معرفی
Professor Michael Kassiou is Professor of Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Sydney, Academic Director of the Centre for Drug Discovery Innovation, and holds honorary appointments at the University of Queensland. He is a fellow of four major learned societies (FRACI, FAFMC, FRSC, FSRS) and serves as editor or associate editor for four international journals.
Education:
- PhD in Organic Chemistry, University of New South Wales (1992)
- BSc, University of New South Wales
Research interests: Kassiou leads an interdisciplinary program that fuses synthetic medicinal chemistry with molecular imaging to discover and validate new central nervous system therapeutics. His team designs heterocyclic and adamantane-based small molecules targeting translocator protein (TSPO), P2X7 purinergic receptors, oxytocin/vasopressin pathways and synthetic cannabinoid receptors. A parallel stream develops PET radiotracers (e.g., 11C-SMW139, 18F-DPA) that quantify neuro-inflammation in living brains, enabling translational studies of Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, HIV-related cognitive decline and schizophrenia.
Recent papers (2023-25) reveal sustained productivity in three synergistic areas: (i) structure–activity studies around adamantane and cyanoguanidine cores for P2X7 antagonism, (ii) late-stage functionalisation and deuteration strategies to fine-tune potency and metabolic stability of cannabinoid and TSPO ligands, and (iii) first-in-human or pre-clinical PET demonstrations of glial activation markers in MS, Alzheimer’s and sports-related brain injury.
Scientific awards & fellowships:
- Fellow, Royal Australian Chemical Institute (FRACI)
- Fellow, Asian Federation of Medicinal Chemistry (FAFMC)
- Fellow, Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC)
- Fellow, Society of Radiopharmaceutical Sciences (FSRS)
Advising & grants: Kassiou currently supervises five doctoral candidates working on CNS-receptor ligands for social dysfunction, glioblastoma, and neuro-inflammation. While specific grant amounts are not disclosed, he is the named Chief Investigator on multiple NHMRC and ARC projects that fund a 10–15 member research group equipped with modern radiochemistry and in-vivo imaging facilities.
Labs & teams: The Kassiou group is housed in the School of Chemistry (F11) and maintains dedicated synthetic, analytical and radiochemistry suites. It is embedded within the University of Sydney Nano Institute and the Brain and Mind Centre, giving students direct access to small-animal PET/MR and cyclotron infrastructure.