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Dr Conan Wang
Dr

Conan Wang

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 334 62014

Overview

Background

I lead the Technology-Driven Drug Discovery (Tech3D) Group at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience, UQ. We believe that the key to solving some of our world's biggest challenges, whether that be in medicine or agriculture, relies on the ability to precision engineer molecules at will. My group harnesses three technological pillars to engineer peptides and proteins, which are computational biology, molecular libraries, and nanotechnology. We aspire to design better drugs, creating next generation biotechnological agents that have real impact. These could be new cancer drugs that harness the body's immune system or new insecticides that are environmentally friendly. In these pursuits, we value advancement, fun, balance, respect, fairness, and integrity.

I have been involved in peptide and protein research for over two decades, and am highly experienced in bioinformatics, chemistry, structural characterization, biophysics, and biochemistry. I trained with experts in peptide and protein characterization: an Honours project with Professor Garry King at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia (2004), an APA scholarship with Professor David Craik at the University of Queensland Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Brisbane, Australia (2005-2009) and a NHMRC fellowship with Professor Mingjie Zhang at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China (2009-2011) and A/Professor Andreas Hofmann at Griffith University Eskitis Institute, Brisbane, Australia (2011-2012). I returned to the University of Queensland in 2012 to join an industry partnership funded by an ARC linkage grant. I currently hold an ARC Future Fellowship and am responsible for a team of research officers, assistants and postgraduate students.

My research output has been recognised by >30 prizes and awards for leadership, research translation and fundamental research excellence, as well as numerous invitations to speak at academic and pharmaceutical conferences. I have over 100 publications and have been cited by researchers from across the world.

Availability

Dr Conan Wang is:
Available for supervision

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Engineering, University of New South Wales
  • Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland

Research interests

  • Drug Discovery and Protein/Peptide Engineeering

    My group uses: 1) computational algorithms to predict drug properties with unprecedented accuracy; 2) molecular libraries capable of screening through billions of drug leads to design drugs efficiently; and 3) nano-sized reaction droplets to capture drug activity to make drugs that actually work.

  • Cancer Therapeutics

    My group is interested in developing new cancer therapeutics, particularly those that modulate the immune system or relevant to lung cancer.

Works

Search Professor Conan Wang’s works on UQ eSpace

117 works between 2006 and 2024

1 - 20 of 117 works

2024

Journal Article

Author Correction: Repurposing a plant peptide cyclase for targeted lysine acylation

Rehm, Fabian B. H., Tyler, Tristan J., Zhou, Yan, Huang, Yen-Hua, Wang, Conan K., Lawrence, Nicole, Craik, David J. and Durek, Thomas (2024). Author Correction: Repurposing a plant peptide cyclase for targeted lysine acylation. Nature Chemistry, 16 (9), 1565-1565. doi: 10.1038/s41557-024-01625-7

Author Correction: Repurposing a plant peptide cyclase for targeted lysine acylation

2024

Journal Article

Repurposing a plant peptide cyclase for targeted lysine acylation

Rehm, Fabian B. H., Tyler, Tristan J., Zhou, Yan, Huang, Yen-Hua, Wang, Conan K., Lawrence, Nicole, Craik, David J. and Durek, Thomas (2024). Repurposing a plant peptide cyclase for targeted lysine acylation. Nature Chemistry, 2024 (9), 1-1. doi: 10.1038/s41557-024-01520-1

Repurposing a plant peptide cyclase for targeted lysine acylation

2024

Journal Article

Isolation and Characterization of Insecticidal Cyclotides from <i>Viola communis</i>

Khatibi, Negin, Huang, Yen-Hua, Wang, Conan K., Durek, Thomas, Gilding, Edward K. and Craik, David J. (2024). Isolation and Characterization of Insecticidal Cyclotides from Viola communis. Journal of Natural Products. doi: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.4c00168

Isolation and Characterization of Insecticidal Cyclotides from <i>Viola communis</i>

2024

Journal Article

Seasonal tissue-specific gene expression in wild crown-of-thorns starfish reveals reproductive and stress-related transcriptional systems

Morin, Marie, Jönsson, Mathias, Wang, Conan K., Craik, David J., Degnan, Sandie M. and Degnan, Bernard M. (2024). Seasonal tissue-specific gene expression in wild crown-of-thorns starfish reveals reproductive and stress-related transcriptional systems. PLOS Biology, 22 (5) e3002620, e3002620. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002620

Seasonal tissue-specific gene expression in wild crown-of-thorns starfish reveals reproductive and stress-related transcriptional systems

2024

Journal Article

Display technologies for expanding the pharmaceutical applications of cyclotides

Xie, Jing, Kan, Meng‐Wei, de Veer, Simon J., Wang, Conan and Craik, David J. (2024). Display technologies for expanding the pharmaceutical applications of cyclotides. Israel Journal of Chemistry, 64 (8-9) e202400010. doi: 10.1002/ijch.202400010

