Assoc. Prof. Simon Hinkley leads the polysaccharide research group at the Ferrier Institute and is the Director of the Master Programme in Drug Discovery and Development.

The team has expertise in the isolation, characterization and modification of complex polysaccharides – molecules that are an intrinsic component of our diet, biochemistry and even in use as industrial and construction materials. The team currently focuses on the role these diverse molecules have in human health, the application of these complex molecules to direct tissue repair as a human therapeutic, and their modification to make new biopolymers suitable for use as commodity chemicals.

A 15-year collaboration with the Singaporean research institute A*Star has led to lead compounds derived from the carbohydrate biopolymer Heparin. This collaborating group has moved to The University of Queensland where the team is generating new drug leads through modification of the natural product as well as de novo synthesis of drug leads. These new molecules are being developed to aid the regeneration of bone, skin and cartilage tissues.

Simon has a background in natural products chemistry. In collaboration with Assoc. Prof. Janet Pitman a project is focusing on the rimu-fruit diet of the Kākāpō and what role this has in this charismatic and critically endangered birds breeding success and survival. Another research project focused on fungal toxins utilizes the expertise of colleague Assoc. Prof. Joanne Harvey where they are tackling what role black-molds have on respiratory disease.

The research undertaken in the polysaccharide group is diverse: from drug discovery, characterization of terrestrial and marine carbohydrates, natural products chemistry and formulation research all utilizing analytical and organic synthetic chemistries.

Simon has a PhD in organic chemistry from the University of Otago, which he followed with a postdoctoral role at the University of Maryland at College Park. He then spent seven years in biotech at IRL-BioPharm before joining the Ferrier team.