Dr Desmond Williams

Adjunct Senior Research Fellow UniSA Clinical & Health Sciences

email Des.Williams@unisa.edu.au

Alternative contact

Available for media comment
Research Degree Supervisor

About me

UniSA Clinical & Health Sciences

UniSA Clinical & Health Sciences is addressing society’s most critical and emerging health needs through quality teaching, learning and research excellence.

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About me

Des is a pharmacist, chartered chemist, teacher and researcher within the School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences at the University of South Australia. He is currently the Program Director for the Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Science and the Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Science / Bachelor of Pharmacy Double Degree. He commenced working at the University of South Australia in 1999 as a Senior Lecturer. Des has had a total of 23 years in the pharmaceutical industry in various roles, mainly in technical areas, also some time in sales and marketing. His last position in the industry was in a leadership role as Group General Manager of Research and Development within a large pharmaceutical manufacturing company. Des' earlier experience included hospital and community pharmacy. His BPharm was from the South Australian Institute of Technology (the precursor to the University of South Australia). He has practised as a pharmacist in South Australia and in Victoria, Australia. He obtained his PhD through a joint program, called ‘Intersearch’, of the Victorian College of Pharmacy (now Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University) and the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Kansas, USA. Former director of a publically listed company and unlisted companies. Industry experience has included seven years in the Research and Development Group, Faulding Pharmaceuticals, and many consultancies in the pharmaceutical industry in Australia and various international jurisdictions. Consultancies and collaborations have included various government groups and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). Technical work of note has also included work for various legal practices to provide expertise in patent disputes, most commonly involving large international pharmaceutical companies. Des has presented seminars in Australian, European, Asian and US venues, including as an invited key-note speaker. He has been engaged in aid projects in Vietnam through AusAID (malaria and iodine deficiency projects). Undergraduate teaching has included presentation of lectures and support for teaching students in Malaysia as part of a Bachelor of Pharmacy teaching program (2 years on each campus). A proportion of our most successful graduates have come from this twinning program which ran for 10 years. Research work has focussed on understanding the biochemical basis and dietary factors of colorectal cancer (in collaboration with CSIRO), formulation of new pharmaceutical compounds and their evaluation (preclinical and clinical) and pain control. Des is a member of the Pharmaceutical Subcommittee, Advisory Committee for Prescription Medicines, within the Therapeutic Goods Administration, Canberra. He is a member of the Institutional Drug Subcommittee, Human Research Ethics Committee, Royal Adelaide Hospital. More recently, Des became a member of a committee within the Australian Pharmacy Council. This committee is responsible for overseeing and reviewing the suitability of examinations for foreign pharmacists wishing to practice in Australia, also for the examinations for preregistration pharmacy personnel. These activities are conducted on behalf of the Pharmacy Board of Australia. Des is part of the Scientists in Schools program, an initiative of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). He is partnered with a secondary school and a primary school. The program aims to assist school teachers in increasing the awareness of students towards science.

Research

Research focus

Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Chemical Sciences
Clinical Sciences
Analytical Chemistry
Animal Production

Highlights

Biopharmaceutics, pharmacokinetics,Drug stability,Drug formulation design, controlled release,Application of novel delivery systems to clinical practice,Clinical studies,Pharmacy

Research

Outputs

Research outputs for the last seven years are shown below. To see earlier years visit ORCID, ResearcherID or Scopus

Open access indicates that an output is open access.

