Dr Benjamin Fraser

Staff Profile

Role at ANSTO

Ben leads the organic chemistry research program in ANSTO LifeSciences. This role includes managing the synthetic chemistry laboratories and staff, supervising synthetic chemistry projects and managing the supply of radiolabelling precursors and standards for the ANSTO radiochemistry team.

Background

Ben completed his PhD in organic chemistry at Monash University in 2005. The topic of his thesis was natural product total synthesis and the development of new reaction methodology. This was followed by a two year post-doc on medical imaging agents before moving to the Melbourne-based drug discovery company Biota Holdings to work on anti-viral therapeutics.

During his time at Biota he established a collaborative project with Prof. K. Barry Sharpless at the Scripps Research Institute on ‘click chemistry’ drug discovery. Ben then spent 18 months in the United States as an American Australian Association Fellow (2008) before returning in 2010 to take up his current role as Organic Chemistry Task Leader in ANSTO LifeSciences.

Research interests and areas of expertise

Ben has collaborative projects with Harvard Medical School (Boston), Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre (New York), The University of Texas (San Antonio) Curtin University (Perth) and Monash University (Melbourne). Ben continues his passion for teaching and education through lecturing on Fluorine-18 radiopharmaceuticals at Monash University (Melbourne), Curtin University (Perth) and The University of New South Wales (Sydney).

Ben’s main research interests include: The development of PET medical imaging agents using the positron emitting radio-isotopes Fluorine-18, Gallium-68 and Zirconium-89 for diagnostic imaging of Alzheimer’s disease and depression; and the discovery of new methods for incorporating Fluorine into organic molecules and the subsequent translation of these methods to 'hot' Fluorine 18 incorporation  

Qualifications & Achievements

• Bachelor of Science (Hons), Monash University, 2000
• PhD (Chemistry), Monash University, 2005
• The American Australian Association Dow Chemical Company Fellow (2008)
• Biota Holdings Fellowship (2009)
• Dux of Monash University Honours (2000)
• Dean's Scholarship – Monash Science Scholar Program (1997-1999)
• The Monash Prize (1995)