ACRF Chemical Proteomics Centre for Kinomics
The ACRF grant in 2009 allowed for building laboratories for the world’s first Chemical Proteomics Centre for Kinomics (CFK).
At the time, Kinomics was a new discipline, not yet available in Australia. It comprises a very simple, yet rapid, large-scale, high-throughput screening to study the entire “kinome” – that is, all of the protein kinases which are expressed in a cell at a given point in time. Kinomics is a merger between genomics and proteomics.
Kinases are one of the most important classes of protein in cells. They play a role in cellular signalling, regulating everything from cell growth to inflammation. But, more importantly, when their function goes awry, kinases have been implicated in certain human cancers. Because of this role in cancer, kinases have become a priority for new drug targets.
Kinomics is able to rapidly, accurately and systematically explore and classify therapeutically relevant protein kinase targets for drug discovery.
The new laboratories were an expansion of medicinal chemical and mass spectrometry capabilities at CMRI.
Chief investigators: Prof Phil Robinson, Assoc Prof Adam McCluskey, Prof Roger Reddel