The University of Queensland
We are a research group at The University of Queensland dedicated to advancing knowledge in molecular arbovirology and vector-borne diseases. Explore our research, meet our team, and discover our latest publications.
About us
The Peters Lab is based at the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, UQ. Our mission is to advance the understanding of mosquito-borne viruses and their vectors through innovative research, broad collaboration, and training the next generation of scientists.
We identify and characterise novel arboviruses to expand our understanding of emerging infectious diseases.
Our broad-spectrum cell-based MAVRIC-ELISA detects a wide range of RNA viruses. Combined with cutting-edge metagenomics and next-generation sequencing, this approach allows us to uncover previously unknown viruses in mosquito populations and evaluate their potential as emerging threats to human and animal health.
We develop rapid and accurate point-of-care diagnostic assays for mosquito-borne diseases.
Built on our chimeric Binjari virus system, ChimerDx™ accelerates the development of reliable diagnostics for mosquito-borne viruses. The platform enables rational design and optimisation of sensitive, highly specific assays for a range of arboviral diseases, supporting effective surveillance and public health preparedness.
We create safe and effective next-generation vaccines for arboviral diseases.
Using cutting-edge molecular technologies, we engineer novel vaccine candidates from insect-specific viruses through our ISVac™ platform. This approach enables rapid vaccine development and has demonstrated protective efficacy in mice, pigs, and crocodiles, supporting scalable vaccination strategies for future arboviral outbreaks.
Our technologies
Our Insect-Specific Virus vaccine (ISVac™) platform uses insect-specific viruses, which cannot infect animals or humans, as safe genetic backbones to develop next-generation vaccines against medically important arboviruses.
Flaviviruses: Recombinant Binjari virus-based vaccines have demonstrated protective immune responses in mice, pigs, and crocodiles against dengue, West Nile, Zika, and Japanese encephalitis viruses.
Alphaviruses: The Yada Yada virus system extends the platform to alphaviruses to display structural proteins from pathogens such as Chikungunya and Ross River virus.
Together, these advances position ISVac™ as a flexible and scalable vaccine platform with broad applicability to emerging and re-emerging arboviral diseases.
As an integral part of our investigations we have produced monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to many different viruses. These include an extensive panel of antibodies to mosquito-borne pathogens (eg. Zika, West Nile and Chikungunya viruses) as well as unique sets of mAbs to several commensal viruses of mosquitoes (insect-specific viruses).
These antibodies have been used as research tools, as diagnostic and immunotherapeutic agents or for reference and quality-control purposes. Because of their broad utility, we receive frequent requests for these reagents from research or industry groups around the world. We have developed Mozzy Mabs™ to fulfill these requests sustainably and to increase accessibility to these reagents by the scientific community.
Peters Lab Spinout
Proboxis Bio is an Australian biotechnology company developing innovative vaccine technologies to prevent diseases caused by mosquito-borne viruses.
The company is advancing ISVac™, a novel vaccine production platform originating from research at The University of Queensland. Its lead program focuses on Japanese encephalitis, with the platform offering potential applications against a broader range of mosquito-borne diseases.
Proboxis Bio works with scientific, industry, and commercial partners to translate high-quality Australian research into accessible vaccines with meaningful public health impact.
$1.5 million
over two years
Awarded as non-dilutive funding in the inaugural Biointelect Venturer cohort, 2026. Supported by the Australian Government through the Medical Research Future Fund, the two-year program provides tailored commercialisation support, expert mentoring, and access to national and international networks.
Latest publications
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Contact
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Location
School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences
The University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD, Australia
