Griffith University Institute for Biomedicine and Glycomics

27/05/2026

What a fantastic kick-off to the Pint of Science AU Festival on the Gold Coast! Despite the heavy rain, there was an incredible turnout, with almost 100 people coming together to celebrate science and community. Dr Ailin Lepletier shared exciting insights into Strep A infections and the innovative strategies being developed at the Institute for Biomedicine and Glycomics to help end rheumatic heart disease.

https://pintofscience.com.au/event/brains-bites-and-better-health/

22/05/2026

Welcome Intelligene 智新生技 to Griffith University and the Griffith University Institute for Biomedicine and Glycomics.
Intelligene scientists will be based at the Institute's Gold Coast labs to take advantage of Griffith's world-class facilities and the great ecosystem at the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct.

Intelligene will set up a home base at Griffith University to work in partnership with researchers to potentially deliver new therapies for infectious diseases.

08/05/2026

A Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) could occur from a fall, vehicle or bike accident, assault, or a sport collision and could affect the human body in two stages: the primary injury could result in direct damage to the brain cells, and secondary degeneration which is caused by physiological responses to the primary injury.

During the secondary degeneration stage of TBI, the injury could worsen as the dead or injured cells released molecules which could cause further damage, and while healthy cells responded to try and repair the injury they could over-react and cause inflammation and ongoing damage.

Professor James St John and his team are excited to pivot their research to create treatments for TBI. This is all thanks to the NIISQ's vision to "cure TBI" and we have accepted the challenge.

Read more on Griffith News: https://news.griffith.edu.au/2026/05/06/funding-boost-for-traumatic-brain-injury-research/

06/05/2026

Congratulations to Evgeny Semchenko on receiving the 2026 ASM Industry Engagement Award!
Awarded by The Australian Society for Microbiology, this national honour recognises outstanding early to mid career microbiologists who are making a tangible impact through meaningful engagement with industry. Evgeny’s work exemplifies the translation of cutting-edge microbiology into real world outcomes.
At Griffith University, Evgeny has played a key role in advancing academic - industry collaboration, including involvement in the Griffith LimmaTech Biologics partnership, supporting translational vaccine research aimed at tackling antimicrobial resistant pathogens. This award highlights the power of collaborative science in driving impact beyond the laboratory.
A fantastic and well deserved recognition of leadership, collaboration, and industry focused microbiology!

The Australian Society for Microbiology media release: https://www.theasm.org.au/news/2026/5/1/excellence-in-australian-microbial-science-asm-unveils-2026-award-recipients-in-research-and-teaching-leadership

Read more about Evgeny’s research here: https://experts.griffith.edu.au/8086-evgeny-semchenko/publications

04/05/2026

Last week we were delighted to welcome Dr Anthony Dyer (Chief Commercial Officer) and Dr Corinna Dwan (Director, Partnerships & Engagement) from Marine Bioproducts CRC to Griffith University and the Griffith University Institute for Biomedicine and Glycomics(IBG).
The visit included tours of Nature Bank and Compounds Australia located within IBG Brisbane South (Nathan) campus, along with meetings with key researchers and executives. These discussions explored MBCRC programs and opportunities for industry–research collaboration under the CRC framework.

It was also an excellent opportunity to explore how MBCRC initiatives can build on existing IBG projects and capabilities, strengthening translation pathways and impact at scale.
We look forward to continuing the conversation and identifying new opportunities to collaborate.

30/04/2026

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐈𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 (𝟐𝟒 - 𝟑𝟎 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔)

Strong vaccines need strong immune responses. Based at IBG, the 𝐍𝐇𝐌𝐑𝐂 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐕𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐀𝐝𝐣𝐮𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 & 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 (𝐕𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐞‑𝐀𝐃𝐃), advancing new adjuvants that improve the strength and durability of vaccine‑induced immunity. This work underpins the next generation of safer, more effective vaccines.