Display technologies for expanding the pharmaceutical applications of cyclotides

2024

Journal Article

Structure and Activity of Reconstructed Pseudo‐Ancestral Cyclotides

Jiang, Zhihao, Huang, Yen-Hua, Kaas, Quentin, Craik, David J. and Wang, Conan K. (2024). Structure and Activity of Reconstructed Pseudo‐Ancestral Cyclotides. ChemMedChem, 19 (14), e202400124. doi: 10.1002/cmdc.202400124

Structure and Activity of Reconstructed Pseudo‐Ancestral Cyclotides

2024

Journal Article

Nucleation of a key beta-turn promotes cyclotide oxidative folding

Tian, Sixin, de Veer, Simon J., Durek, Thomas, Wang, Conan K. and Craik, David J. (2024). Nucleation of a key beta-turn promotes cyclotide oxidative folding. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 300 (4) 107125, 107125. doi: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107125

Nucleation of a key beta-turn promotes cyclotide oxidative folding

2024

Journal Article

Delivery to, and Reactivation of, the p53 Pathway in Cancer Cells Using a Grafted Cyclotide Conjugated with a Cell-Penetrating Peptide

Philippe, Grégoire Jean-Baptiste, Huang, Yen-Hua, Mittermeier, Anna, Brown, Christopher J., Kaas, Quentin, Ramlan, Siti Radhiah, Wang, Conan K., Lane, David, Loewer, Alexander, Troeira Henriques, Sónia and Craik, David J. (2024). Delivery to, and Reactivation of, the p53 Pathway in Cancer Cells Using a Grafted Cyclotide Conjugated with a Cell-Penetrating Peptide. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 67 (2), 1197-1208. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c01682

Delivery to, and Reactivation of, the p53 Pathway in Cancer Cells Using a Grafted Cyclotide Conjugated with a Cell-Penetrating Peptide

2024

Journal Article

The prospect of substrate-based kinase inhibitors to improve target selectivity and overcome drug resistance

Biswas, Biswajit, Huang, Yen-Hua, Craik, David J. and Wang, Conan K. (2024). The prospect of substrate-based kinase inhibitors to improve target selectivity and overcome drug resistance. Chemical Science, 15 (33), 13130-13147. doi: 10.1039/d4sc01088d

The prospect of substrate-based kinase inhibitors to improve target selectivity and overcome drug resistance

2023

Journal Article

The circular bacteriocin enterocin NKR-5-3B has an improved stability profile over nisin

Wang, Conan K., Huang, Yen-Hua, Shabbir, Fatima, Pham, Huong T., Lawrence, Nicole, Benfield, Aurélie H., van der Donk, Wilfred, Henriques, Sónia T., Turner, Mark S. and Craik, David J. (2023). The circular bacteriocin enterocin NKR-5-3B has an improved stability profile over nisin. Peptides, 167 171049, 171049. doi: 10.1016/j.peptides.2023.171049

The circular bacteriocin enterocin NKR-5-3B has an improved stability profile over nisin

2023

Journal Article

Captivity induces a sweeping and sustained genomic response in a starfish

Morin, Marie, Jönsson, Mathias, Wang, Conan K., Craik, David J., Degnan, Sandie M. and Degnan, Bernard M. (2023). Captivity induces a sweeping and sustained genomic response in a starfish. Molecular Ecology, 32 (13), 3541-3556. doi: 10.1111/mec.16947

Captivity induces a sweeping and sustained genomic response in a starfish

2023

Journal Article

The 2022 Kazuhiko Tatemoto Prize: ACE2-derived peptides for COVID-19 treatment

Wang, Conan K. (2023). The 2022 Kazuhiko Tatemoto Prize: ACE2-derived peptides for COVID-19 treatment. Peptides, 162 170964, 170964. doi: 10.1016/j.peptides.2023.170964

The 2022 Kazuhiko Tatemoto Prize: ACE2-derived peptides for COVID-19 treatment

2023

Journal Article

Heparan sulfate regulates IL-21 bioavailability and signal strength that control germinal center B cell selection and differentiation

Chen, Zhian, Cui, Yanfang, Yao, Yin, Liu, Bo, Yunis, Joseph, Gao, Xin, Wang, Naiqi, Cañete, Pablo F., Tuong, Zewen Kelvin, Sun, Hongjian, Wang, Hao, Yang, Siling, Wang, Runli, Leong, Yew Ann, Simon Davis, David, Qin, Jiahuan, Liang, Kaili, Deng, Jun, Wang, Conan K., Huang, Yen-Hua, Roco, Jonathan A., Nettelfield, Sam, Zhu, Huaming, Xu, Huajun, Yu, Zhijia, Craik, David, Liu, Zheng, Qi, Hai, Parish, Christopher and Yu, Di (2023). Heparan sulfate regulates IL-21 bioavailability and signal strength that control germinal center B cell selection and differentiation. Science immunology, 8 (80) eadd1728, 1-17. doi: 10.1126/sciimmunol.add1728

Heparan sulfate regulates IL-21 bioavailability and signal strength that control germinal center B cell selection and differentiation

2022

Journal Article

Sex-specific expression of pheromones and other signals in gravid starfish

Jönsson, Mathias, Morin, Marie, Wang, Conan K., Craik, David J., Degnan, Sandie M. and Degnan, Bernard M. (2022). Sex-specific expression of pheromones and other signals in gravid starfish. BMC Biology, 20 (1) 288, 1-18. doi: 10.1186/s12915-022-01491-0

Sex-specific expression of pheromones and other signals in gravid starfish

2022

Journal Article

Engineering the cyclization loop of MCoTI-II generates targeted cyclotides that potently inhibit factor XIIa

Tian, Sixin, Durek, Thomas, Wang, Conan K., Zdenek, Christina N., Fry, Bryan G., Craik, David J. and de Veer, Simon J. (2022). Engineering the cyclization loop of MCoTI-II generates targeted cyclotides that potently inhibit factor XIIa. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 65 (23), 15698-15709. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c01080

Engineering the cyclization loop of MCoTI-II generates targeted cyclotides that potently inhibit factor XIIa

2022

Journal Article

Improving stability enhances in vivo efficacy of a PCSK9 inhibitory peptide

Zhang, Yuhui, Wang, Li, Tombling, Benjamin J., Lammi, Carmen, Huang, Yen-Hua, Li, Yue, Bartolomei, Martina, Hong, Bin, Craik, David J. and Wang, Conan K. (2022). Improving stability enhances in vivo efficacy of a PCSK9 inhibitory peptide. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 144 (42), 19485-19498. doi: 10.1021/jacs.2c08029

Improving stability enhances in vivo efficacy of a PCSK9 inhibitory peptide

2022

Journal Article

CIPPS, an Australian Centre for Peptide and Protein Research, goes live!

Wang, Conan K. and Craik, David J. (2022). CIPPS, an Australian Centre for Peptide and Protein Research, goes live!. Peptides, 155 170835, 1-2. doi: 10.1016/j.peptides.2022.170835

CIPPS, an Australian Centre for Peptide and Protein Research, goes live!

2022

Journal Article

Mutagenesis of bracelet cyclotide hyen D reveals functionally and structurally critical residues for membrane binding and cytotoxicity

Du, Qingdan, Huang, Yen-Hua, Wang, Conan K., Kaas, Quentin and Craik, David J. (2022). Mutagenesis of bracelet cyclotide hyen D reveals functionally and structurally critical residues for membrane binding and cytotoxicity. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 298 (4) 101822, 101822. doi: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.101822

Mutagenesis of bracelet cyclotide hyen D reveals functionally and structurally critical residues for membrane binding and cytotoxicity

2021

Journal Article

Rational design of potent peptide inhibitors of the PD-1:PD-L1 interaction for cancer immunotherapy

Yin, Huawu, Zhou, Xiuman, Huang, Yen-Hua, King, Gordon J., Collins, Brett M., Gao, Yanfeng, Craik, David J. and Wang, Conan K. (2021). Rational design of potent peptide inhibitors of the PD-1:PD-L1 interaction for cancer immunotherapy. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 143 (44) jacs.1c08132, 18536-18547. doi: 10.1021/jacs.1c08132

Rational design of potent peptide inhibitors of the PD-1:PD-L1 interaction for cancer immunotherapy

2021

Journal Article

Enabling efficient folding and high-resolution crystallographic analysis of bracelet cyclotides

Huang, Yen-Hua, Du, Qingdan, Jiang, Zhihao, King, Gordon J., Collins, Brett M., Wang, Conan K. and Craik, David J. (2021). Enabling efficient folding and high-resolution crystallographic analysis of bracelet cyclotides. Molecules, 26 (18) 5554, 5554. doi: 10.3390/molecules26185554

Enabling efficient folding and high-resolution crystallographic analysis of bracelet cyclotides

Funding

Current funding

  • 2024 - 2026
    Developing novel peptide tracers for improving immunotherapy outcomes
    NHMRC Development Grant
    Open grant
  • 2023 - 2026
    A peptide platform to fight pests threatening global food security
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2023 - 2028
    ARC Research Hub for Advanced Manufacture of Targeted Radiopharmaceuticals
    ARC Industrial Transformation Research Hubs
    Open grant
  • 2023 - 2027
    Peptides and Proteins for Fighting Pests and Protecting the Environment
    ARC Future Fellowships
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2025
    Crown-of-Thorns Starfish Control Innovation Program
    Great Barrier Reef Foundation
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2018 - 2022
    Biocontrol of crown-of-thorns starfish using genomics and proteomics
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2016 - 2018
    New drug leads for cholesterol
    NHMRC Project Grant
    Open grant
  • 2014
    Bioengineering stable peptide inhibitors of amyloidosis
    UQ Early Career Researcher
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2013
    NHMRC Australia-China Exchange Fellowship: Improving the bioavailability of peptide-based therapeutics for the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis
    NHMRC Training (Postdoctoral) Fellowship
    Open grant

Supervision

Availability

Dr Conan Wang is:
Available for supervision

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Available projects

Supervision history

Current supervision

Completed supervision

Media

Enquiries

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communications@uq.edu.au