
Overview
Background
Dr Moyle’s laboratory (www.moylelab.com) uses cutting edge technologies for the synthesis of peptides, protein expression, and protein semi-synthesis to gain insights into the functional roles played by various biochemical pathways, to engineer better protein and peptide therapeutics, and to improve the delivery characteristics of various therapeutic molecules. Specific current areas of interest are detailed below:
- Subunit Vaccine Development: methods to develop improved vaccines through the combination of recombinant and synthetic approaches to improve immunopotency and tailor immune responses (links to reseach articles on semisynthetic vaccines and peptide vaccines; reviews on vaccine development).
- Delivery Systems for Nucleic Acid-Based Molecules: multi-component synthetic and recombinant approaches to improve the cellular uptake, and targeted delivery of various oligonucleotide molecules (e.g. siRNA, mRNA, pDNA and CRISPR-Cas9) as an exciting approach to treat or prevent various diseases (links to research articles and reviews).
- Deciphering the Roles of Post-Translational Modifications: The combination of peptide synthesis and protein semisynthesis to enable the production of large amounts of site-specifically modified species, that can be used to deconvolute the roles played by various post-translational modifications (links to research articles).
- Peptide/Protein Drugs and Delivery: The study of methods to improve the delivery characteristics of peptide/protein drugs (e.g. poor oral absorption, instability to chemical/enzymatic degradation, and the inability to reach their site/s of action) through chemical engineering approaches.
- New Approaches for Superbugs: the development of antivirulence approaches, and formulations (e.g. various types of nanoparticles - silver, protein, mesoporous silica), which reduce the ability for microbes to cause disease, and make them more readily treated with antimicrobials, by providing access to synergistic combinations, and reducing the risk of antimicrobial resistance.
Information for Potential Students:
The Moyle lab considers applications from potential students and postdoctoral fellows with an interest in: i) infection control (including subunit vaccine and antimicrobial development); ii) delivery systems for peptide therapeutics; iii) targeted delivery systems; iv) studying the function of posttranslational modifications; and v) delivery systems for nucleic acid-based therapeutics (e.g. siRNA, shRNA, miRNA, mRNA, pDNA and CRISPR-Cas9). If you are interested in working in any of these areas please feel free to contact Dr Moyle (p.moyle@uq.edu.au). Please ensure that you supply an up to date CV; describe why you would like to work in the Moyle lab; provide a listing of publications (preferably with impact factors and citation counts); and indicate what skills you would bring to the lab. Detailed information on our laboratory is available at www.moylelab.com. Preference will be given to students and postdoctoral fellows who have their own funding.
Dr Moyle Biosketch:
Dr Moyle (H-index 30, >2600 citations; >95 publications; 13/8/2024; Google Scholar, ORCID, ResearcherID, and Publons profiles) received a PhD (Dec 2006) and a Bachelor of Pharmacy (Hons I) (Dec 2001) from The University of Queensland (UQ); graduated from the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia pre-registration pharmacist-training course (Nov 2002); and is registered with the Pharmacy Board of Australia. He currently works as an Associate Professor in the UQ School of Pharmacy, where he has been based since 2014.
Dr Moyle works in the fields of medicinal chemistry, chemical biology, and drug formulation, investigating subunit vaccine development, outcomes associated with histone post-translational modifications, and methods to improve the delivery characteristics of oligonucleotide (e.g. siRNA and pDNA), peptide, and protein therapeutics. During his PhD, Dr Moyle developed methods that enabled the synthesis of pure, lipid adjuvanted peptide vaccines, using advanced chemical ligation techniques. In addition, the conjugation of mannose to combined prophylactic/therapeutic human papillomavirus type-16 vaccines, to target dendritic cells, was demonstrated to significantly improve vaccine anti-tumour activity. This work, conducted with leading researchers at the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute (Prof Michael Good & Dr Colleen Olive), established Dr Moyle’s national and international profile in the field of vaccine development, resulting in 11 peer reviewed papers, including top journals in the field (J Med Chem; J Org Chem), as well as 6 review articles and 2 invited book chapters.
