Roberts Group - Therapeutics Research Centre
About
The overall focus of our research is in undertaking applied science, clinical and regulatory studies in drug delivery, pharmaco-therapeutics and clinical toxicology to improve patient outcomes and quality of life. Our team of PhD scientists include staff and students from various countries who have been trained in medicine, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, engineering and science and who work collaboratively with others in the Translational Research Institute, in UQ, nationally and internationally with collaborations and collaborators in the US, Canada, UK, Europe, China, Brazil, Middle East and South East Asia, as well as with government and with industry.
Our work spans the broad areas of pharmaceutical science, pharmacology and therapeutics; pharmacometrics; cancer biology and clinical and regulatory toxicology. Specialist areas of research interest within the Therapeutics Research Centre (TRC) include: pharmaceutical product design and drug delivery (skin, eye, oral, mucosa, parenteral); drug, cell (stem cells, immune cells) and nano-based targeting to the liver, kidney and other organs; non-invasive imaging and modelling, cancer diagnostic imaging and therapy, pharmaco-, nano- and toxico-kinetics, ADMET. Our work has been continuously supported by competitively funded grants, government partnerships and industry partnership since inception.
Bioequivalence of topical products: elucidating the sensorial and functional characteristics of compositionally different topical formulations
This research, funded by the United States Food and Drug Administration, is elucidating the relationship between a topical semisolid drug product's quality attributes and its functional properties. A specific purpose is to elucidate how characterizations of the arrangement of matter, including rheology (e.g., texture analysis, tribology) may correlate with and/or be predictive of sensorial differences perceived by human subjects (or patients).
Bioequivalence of topical products: elucidating the thermodynamic and functional characteristics of compositionally different topical formulations
A second project, also funded by the United States Food and Drug Administration and involving collaborations in UniSA, the US, UK, Europe and Brazil, seeks to elucidate how systematic alterations to the qualitative and/or quantitative composition of topical formulations impacts their physical, structural, and functional properties.
Physiologically based pharmacokinetics of topical products in normal and diseased skin
A third project, also funded by the United States Food and Drug Administration and involving collaborations in UniSA, the US, UK, Poland and with the software company Certara seeks to understand and predict how systematic alterations to the qualitative and/or quantitative composition of topical formulations and the nature of the skin (including differences in age, body site, disease and environment) affect the absorption, effects and safety of topically applied products.
Physiologically-based pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of therapeutic stem cells for liver disease
This project will investigate the fate and therapeutic effects of natural, modified and artificial therapeutic cells in the body and in to diseased livers using a physiologically-based kinetic model. The key goal is to advance cell therapy by providing a beter understanding and dosing guidelines.
Efficacious targeting of therapeutic stem cells to diseased livers
This project aims to efficiently deliver natural, surface-modified stem cells and cell-derived vesicles to diseased livers.
Early prediction of chemotherapy efficacy in liver cancer by a novel nanoplatform
This project aims to develop a novel technology to accurately measure the tumor microenvironment during chemotherapy, and to explore the correlation between this potential predictor and tumor growth.
Regulatory, nano- and clinical toxicology studies
These studies involve understanding, avoiding and managing toxicity arising from environmental, occupational and accidential exposure to poisons and nanomaterials, from overdosing of medicines and required for regulation of consumer products.
Student projects
- Mechanistic and Comparative toxicity of Commercial Essential Oils (Dr Xin Liu, Professor Andrew Batholomeus). An Agrifutures Australia top up stipend will be given to a successful student awarded a University Australian Postgraduate Award.
- Bioequivalence of topical products (Dr Yousuf Mohammed, Dr Sarika Namjoshi, Dr Jeff Grice, Dr Xin Liu, Prof Michael Roberts). Several student projects available. A US FDA top up stipend will be given to a successful student awarded a University Australian Postgraduate Award.
Grants
Our funding is from the ARC, the NHMRC, US Food and Drug Administration and AgriFutures Australia.
Partners
Our active collaborators are:
- AIBN, UQ
- Basil Hetzel Institute and University of South Australia in Adelaide
- Centre of Clinical Research, UQ
- China Pharmaceutical University
- Department of General Surgery, Changzheng Hospital, The Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
- Diamantina Institute in TRI
- QUT in TRI
- Simcyp Division of Certara UK Pty Ltd
- South Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration, Sri Lanka
- Translational Australian Clinical Toxicology (TACT) program at the University of Sydney
- UNIFESP-Diadema – Brasil
- University of California, San Franscisco
- University of Manitoba, Canada
- University of Newcastle, Australia
- University of NSW
- US Food & Drug Administration