Nature Bank and the Queensland Compound Library: Unique International Resources at the Eskitis Institute for Drug Discovery

Abstract

The Eskitis Institute for Drug Discovery is home to two unique resources, Nature Bank and the Queensland Compound Library (QCL), that differentiate it from many other academic institutes pursuing chemical biology or early phase drug discovery. Nature Bank is a comprehensive collection of plants and marine invertebrates that have been subjected to a process which aligns downstream extracts and fractions with lead- and drug-like physicochemical properties. Considerable expertise in screening natural product extracts/fractions was developed at Eskitis over the last two decades. Importantly, biodiscovery activities have been conducted from the beginning in accordance with the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to ensure compliance with all international and national legislative requirements. The QCL is a compound management and logistics facility that was established from public funds to augment previous investments in high throughput and phenotypic screening in the region. A unique intellectual property (IP) model has been developed in the case of the QCL to stimulate applied, basic and translational research in the chemical and life sciences by industry, non-profit, and academic organizations.