Professor Michael Kassiou

Qualifications: BSc(Hons), PhD, FRACI Positions held: Professor of Medicinal Chemistry Head of Discipline, Medical Radiation Sciences Convenor, Medical Radiation Sciences Research Group Contact information

Biography

Professor Michael Kassiou is an internationally recognized research leader in the chemistry of CNS bioactive drugs and has been responsible for fundamental contributions in drug discovery and a number of related areas which encompass the interface between chemistry and biology. His research is primarily concerned with the understanding of drug-protein and drug-binding site interactions in order to obtain structure-activity relationships of bioactive CNS molecules. This allows the rationale design of more efficacious treatments for diseases of the brain. In addition by using in vivo molecular imaging techniques within these fields we are better able to understand the functioning of the living brain and assess efficacy of newly developed treatments. He has held visiting appointments at The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutes USA and the SHFJ-CEA Life Sciences group in France. In 1996 he was awarded a Fogerty International Fellowship at the National Institutes of Health in the USA. He is the author of over 100 scientific research papers, reviews and book chapters and is a Fellow of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (FRACI C.Chem.) He is a thematic editor for Current Pharmaceutical Design and the Editor for the Journal of Labelled Compounds and Radiopharmaceuticals.  In addition, he serves on the 11 journal editorial advisory boards concerned with medicinal chemistry and drug design. He is a committee member of the Biomolecular Chemistry Division, member of the Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering - Biomedical Science and Biotechnology Committee, and board member of the Australian and French Association of Science (AFAS) NSW.

Teaching and Service Responsibilities

Research Opportunities

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Selected Publications

• Banister SD, Moussa IA, Jordan MJT, Coster MJ and Kassiou M. (2010) Oxo-bridged isomers of aza-trishomocubane sigma receptor ligands: Synthesis, in vitro binding and molecular modeling. Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett., 20 (1), 145-148.
• Edington AR, McKinzie AA, Reynolds AJ, Kassiou M, Ryan RM and Vandenberg RJ. (2009) Extracellular loops 2 and 4 of GLYT2 are required for N-arachidonylglycine inhibition of glycine transport. J. Biol. Chem., 284 (52), 36424-36430.
• Reynolds A, Kassiou M. (2009) Recent Advances in the Mitsunobu Reaction: Modifications and Applications to Biologically Active Molecules. Curr. Org. Chem. 13, 1610-1632.
• Gunosewoyo H, Coster MJ, Bennett MR, Kassiou M. (2009) Purinergic P2X7 receptor antagonists: Chemistry and fundamentals. Bioorg. Med. Chem. 17, 4861-4865.
• Scarf AM, Ittner LM, Kassiou M (2009) The translocator protein (18 kDa): Central nervous system disease and drug design. J. Med. Chem. 52, 581-592.
• James ML, Fulton RR, Vercoullie J, Henderson DJ, Garreau L, Chalon S, Dolle F, Selleri S, Guilloteau D, Kassiou M. (2008) DPA-714, a new translocator protein (18kDa) (TSPO) ligand: Synthesis, radio-fluorination and pharmacological characterization. J. Nucl. Med 49, 814-822.
• Gunosewoyo H, Guo JL, Bennett MR, Coster MJ, Kassiou M. (2008) Cubyl Amides: Novel P2X7 Receptor Antagonists. Bioorg. Med.Chem. Lett. 18:3720-3723.
• Gunosewoyo H, Coster MJ, Kassiou M. (2007) Molecular probes for P2X7 receptor studies. Curr. Med. Chem. 14, 1505-1523.

Selected Grants

Further grants and further publications