Dr Moyle undertook his postdoctoral training in the laboratory of one of the world’s premier chemical biologists, Professor Tom Muir (the Rockefeller University, NY, USA; now at Princeton University, NJ, USA). During this time he developed an extensive knowledge of techniques for protein expression, bioconjugation, bioassays, and proteomics, which represent an essential skill set required for this proposal. As part of this work, Dr Moyle developed novel synthetic routes to generate site-specific ADP-ribose conjugated peptides and proteins. This research was hailed as a major breakthrough in the field, leading to several collaborations, and an exemplary publication in the prestigious chemistry journal JACS. This vast body of work identified the enzyme (PARP10) responsible for mono-ADP-ribosylation of histone H2B, and demonstrated interactions between this modification and several proteins, including BAL, which is associated with B cell lymphomas. In addition, a number of robust chemical methods were developed to enable the synthesis of a complete library of methyl-arginine containing histones, which were incorporated into synthetic chemically-defined chromatin to investigate the site-specific effects of arginine methylation on histone acetylation. This work led to a collaboration with colleagues at Rockefeller to investigate the effects of histone arginine methylation on transcription.
Teaching:
Dr Moyle teaches into the following subjects in the UQ School of Pharmacy.
- PHRM3011 (Quality Use of Medicines) - course coordinator
- PHRM4021 (Integrated Pharmaceutical Development)
- PHRM3021 (Dosage Form Design)
- PHRM2040 (Drug Discovery)
Awards:
2016 - Health and Behavioural Sciences (HABS) faculty commendation for Early Career Citations for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning (ECCOSL)
2015 - ChemMedChem top 10 cited article of 2013 (link)
2014 - Highest ranked NHMRC development grant (2013; APP1074899)
2013 - Institute for Molecular Biology (IMB) Division of Chemistry and Structural Biology Prize
Availability
- Associate Professor Peter Moyle is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor, The University of Queensland
- Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland
Research interests
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Peptide delivery systems
The use of peptides as drugs may suffer from issues including poor oral absorption, instability to chemical/enzymatic degradation, and an inability to reach their site of action. Using chemical techniques we can improve the stability, targeting, circulation time, potency, etc of peptide-based therapeutics. We are currently interested in improving the delivery and stability characteristics of peptide-based therapeutics for diabetes (e.g. GLP-1 and GIP).
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siRNA, shRNA, microRNA, pDNA, CRISPR-Cas9 delivery systems
Using protein/peptide-based approaches to develop targeted, non-toxic systems to enhance the delivery of oligonucleotide therapeutics to their tissue, cellular and intracellular sites of action.
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Vaccine development
We focus on the development on methods to develop improved subunit vaccine formulations against neglected diseases, and diseases for which current vaccine formulations are not ideal. Our recent focus has been on Group A Streptococcus, which is responsible for diseases ranging from a sore throat through to heart and kidney damage, and the flesh eating disease necrotising fasciitis. We also focus on technologies that enable the site specific incorporation of potent vaccine adjuvants into protein, peptide, and carbohydrate-based antigens.
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Protein semisynthesis/engineering
We are interested in modern techniques for the engineering of proteins are therapeutic or diagnostic molecules, including their roles as tools to probe the functions of biochemical pathways. We use modern techniques for gene assembly (e.g. SLIC, Gibson assembly), combined with codon optimisation, optimised expression systems, and purification technologies.
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Deciphering the functional roles of post-translational modifications
Using protein semisynthesis to produce highly pure, site-specifically post-translationally modified (e.g. ADP-ribose, methyl, phosphoryl, acetyl) proteins, which can be applied to biochemical assays to accurately determine their function, and the identity of any interacting species.
Works
Search Professor Peter Moyle’s works on UQ eSpace
Featured
2017
Journal Article
Biotechnology approaches to produce potent, self-adjuvanting antigen-adjuvant fusion protein subunit vaccines
