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Biology and Biochemistry
Australia
2026
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Chemistry
Australia
2025

D-Index & Metrics

Chemistry

D-Index
127
Citations
57486
World Ranking
376
National Ranking
11

Biology and Biochemistry

D-Index
129
Citations
59573
World Ranking
428
National Ranking
9

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2026 - Research.com Biology and Biochemistry in Australia Leader Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Biology and Biochemistry in Australia Leader Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Chemistry in Australia Leader Award
  • 2023 - Research.com Biology and Biochemistry in Australia Leader Award
  • 2022 - Research.com Chemistry in Australia Leader Award

Overview

David J. Craik is affiliated with the University of Queensland in Australia and has contributed extensively to the fields of biochemistry, genetics, and molecular biology. Their research spans multiple subfields including molecular biology, materials chemistry, microbiology, plant science, and immunology.

The scientist's work covers a range of main topics, including biochemical and structural characterization, crystallization and solubility studies, and X-ray diffraction in crystallography. Additionally, their research addresses glycosylation and glycoproteins, chemical synthesis and analysis, antimicrobial peptides and activities, and the study of phytoplasmas and hemiptera pathogens.

David J. Craik has a history of publications in several leading scientific journals and databases. Frequent publication venues include:

  • The Cambridge Structural Database
  • Journal of Medicinal Chemistry
  • Journal of Biological Chemistry
  • Angewandte Chemie International Edition
  • Angewandte Chemie

Notable recent papers authored or co-authored by Craik include:

  • "Accurate de novo design of membrane-traversing macrocycles," 2022, Cell
  • "Converting peptides into drugs targeting intracellular protein-protein interactions," 2021, Drug Discovery Today
  • "Designing antimicrobial peptides using deep learning and molecular dynamic simulations," 2023, Briefings in Bioinformatics
  • "A bifunctional asparaginyl endopeptidase efficiently catalyzes both cleavage and cyclization of cyclic trypsin inhibitors," 2020, Nature Communications
  • "Sunflower Trypsin Inhibitor-1 (SFTI-1): Sowing Seeds in the Fields of Chemistry and Biology," 2020, Angewandte Chemie International Edition

Frequent collaborators in Craik's work include:

  • Yen-Hua Huang
  • Conan K. Wang
  • Thomas Durek
  • Gaurav Bhardwaj
  • Parisa Hosseinzadeh

The body of work by David J. Craik demonstrates a consistent focus on structural and biochemical approaches to molecular biology, as well as the application of chemical synthesis and analysis techniques. The scientist is actively engaged in addressing challenges in antimicrobial peptide research and has contributed to understanding enzyme functions relevant to cyclic peptide formation and design.

Best Publications

  • The Future of Peptide‐based Drugs

    David J. Craik;David P. Fairlie;Spiros Liras;David Price

  • Ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide natural products: Overview and recommendations for a universal nomenclature

    Paul G. Arnison;Mervyn J. Bibb;Gabriele Bierbaum;Albert Alexander Bowers

  • Plant cyclotides: A unique family of cyclic and knotted proteins that defines the cyclic cystine knot structural motif

    David J Craik;Norelle L Daly;Trudy Bond;Clement Waine

  • A common structural motif incorporating a cystine knot and a triple-stranded beta-sheet in toxic and inhibitory polypeptides.

    Paul K. Pallaghy;Katherine J. Nielsen;David J. Craik;Raymond S. Norton

  • Thermal, chemical, and enzymatic stability of the cyclotide kalata B1: the importance of the cyclic cystine knot.

    Michelle L Colgrave;David J Craik

  • FUNCTIONAL GROUP CONTRIBUTIONS TO DRUG-RECEPTOR INTERACTIONS

    P. R. Andrews;D. J. Craik;J. L. Martin

  • Solution structure of amyloid beta-peptide(1-40) in a water-micelle environment. Is the membrane-spanning domain where we think it is?

    Murray Coles;Wendy Bicknell;Andrew A. Watson;David P. Fairlie

  • The cystine knot motif in toxins and implications for drug design.

    David J. Craik;Norelle L. Daly;Clement Waine

  • Biosynthesis and insecticidal properties of plant cyclotides: The cyclic knotted proteins from Oldenlandia affinis

    Cameron Jennings;Jenny West;Clement Waine;David Craik

  • ELUCIDATION OF THE PRIMARY AND THREE-DIMENSIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE UTEROTONIC POLYPEPTIDE KALATA B1

    Olav Saether;David J. Craik;Iain D. Campbell;Knut Sletten

  • Accurate de novo design of hyperstable constrained peptides.

    Gaurav Bhardwaj;Vikram Khipple Mulligan;Christopher D. Bahl;Jason M. Gilmore

  • ConoServer: updated content, knowledge, and discovery tools in the conopeptide database

    Quentin Kaas;Rilei Yu;Ai-Hua Jin;Sébastien Dutertre

  • Protein disulfide isomerase: the structure of oxidative folding

    Christian W Gruber;Masa Cemazar;Begoña Heras;Jennifer L Martin

  • Twists, Knots, and Rings in Proteins STRUCTURAL DEFINITION OF THE CYCLOTIDE FRAMEWORK

    K. Johan Rosengren;Norelle L. Daly;Manuel R. Plan;Clement Waine

  • The engineering of an orally active conotoxin for the treatment of neuropathic pain

    Richard J. Clark;Jonas Jensen;Simon T. Nevin;Brid P. Callaghan;Brid P. Callaghan

  • Circular proteins — no end in sight

    Manuela Trabi;David J Craik

  • Seamless Proteins Tie Up Their Loose Ends

    David J. Craik

  • Discovery, synthesis, and structure-activity relationships of conotoxins.

    Kalyana B Akondi;Markus Muttenthaler;Sébastien Dutertre;Quentin Kaas

  • CyBase: a database of cyclic protein sequences and structures, with applications in protein discovery and engineering

    Conan K. L. Wang;Quentin Kaas;Laurent Chiche;David J. Craik

  • Distribution and Evolution of Circular Miniproteins in Flowering Plants

    Christian W. Gruber;Alysha G. Elliott;David C. Ireland;Piero G. Delprete

  • Low-Molecular-Weight Peptidic and Cyclic Antagonists of the Receptor for the Complement Factor C5a

    A M Finch;A K Wong;N J Paczkowski;S K Wadi

Frequent Co-Authors

Norelle L. Daly
Norelle L. Daly James Cook University
Paul F. Alewood
Paul F. Alewood University of Queensland
David J. Adams
David J. Adams Wellcome Sanger Institute
Marilyn A. Anderson
Marilyn A. Anderson La Trobe University
K. Johan Rosengren
K. Johan Rosengren University of Queensland
Michelle L. Colgrave
Michelle L. Colgrave Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
Richard J. Lewis
Richard J. Lewis University of Queensland
Ulf Göransson
Ulf Göransson Uppsala University
John D. Wade
John D. Wade Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health
Antony Bacic
Antony Bacic La Trobe University

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