Journal Articles

Year	Output
2023	Zhang, Q, Alinaghi, A, Williams, DB & Roberts, MS 2023, 'A thermodynamic and kinetic analysis of human epidermal penetration of phenolic compounds: II. maximum flux and solute diffusion through stratum corneum lipids', International Journal of Pharmaceutics, vol. 631, article no. 122522, pp. 1-11.
2022	Alinaghi, A, Zhang, Q, Williams, DB, Mackenzie, L & Roberts, MS 2022, 'Thermodynamic and kinetic analysis of human epidermal penetration of phenolic compounds: I. Stratum corneum solubility and partitioning', International Journal of Pharmaceutics, vol. 630, article no. 122424, pp. 1-10. 1 1
2022	Joyce, P, Wignall, A, Peressin, K, Wright, L, Williams, DB & Prestidge, CA 2022, 'Chitosan nanoparticles facilitate improved intestinal permeation and oral pharmacokinetics of the mast cell stabiliser cromoglycate', International Journal of Pharmaceutics, vol. 612, article no. 121382. 2 3 3
2022	Lam, GT, Prabhakaran, S, Sorvina, A, Martini, C, Ung, BS, Karageorgos, L, Hickey, SM, Lazniewska, J, Johnson, IR, Williams, DB, Klebe, S, Malone, V, O'Leary, JJ, Jackett, L, Brooks, DA & Logan, JM 2022, 'Pitfalls in cutaneous melanoma diagnosis and the need for new reliable markers', Molecular Diagnosis and Therapy, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 49-60.
2022	Meola, TR, Bremmell, KE, Williams, DB, Schultz, HB & Prestidge, CA 2022, 'Bio-enabling strategies to mitigate the pharmaceutical food effect: a mini review', International Journal of Pharmaceutics, vol. 619, article no. 121695. 3 3 8
2021	Al-Qurain, AA, Gebremichael, LG, Khan, MS, Williams, DB, Mackenzie, L, Phillips, C, Russell, P, Roberts, MS & Wiese, MD 2021, 'Opioid prescribing and risk of drug-opioid interactions in older discharged patients with polypharmacy in Australia', International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy, vol. 43, no. 2, pp. 365-374. 2 4 4
2021	Al-Qurain, AA, Upton, R, Williams, DB, Mackenzie, L, Phillips, C, Russell, PT, Tadros, R, Roberts, MS & Wiese, MD 2021, 'Population pharmacokinetic model of subcutaneous fentanyl in older acute care patients', European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, vol. 77, no. 9, pp. 1357-1368. 1 1
2021	Al-Qurain, AA, Williams, DB, Mackenzie, L, Roberts, MS & Wiese, MD 2021, 'Simultaneous LC-MS/MS quantification of oxycodone, tramadol and fentanyl and their metabolites (noroxycodone, oxymorphone, O- desmethyltramadol, N- desmethyltramadol, and norfentanyl) in human plasma and whole blood collected via venepuncture and volumetric absorptive micro sampling', Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis, vol. 203, article no. 114171, pp. 1-8. 4 3 2
2021	Gebremichael, LG, Suppiah, V, Wiese, MD, Mackenzie, L, Phillips, C, Williams, DB & Roberts, MS 2021, 'Efficacy and safety of statins in ethnic differences: a lesson for application in Indigenous Australian patient care', Pharmacogenomics, vol. 22, no. 9, pp. 553-571. 1
2021	Ngo, SN & Williams, DB 2021, 'Protective effect of isothiocyanates from cruciferous vegetables on breast cancer: epidemiological and preclinical perspectives', Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry, vol. 21, no. 11, pp. 1413-1430. 6 5
2020	Al-Qurain, AA, Gebremichael, LG, Khan, MS, Williams, DB, Mackenzie, L, Phillips, C, Russell, P, Roberts, MS & Wiese, MD 2020, 'Prevalence and factors associated with analgesic prescribing in poly-medicated elderly patients', Drugs and Aging, vol. 37, no. 4, pp. 291-300. 9 9 2
2020	Dharmayanti, C, Gillam, TA, Williams, DB & Blencowe, A 2020, 'Drug-eluting biodegradable implants for the sustained release of bisphosphonates', Polymers, vol. 12, no. 12, article no. 2930, pp. 1-14. Open access 14 11 2
2020	Nimtrakul, P, Williams, DB, Tiyaboonchai, W & Prestidge, CA 2020, 'Copolymeric micelles overcome the oral delivery challenges of amphotericin B', Pharmaceuticals, vol. 13, no. 6, pp. 1-14. Open access 6 6 1
2020	Song, Y, Lwin, EMP, Ellis, D, Turner, S, Williams, D & Garg, S 2020, 'Stability evaluation of an extemporaneously compounded carbimazole oral suspension', Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research, vol. 50, no. 4, pp. 329-334. Open access 1 1
2018	Song, Y, Whey Chin, Z, Ellis, D, Lwin, EMP, Turner, S, Williams, D & Garg, S 2018, 'Stability of an extemporaneously compounded minoxidil oral suspension', American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, vol. 75, no. 5, pp. 309-315. Open access 2 4 5
2017	Abuhelwa, AY, Williams, DB, Upton, RN & Foster, DJ 2017, 'Food, gastrointestinal pH, and models of oral drug absorption', European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, vol. 112, pp. 234-248. 132 116 11
2017	Gilbert, A V, Patel, BK, Roberts, MS, Williams, DB, Crofton, JH, Morris, NM, Wallace, J & Gilbert, AL 2017, 'An audit of medicines information quality in electronically generated discharge summaries: evidence to meet the Australian national safety and quality health service standards', Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research, vol. 47, no. 5, pp. 355-364. 1
