain unique insights into:

• The molecular basis of genetic diseases, including cancer;
• Personalised medicine;
• Understanding the molecular mechanisms behind drug resistance, to guide personalized patient treatment and the development of resistance resistant drugs;
• Evolutionary insights derived from the analysis of protein structure and function;
• Small molecule activity and toxicity as an aid to the design of novel drugs.

Interest in joining or visiting us?

Students interested in joining the lab in Brisbane (Queensland) should first read about graduate research programmes at the University of Queensland and contact Prof. David Ascher to discuss potential projects. We are based in the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, located at St Lucia Campus in Brisbane.