Moyle, Peter Michael (2017). Biotechnology approaches to produce potent, self-adjuvanting antigen-adjuvant fusion protein subunit vaccines. Biotechnology Advances, 35 (3), 375-389. doi: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2017.03.005
Featured
2015
Book Chapter
Progress in vaccine development
Moyle, Peter Michael (2015). Progress in vaccine development. Current Protocols in Microbiology. (pp. 18.1.1-18.1.26) edited by Richard Coico. Hoboken, NJ, United States: John Wiley & Sons. doi: 10.1002/9780471729259.mc1801s36
Featured
2014
Journal Article
Site-specific incorporation of three toll-like receptor 2 targeting adjuvants into semisynthetic, molecularly defined nanoparticles: application to group A streptococcal vaccines
Moyle, Peter M., Dai, Wei, Zhang, Yingkai, Batzloff, Michael R., Good, Michael F. and Toth, Istvan (2014). Site-specific incorporation of three toll-like receptor 2 targeting adjuvants into semisynthetic, molecularly defined nanoparticles: application to group A streptococcal vaccines. Bioconjugate Chemistry, 25 (5), 965-978. doi: 10.1021/bc500108b
Featured
2013
Journal Article
An efficient, chemically-defined semisynthetic lipid-adjuvanted nanoparticulate vaccine development system
Moyle, Peter M., Hartas, Jon, Henningham, Anna, Batzloff, Michael R., Good, Michael F. and Toth, Istvan (2013). An efficient, chemically-defined semisynthetic lipid-adjuvanted nanoparticulate vaccine development system. Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine, 9 (7), 935-944. doi: 10.1016/j.nano.2013.01.009
Featured
2013
Journal Article
Modern subunit vaccines: development, components, and research opportunities
Moyle, Peter Michael and Toth, Istvan (2013). Modern subunit vaccines: development, components, and research opportunities. ChemMedChem, 8 (3), 360-376. doi: 10.1002/cmdc.201200487
Featured
2010
Journal Article
Method for the synthesis of mono-ADP-ribose conjugated peptides
Moyle, Peter M. and Muir, Tom W (2010). Method for the synthesis of mono-ADP-ribose conjugated peptides. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 132 (45), 15878-15880. doi: 10.1021/ja1064312
2024
Journal Article
Advances in, and prospects of, 3D preclinical models for skin drug discovery
Imran, Mohammad, Moyle, Peter Michael, Kamato, Danielle and Mohammed, Yousuf (2024). Advances in, and prospects of, 3D preclinical models for skin drug discovery. Drug Discovery Today, 29 (12) 104208, 104208. doi: 10.1016/j.drudis.2024.104208
2024
Journal Article
Transformative upcycling of fruit-vegetable waste for nutraceutical and pharmaceutical breakthroughs and circular economy evolution
Noor, Aisha, Moyle, Peter M., Malik, Anushree, Ziora, Zyta M and Pant, K.K. (2024). Transformative upcycling of fruit-vegetable waste for nutraceutical and pharmaceutical breakthroughs and circular economy evolution. Process Safety and Environmental Protection, 187, 1022-1036. doi: 10.1016/j.psep.2024.05.002
2024
Journal Article
Efficacy of alum-adjuvanted peptide and carbohydrate conjugate vaccine candidates against Group A Streptococcus pharyngeal infection in a non-human primate model
Rivera-Hernandez, Tania, Carnathan, Diane G., Richter, Johanna, Marchant, Patrick, Cork, Amanda J., Elangovan, Gayathiri, Henningham, Anna, Cole, Jason N., Choudhury, Biswa, Moyle, Peter M., Toth, Istvan, Batzloff, Michael R., Good, Michael F., Agarwal, Paresh, Kapoor, Neeraj, Nizet, Victor, Silvestri, Guido and Walker, Mark J. (2024). Efficacy of alum-adjuvanted peptide and carbohydrate conjugate vaccine candidates against Group A Streptococcus pharyngeal infection in a non-human primate model. Vaccines, 12 (4) 382, 1-10. doi: 10.3390/vaccines12040382
2023
Journal Article
Recent advances in the delivery and applications of nonviral CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing
Sinclair, Frazer, Begum, Anjuman A., Dai, Charles C., Toth, Istvan and Moyle, Peter M. (2023). Recent advances in the delivery and applications of nonviral CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing. Drug Delivery and Translational Research, 13 (5), 1500-1519. doi: 10.1007/s13346-023-01320-z
2023
Journal Article
Sortase A Inhibitor Protein Nanoparticle Formulations Demonstrate Antibacterial Synergy When Combined with Antimicrobial Peptides
Alharthi, Sitah, Popat, Amirali, Ziora, Zyta Maria and Moyle, Peter Michael (2023). Sortase A Inhibitor Protein Nanoparticle Formulations Demonstrate Antibacterial Synergy When Combined with Antimicrobial Peptides. Molecules, 28 (5) 2114, 1-17. doi: 10.3390/molecules28052114
2022
Journal Article
Formulation and biological evaluation of mesoporous silica nanoparticles loaded with combinations of sortase A inhibitors and antimicrobial peptides