Respiratory bacterial infections remain a major global health challenge. 𝐃𝐫 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝐀𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤 and colleagues at IBG are developing a 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐥 𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐨𝐧‑𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝗛𝗮𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗹𝘂𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝘇𝗮𝗲 —a leading cause of respiratory disease across all ages. The goal: broader, longer‑lasting protection against a major unmet medical need.

IBG researchers, 𝐀/𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟. 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐚 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐦. 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐥 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐀𝐎 are advancing 𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐀 (𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐩 𝐀)—a pathogen responsible for significant global disease burden, particularly in vulnerable populations and children.

Malaria remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases. 𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐈𝐁𝐆 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐀/𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐜 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐄𝐦. 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐥 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐀𝐎, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐡𝐦 are progressing separate 𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚 𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐬, working across immunology, parasitology and nanotechnology and engaging with industry partners to support translation from discovery toward impact.

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐥 𝐉𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟 𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐢𝐛 have partnered with a European biopharma to develop a 𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐜𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐁𝐆, aimed at tackling the global rise in gonorrhoea and antimicrobial resistance.

24/04/2026

Today, on Anzac Day, we pause to honour the courage, service and sacrifice of Australian and New Zealand servicemen and women, past and present.

We recognise the veterans within our Griffith University community, including our students, staff, alumni and their families, whose strength and contributions enrich our campuses.

We thank all who serve and have served and those who support them.

Lest we forget.

02/04/2026

We’re delighted to congratulate the recipients of the IBG Honours. Masters Student Scholarships 2026, awarded at last week’s Scholarship Awards Evening.

Congratulations to:
· Chanhee Jeong
· Bianca Danalis
· Hannah Rose Smith
· Lucia Goodall

These highly competitive scholarships recognise outstanding Honours and Masters students undertaking research projects with IBG supervisors and reflect both academic excellence and strong potential to contribute to impactful biomedical research.

Thank you to our generous supporters, including Sally & Warren von Bibra for funding the Sally & Warren von Bibra Scholarships, the IBG Circle members for funding the IBG Circle Scholarship and Wang family foundation led by Amy and Jinny Wang for funding the IBG Scholarship, whose continued commitment helps empower talented students and supports equity and excellence in research.

Please join us in congratulating all the recipients!!!

Image:
Top left (left to right): Professor Paul Clarke, Sally von Bibra, Chanhee Jeon (Recipient), Warren von Bibra (DUniv)
Top right: Bianca Danalis (Recipient)
Bottom left: Hannah Rose Smith (Recipient)
Bottom right: Lucia Goodall (Recipient), Professor Paul Clarke

31/03/2026

Dr Miaomiao Liu has successfully secured $50,000 from the George and Jean Higgs Memorial Fund, which is administered by the Queensland and Northern NSW Lions Medical Research Foundation (LMRF), for her research into the discovery of new drugs to treat adolescent brain disorders using native mass spectrometry.

Representatives from the LMRF recently visited to meet Miaomiao and her research team and to officially present the funding cheque. Miaomiao walked the LMRF representatives through her research, which covers natural product discovery, 3D bioprinting models for drug permeation studies, native MS-based ligand discovery and target identification.

Pictured is Miaomiao, Professor Paul Clarke and members of the Lions Medical Research Fund, Miaomiao and Emeritus Professor Ron Quinn, and Miaomiao and her research team.

26/03/2026

At the Institute for Biomedicine and Glycomics, we’re proud to support the next generation of scientists through our Summer Scholarship Program—giving undergraduate students the opportunity to step into real-world research and explore future careers in science.

This year, our students are tackling everything from cancer diagnostics and immunotherapy to infectious diseases, neurological conditions and Indigenous health—gaining hands-on experience in labs alongside our leading researchers.

Congratulations to our 2026 recipients:
Arun Saravanan
Chinara Lau
Hoang Minh Lien Nguyen
Jade Victoria Pettitt
Jenny Cheng
Kieran Leevers
Minh Ngoc Vu
Caroline Kieu
Sherry Jiang
Ximena Robles Cordova

These scholarships are proudly supported by Community Bank Paradise Point, whose long-standing partnership continues to create meaningful opportunities for our students and research community.

From first experiments to future breakthroughs—this is where scientific journeys begin