Prof. Adam McCluskey

Work Phone	(02) 4921 6486
Fax	(02) 4921 5472
Email	Adam.McCluskey@newcastle.edu.au
Position	Professor School of Environmental and Life Sciences The University of Newcastle, Australia
Office	C318, Chemistry

Biography

I obtained my BSc (Hons) and PhD in organic chemistry from the University of Strathclyde in Scotland. At the completion of my studies I took up a postdoctoral position at the University of Queensland in the area of reactive intermediates chemistry (spectroscopy at -261 ºC). After a 2 year stay, I changed research direction working alongside Professor Ron Quinn at Griffith University as a synthetic medicinal chemist. It was here I developed an interest in medicinal chemistry and teaching.

In December 1995 I was fortunate to secured a position as lecturer in organic chemistry at the University of Newcastle.

My team (the ones who do all the work) is responsible for >125 research publications and we have secured ~$25M in research funding since my arrival in Newcastle.

Qualifications

PhD, University of Strathclyde
Bachelor of Science (Honours), University of Strathclyde

Research

Research keywords

Anti-cancer agents
Anti-parastic agents
Chemical Biology
Clathrin Inhibitors
Drug Design and Discovery
Dynamin GTPase
Flow Chemistry
Organic Chemistry
Protein Phosphatase Inhibitors

Research expertise

Medicinal Chemistry;

* Inhibition of Protein Phosphatases as a therapeutic Strategy

* Inhibition of Dynamin GTPase

* Prevention of Pre-term delivery in Humans: Agonists & antagonists of Corticotrophin Releasing Hormone (CRH)

Green Chemistry;

Overarching Interest is in the application of organic chemistry strategies in the development of new therapeutic agents (Organic and Medicinal Chemistry). Additionally, given environmental and public concerns relating to Chemistry we are driven by a desire to develop Green Chemistry approaches in our organic and medicinal chemistry targets.

Emphasis is placed on solvent free reactions, atom efficiency, replacement of volatile organic solvents with environmentally friendly equivalents (ionic liquids), and evaluation of the most efficient synthetic routes to the desired end-points. My group's primary interests are in developing novel compounds with the ability to inhibit a number of signal transduction pathways.

The potential outcomes of our research include (but are not limited to) the development of new synthetic methodologies; the development of new drugs & the development of new tools for dissecting signal transduction pathways.

Collaboration

I am a teaching and research academic who believes that nurturing students and introducing to a positive research experience is one of the pillars of teaching at the University of Newcastle.

My research can be classified as either medicinal chemistry or chemical biology. I am known for the development of elegant approaches to highly focused compound libraries of biologically active compound. My team has established considerable corporate knowledge in the area of clathrin mediated endocytosis and its implications in neurological diseases, eg epilepsy. This led to the establishment of the dynamin modulators platform of which I am team leader (chemistry). This team interacts with, and supplies the only known endocytosis inhibitors to research teams worldwide (UK, USA, Germany, Denmark etc). I am also an integral component of the development of new anti-epileptic drugs alongside the National Institute of Health, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (Bethesda USA).

I head the chemistry component of the Australian Cancer Research Foundation (supported by Ramaciotti) Centre for Kinomics (CFK), a new approach for direct profiling of cellular kinases, a multi-million dollar initiative providing a unique service to multiple research teams throughout Australia. Kinases are the cancer drug target of the 21st century. The CFK offers a unique opportunity to profile biological probes (drugs) and cellular kinases to identify new therapeutic targets, new uses for old drugs and rapid IC50 determination of individual compounds against the entire cellular kinome (cellular complement of protein kinases). The CFK at the University of Newcastle has established one of the first fully equipped flow chemistry laboratories in Australia comprising the ThalesNano H- and X-cube, the Syrris FRX and Syrris Africa work stations, and the VapourTech 4 pump -70 ºC unit. This facility is purpose built for the rapid optimisation of medicinal chemistry pathways and will significantly accelerate the initial optimisation phase of the UoN chemistry component of the multiple drug development pipelines initiated. I am also director of the University of Newcastle Priority Research Centre for Chemical Biology.

Fields of Research

Code	Description	Percentage
111599	Pharmacology And Pharmaceutical Sciences Not Elsewhere Classified	70
030400	Medicinal And Biomolecular Chemistry	30

Centres and Groups

Centre

Group

Hunter Medical Research Institute - Cancer

Memberships

Editorial Board.

Editor - Medicinal Chemistry

Appointments

Honary Scientist
Children's Medical Research Institute (Australia)

01/01/2010

Awards

Recognition.

2005	Vice Chancellors Award for Teaching Excellence, Science & IT The University of Newcastle (Australia) Excellence in research is typically characterised by research publications and grant success. Excellence in teaching is less tangible, thus the recognition of both my peers and students via this award is of greater significance than all the research success to date. The greatest contribution to research comes via inspirational teaching and engendering a zest for learning and questioning. The receipt of this award indicates that I have been partly successful, which in turn has been reflected by the research successes attained. Good teaching inspires students, inspiring students conduct world class research.

2005

Vice Chancellors Award for Teaching Excellence, Science & IT
The University of Newcastle (Australia)
Excellence in research is typically characterised by research publications and grant success. Excellence in teaching is less tangible, thus the recognition of both my peers and students via this award is of greater significance than all the research success to date. The greatest contribution to research comes via inspirational teaching and engendering a zest for learning and questioning. The receipt of this award indicates that I have been partly successful, which in turn has been reflected by the research successes attained. Good teaching inspires students, inspiring students conduct world class research.

The University of Newcastle, Australia