2015	Johnson, JL, Kwok, YH, Sumracki, NM, Swift, JE, Hutchinson, MR, Johnson, K, Williams, DB, Tuke, J & Rolan, PE 2015, 'Glial attenuation with ibudilast in the treatment of medication overuse headache: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled pilot trial of efficacy and safety', Headache, vol. 55, no. 9, pp. 1192-1208. 13 13 1
2014	Johnson, J, Rolan, P, Johnson, ME, Bobrovskaya, L, Williams, D, Johnson, K, Tuke, J & Hutchinson, M 2014, 'Codeine-induced hyperalgesia and allodynia : investigating the role of glial activation', Translational Psychiatry, vol. 4, article no. e482, pp. 1-9. Open access 26 27 4
2013	Fung, K, Ooi, CC, Zucker, M, Lockett, TJ, Williams, DB, Cosgrove, L & Topping, D 2013, 'Colorectal carcinogenesis : a cellular response to sustained risk environment', International Journal of Molecular Sciences, vol. 14, pp. 13525-13541. Open access 24 20 1
2013	Hutchinson, MR, Buijs, M, Tuke, J, Kwok, YH, Gentgall, M, Williams, D & Rolan, P 2013, 'Low-dose endotoxin potentiates capsaicin-induced pain in man: evidence for a pain neuroimmune connection', Brain Behavior and Immunity, vol. 30, pp. 3-11. 47 44
2012	Fung, KY, Ooi, CC, Lewanowitsch, T, Tan, S, Tan, HT, Lim, TK, Lin, Q, Williams, DB, Lockett, TJ, Cosgrove, LJ, Chung, MC & Head, RJ 2012, 'Identification of potential pathways involved in induction of apoptosis by butyrate and 4-benzoylbutyrate in HT29 colorectal cancer cells', Journal of Proteome Research, vol. 11, no. 12, pp. 6019-6029. 12 11 1
2012	Gilbert, A, Patel, B, Morrow, M, Williams, D, Roberts, MS & Gilbert, AL 2012, 'Providing community-based health practitioners with timely and accurate discharge medicines information', BMC Health Services Research, vol. 12, article no. 453 pp. 1-7. Open access 6 5
2012	Johnson, JL, Hutchinson, MR, Williams, DB & Rolan, P 2012, 'Medication-overuse headache and opioid-induced hyperalgesia: A review of mechanisms, a neuroimmune hypothesis and a novel approach to treatment', Cephalalgia: An International Journal of Headache, vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 52-64. Open access 36 34 10
2012	Sumracki, NM, Hutchinson, MR, Gentgall, M, Briggs, N, Williams, DB & Rolan, P 2012, 'The effects of pregabalin and the glial attenuator minocycline on the response to intradermal capsaicin in patients with unilateral sciatica', PLoS One, vol. 7, no. 6, article no. e38525. Open access 20 18 4
2011	Aykanat, V, Gentgall, M, Briggs, N, Williams, D, Yap, S & Rolan, P 2011, 'Intradermal capsaicin as a neuropathic pain model in patients with unilateral sciatica', British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, vol. 73, no. 1, pp. 37-45. Open access 14 10
2011	Death, CE, Taggart, DA, Williams, DB, Milne, R, Schultz, DJ, Holyoake, C & Warren, KS 2011, 'Pharmacokinetics of moxidectin in the southern hairy-nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons)', Journal of Wildlife Diseases, vol. 47, no. 3, pp. 643-649. Open access 14 13
2011	Ngo, SN, Williams, DB & Head, RJ 2011, 'Rosemary and cancer prevention: preclinical perspectives', Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, vol. 51, no. 10, pp. 946-954. 136 117
2011	Tan, SL, Gerber, JP, Cosgrove, LJ, Lockett, TJ, Clarke, JM, Williams, DB & Head, RJ 2011, 'Is the tissue persistence of O6-methyl-2'-deoxyguanosine an indicator of tumour formation in the gastrointestinal tract?', Mutation Research - Genetic Toxicology and Environmental Mutagenesis, vol. 721, no. 2, pp. 119-126. 8 9
2011	Tuntikulwattana, S, Sinchaipanid, N, Ketjinda, W, Williams, DB & Mitrevej, A 2011, 'Fabrication of chitosanpolyacrylic acid complexes as polymeric osmogents for swellable micro/nanoporous osmotic pumps', Drug Development and Industrial Pharmacy, vol. 37, no. 8, pp. 926-933. 8 7
2010	Ooi, CC, Good, NM, Williams, DB, Lewanowitsch, T, Cosgrove, L, Lockett, TJ & Head, RJ 2010, 'Structure-activity relationship of butyrate analogues on apoptosis, proliferation and histone deacetylase activity in HCT-116 human colorectal cancer cells', Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Physiology, vol. 37, no. 9, pp. 905-911. 15 12
2010	Ooi, CC, Good, NM, Williams, DB, Lewanowitsch, T, Cosgrove, LJ, Lockett, TJ & Head, RJ 2010, 'Efficacy of butyrate analogues in HT-29 cancer cells', Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Physiology, vol. 37, no. 4, pp. 482-489. 17 15
2010	Tuntikulwattana, S, Mitrevej, A, Kerdcharoen, T, Williams, DB & Sinchaipanid, N 2010, 'Development and Optimization of Micro/Nanoporous Osmotic Pump Tablets', AAPS PharmSciTech, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 924-935. Open access 20 19
2009	Gustafsson, H, Åkesson, J, Lau, CL, Williams, DB, Miller, L, Yap, S & Rolan, P 2009, 'A comparison of two formulations of intradermal capsaicin as models of neuropathic pain in healthy volunteers', British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, vol. 68, no. 4, pp. 511-517. Open access 10 9
2009	Williams, M, Ong, PL, Williams, DB & Kookana, RS 2009, 'