BBiomed Sci. (Hons 1), PhD Professor Jade Forwood is the program lead for Biosecurity within the Gulbali Institute and Director of THRIIVE. He obtained his PhD from the Australian National University. He has been recognised with awards including the University Medal, the Frank Fenner Medal, an NHMRC CJ Martin Fellowship, an ARC Future Fellowship, and the FAOBMB Young Scientist Award. His academic and research training includes work on the Dengue virus at JCU, gene therapy at ANU, and postdoctoral research across a range of areas including stem cells at Bresagen (Adelaide), colon cancer at the Laboratory for Molecular Biology in Cambridge, UK, and immune activation at the University of Queensland. As a principal investigator, Professor Forwood has successfully secured over 30 grants, totalling more than $40 million, including 7 NHMRC grants, 2 NIH grants, and 2 ARC grants. At Charles Sturt University, Professor Forwood's independent research lab focuses on antiviral research, vaccine development, and drug design, contributing to biosecurity and medical research. Further information can be found at: Professor Jade Forwood teaching expertise is in biochemistry, protein biochemistry, structural biology, and cell biology. Professor Forwood is the Director of THRIIVE (Training Hub Promoting Regional Innovation and Industry in Virology and Epidemiology), coordinating 32 industry, government departments, and organisations. He has been awarded >40 research grants totalling >$40 million. He has published >150 manuscripts (eg Nature Communications in 2016, 2018, 2021, 2022, all senior/corresponding author). Research awards include an NHMRC CJ Martin Fellowship, undertaken in structural biology in Cambridge, UK; an ARC Future Fellowship; the Frank Fenner Medal; University Medal; a Centre for Inland Health Research Fellowship; a University Senior Research Fellowship; Vice-Chancellor's Award for Research Excellence; Vice-Chancellor's Award for Supervision Excellence; and the FAOBMB Young Scientist Award. He is recognised internationally as a global leader in nucleocytoplasmic transport, with the deposition of >150 protein structures to the PDB using the Australian synchrotron and other structural approaches. Prof Forwood has played a significant role in the vaccine development against Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease (PBFD), a key threatening process to parrots, including those critically endangered such as the Orange Bellied Parrot. He has made significant advances in antiviral therapeutics for flaviviruses through collaborations with Prof Vasudevan from Duke-NUS and Prof Jans from Monash University. Prof Forwood's research has significantly impacted the development of a triple combinatorial strategy against metastatic breast cancer, which advanced to clinical trials in collaboration with Epiaxis Therapeutics. A list of current research projects and directions are available here: https://csusap.csu.edu.au/~jforwood/ Or please contact Jade at jforwood@csu.edu.au if you’re interested in joining the lab.
Virology
Professor Jade Forwood
Professor in Biochemistry
Wagga Wagga
Building 288 Room 216