Role at ANSTO
Dr Chris Dobie recently joined the team at ANSTO Human Health as a medicinal chemist working on the neutron capture particle therapy (NCEPT) project.
Chris completed his PhD in organic and medicinal chemistry at the University of Wollongong in 2021, which focussed on computer aided design and synthesis of anti-metastatic cancer agents. During his PhD studies, Chris developed his skills in organic synthesis, computational chemistry, and assay development.
After completing his PhD Chris spent a year as a pharmaceutical chemistry evaluator at the TGA, where he gained a great appreciation for the Australian drug approval process.
Key research interests are:
- Computer-aided design, synthesis, and evaluation of small molecules for medicinal chemistry applications.
- Development of new cancer therapies and targeting neglected and/or difficult to treat cancers such as pancreatic cancers.
- Utilising radiolabelling for the development of anti-cancer agents with reduced off-target effects for enhanced patient experience.
- Development of compound libraries by divergent synthesis in order to target a wide range of chemical space in fewer steps.
Expertise
Chris has expertise in synthetic medicinal chemistry, especially in organic synthesis, purification and characterisation, computational chemistry (molecular dynamics and docking simulations), and enzymatic assay development. He also has experience co-supervising honours and undergraduate research students.
Qualifications & Achievements
- PhD (Medicinal Chemistry), University of Wollongong, 2017-2021
- International Bachelor of Science (Chemistry) Honours, University of Wollongong, 2013-2016
Committees, Affiliations & memberships
- Member of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute