Biodiscovery: From biodiversity and biology to bioactives and beyond - Rob Capon

Professor Rob Capon

Our research centres on the detection, isolation, characterisation, identification and evaluation of novel bioactive metabolites from Australian marine and terrestrial biodiversity. These metabolites span all known biosynthetic structure classes including many molecules new to science, and their study requires the use of sophisticated chromatographic, spectroscopic and chemical technologies. Natural products uncovered during our investigations represent valuable new leads in the search for drugs with application in the fields of human and animal health and crop protection, have potential as molecular probes to better interrogate and understand living systems, and could find application as biological control agents.

The research group coordinates an extensive network of collaborators across many scientific disciplines, in industry, academia and government, both in Australia and overseas, which allows us to target such therapeutic indications as infectious and neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, inflammation, pain, diabetes and obesity, as well as invasive animal and pest control through chemical ecology, and gene-activated microbial biodiscovery.

Research Projects

• Marine biodiscovery: discovering new drugs to control neurodegenerative diseases


• Cephalopod biodiscovery: exploring chemical ecology as a source of new pain drugs


• Microbial biodiscovery: exploring the microbial genome for bioactive metabolites with application against infectious and neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, obesity, atherosclerosis, inflammation, pain and cancer


• Chemical synthesis: developing “natural” antihelmintics to combat parasitic infection in livestock


• Chemical ecology: developing new “natural” strategies for controlling cane toads


• Biomimetic synthesis: developing new “natural” routes into bioactive chemical space

Key Publications

Capon, R.J., Peng, C., and Dooms, C. (2008). Trachycladindoles A-G: Novel cytotoxic heterocycles from an Australian marine sponge, Trachycladus laevispirulifer. Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry 6: 2765-2771.

El-Naggar, M., Piggott, A.M., Capon, R.J., Bistellettazines, A.-C., and Bistellettazole, A. (2008). New Terpenyl-Pyrrolizidine and Terpenyl-Imidazole Alkaloids from a Southern Australian Marine Sponge, Stelletta sp. Organic Letters 10: 4247-4250.

Hagman, M., Hayes, R.A., Capon, R.J., and Shine, R. (2008). Alarm cues experienced by cane toad tadpoles affect post-metamorphic morphology and chemical defences. Functional Ecology 23: 126-132.

Hayes, R.A., Barrett, A., Alewood, P.F., Grigg, G.C., and Capon, R.J. (2008). Chemical Signals in Vertebrates 11, Use of chemical ecology for control of the cane toad? Springer: 2008.

Ratnayake, R., Fremlin, L.J., Lacey, E., Gill, J.H., and Capon, R.J. (2008). Acremolides: Lipodepsipeptides from an Australian marine-derived fungus, Acremonium sp. Journal of Natural Products 71: 403-408.

Zhang, H., and Capon, R.J. (2008). Phorbasins D-F: Diterpenyl-taurines amines from a southern Australian marine sponge, Phorbas sp. Organic Letters 10: 1959-1962.

Zhang, H., Major, J.M., Lewis, R.J., and Capon, R.J. (2008). Phorbasins G-K: New cytotoxic diterpenes from a southern Australian marine sponge, Phorbas sp. Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry 6: 3811-3815.

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