Mattick developed one of the first commercial recombinant DNA-based vaccines in the world. He changed our understanding of the human genome, showing that it is not largely junk but rather specifies an RNA regulatory system that directs development. He established the Institute for Molecular Bioscience and the Australian Genome Research Facility, and was instrumental in the development of the Queensland Smart State policy, which transformed the research base of that state. He established an international human genome sequencing centre at the Garvan Institute and one of the first clinically accredited genome analysis enterprises in the world.