Alharthi, Sitah, Ziora, Zyta M., Janjua, Taskeen, Popat, Amirali and Moyle, Peter M. (2022). Formulation and biological evaluation of mesoporous silica nanoparticles loaded with combinations of sortase A inhibitors and antimicrobial peptides. Pharmaceutics, 14 (5) 986, 986. doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14050986
2021
Journal Article
Optimized protocols for assessing libraries of poorly soluble sortase A inhibitors for antibacterial activity against medically-relevant bacteria, toxicity and enzyme inhibition
Alharthi, Sitah, Ziora, Zyta Maria and Moyle, Peter Michael (2021). Optimized protocols for assessing libraries of poorly soluble sortase A inhibitors for antibacterial activity against medically-relevant bacteria, toxicity and enzyme inhibition. Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry, 52 116527, 116527. doi: 10.1016/j.bmc.2021.116527
2021
Journal Article
Sortase A (SrtA) inhibitors as an alternative treatment for superbug infections
Alharthi, Sitah, Ebrahim Alavi, Seyed, Michael Moyle, Peter and Maria Ziora, Zyta (2021). Sortase A (SrtA) inhibitors as an alternative treatment for superbug infections. Drug Discovery Today, 26 (9), 2164-2172. doi: 10.1016/j.drudis.2021.03.019
2021
Journal Article
YY‐11, a camel milk‐derived peptide, inhibits TGF‐β‐mediated atherogenic signaling in human vascular smooth muscle cells
Hussain, Humaira, Cao, Yingnan, Mohamad, Raafat, Afroz, Rizwana, Zhou, Ying, Moyle, Peter, Bansal, Nidhi, Wattoo, Feroza Hamid, Kamato, Danielle and Little, Peter J. (2021). YY‐11, a camel milk‐derived peptide, inhibits TGF‐β‐mediated atherogenic signaling in human vascular smooth muscle cells. Journal of Food Biochemistry, 46 (3) e13882, e13882. doi: 10.1111/jfbc.13882
2021
Journal Article
Neutralisation of adeno-associated virus transduction by human vitreous humour
Andrzejewski, Sławomir, Moyle, Peter M., Stringer, Brett W., Steel, Jason C. and Layton, Christopher J. (2021). Neutralisation of adeno-associated virus transduction by human vitreous humour. Gene Therapy, 28 (5), 242-255. doi: 10.1038/s41434-020-0162-8
2021
Journal Article
Developing GLP-1 conjugated self-assembling nanofibers using copper-catalyzed alkyne–azide cycloaddition and evaluation of their biological activity
Alavi, Seyed Ebrahim, Cabot, Peter J., Raza, Aun and Moyle, Peter M. (2021). Developing GLP-1 conjugated self-assembling nanofibers using copper-catalyzed alkyne–azide cycloaddition and evaluation of their biological activity. Bioconjugate Chemistry, 32 (4), 810-820. doi: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.1c00091
2020
Journal Article
Erratum for: An experimental group a Streptococcus vaccine that reduces pharyngitis and tonsillitis in a nonhuman primate model (mBio, (2019) 10, 2, 10.1128/mBio.00693-19)
Rivera-Hernandez, Tania, Carnathan, Diane G., Jones, Scott, Cork, Amanda J., Davies, Mark R., Moyle, Peter M., Toth, Istvan, Batzloff, Michael R., McCarthy, James, Nizet, Victor, Goldblatt, David, Silvestri, Guido and Walker, Mark J. (2020). Erratum for: An experimental group a Streptococcus vaccine that reduces pharyngitis and tonsillitis in a nonhuman primate model (mBio, (2019) 10, 2, 10.1128/mBio.00693-19). mBio, 11 (6) e02995-20, 1-1. doi: 10.1128/mBio.02995-20
2020
Journal Article
Optimized methods for the production and bioconjugation of site-specific, alkyne-modified glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogs to azide-modified delivery platforms using copper-catalyzed alkyne–azide cycloaddition
Alavi, Seyed Ebrahim, Cabot, Peter John, Yap, Gee Yi and Moyle, Peter Michael (2020). Optimized methods for the production and bioconjugation of site-specific, alkyne-modified glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogs to azide-modified delivery platforms using copper-catalyzed alkyne–azide cycloaddition. Bioconjugate Chemistry, 31 (7) acs.bioconjchem.0c00291, 1820-1834. doi: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.0c00291
2020
Journal Article
Supercritical fluid assembly of albendazole liposomes targeting gastrin-releasing peptide receptor overexpressing tumors
Maqbool, Faheem, Falconer, James R. and Moyle, Peter M. (2020). Supercritical fluid assembly of albendazole liposomes targeting gastrin-releasing peptide receptor overexpressing tumors. Nanomedicine, 15 (13), 1315-1330. doi: 10.2217/nnm-2020-0048
Funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Associate Professor Peter Moyle is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Available projects
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Honours, Masters and PhD Projects
Dr Moyle is interested in taking on students with an interest in i) subunit vaccine development, ii) delivery systems for peptide/protein therapeutics, iii) studying the function of post-translational modifications, iv) protein engineering, v) delivery systems for siRNA/shRNA/microRNA, pDNA and CRISPR-Cas9.
If you are interested in working on any of these areas please contact Dr Moyle.
Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Development of a recombinant, multicomponent targeted gene delivery platform
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Marie-Odile Parat
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Doctor Philosophy
Development of a recombinant, multicomponent targeted gene delivery platform
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Marie-Odile Parat
-
Doctor Philosophy
Engineered mesoporous silica nanoparticles loaded with natural bioactive molecules for breast cancer therapy
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Zyta M Ziora
-
Doctor Philosophy
Development of a peptide-based delivery platform for targeted gene editing
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Anjuman Begum
-
Doctor Philosophy
Development of a multicomponent, targeted gene delivery platform
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Anjuman Begum
-
Doctor Philosophy
Optimising gene delivery platforms for future in vivo applications
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Anjuman Begum
-
Doctor Philosophy
Engineering nanoparticulate anti-virulence compounds for synergy with other antimicrobials
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Zyta M Ziora
-
Doctor Philosophy
ANTIVIRULENCE AGENT NANOFORMULATIONS: A NOVEL STRATEGY TO OVERCOME ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Ben Ross, Professor Amirali Popat, Dr Jared Miles, Dr Zyta M Ziora, Dr Jaya Seneviratne
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Doctor Philosophy
Novel topical formulations for the treatment of diseases and infections of the skin
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Zyta M Ziora
-
Doctor Philosophy
ANTIVIRULENCE AGENT NANOFORMULATIONS: A NOVEL STRATEGY TO OVERCOME ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Ben Ross, Professor Amirali Popat, Dr Jared Miles, Dr Zyta M Ziora, Dr Jaya Seneviratne
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Doctor Philosophy
Engineered mesoporous silica nanoparticles loaded with natural bioactive molecules for breast cancer therapy
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Zyta M Ziora
-
Doctor Philosophy
Optimising gene delivery platforms for future in vivo applications
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Anjuman Begum
-
Doctor Philosophy
Targeted CRISPR delivery platform
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Anjuman Begum
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Doctor Philosophy
Thermodynamic dependence of Topical Formulations
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Michael Roberts, Associate Professor Yousuf Mohammed
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Doctor Philosophy
Developing clinically translatable nano-systems to break down immune barriers in cancer
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Sherry Wu
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Doctor Philosophy
Extraction of psilocybin and psilocin from the psilocybe mushroom (Magic Mushroom) utilising a single-pot supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) method
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr James Robert Falconer
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Doctor Philosophy
Extraction of psilocybin and psilocin from the psilocybe mushroom (Magic Mushroom) utilising a single-pot supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) method
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr James Robert Falconer
Completed supervision
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2025
Doctor Philosophy
Optimising gene delivery platforms for future in vivo applications
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Anjuman Begum
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2022
Doctor Philosophy
Naturally Derived Sortase A Inhibitors as an Alternative Treatment for Superbug Infections
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Zyta M Ziora
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2022
Doctor Philosophy
Development of a blood stage DNA vaccine against Plasmodium falciparum
Principal Advisor
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2020
Doctor Philosophy
Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) modifications to improve its utility for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Peter Cabot
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2020
Doctor Philosophy
Site-specific Bioconjugation of Toll-like Receptor Ligands onto Folded Recombinant Protein Antigens Using Enzyme-mediated Ligation
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Mark Walker
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2020
Doctor Philosophy
Development of a liposomal platform using green supercritical fluid technology: application towards repurposing and tumour-targeting of albendazole for cancer therapy
Joint Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr James Robert Falconer
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2017
Doctor Philosophy
Development of peptide-based multicomponent delivery system for oligonucleotides
Joint Principal Advisor
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2021
Doctor Philosophy
Aspects of posterior segment therapeutic targeting in retinal diseases
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Chris Layton
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2020
Doctor Philosophy
Bio-discovery of biological control agents against Phytophthora spp.: elucidating the mechanisms of microbe-microbe interactions
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Brett Ferguson, Dr Lilia Carvalhais
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2019
Doctor Philosophy
Optimizing nuclear localization of non-viral DNA delivery vectors
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Waleed Hussein
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2018
Doctor Philosophy
Development of peptide-based multicomponent systems for the targeted delivery of oligonucleotides
Associate Advisor
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2017
Doctor Philosophy
Development of a Peptide-Based Multicomponent Oligonucleotide Delivery System
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Waleed Hussein
Media
Enquiries
Contact Associate Professor Peter Moyle directly for media enquiries about:
- pharmacy
- teaching
- vaccines
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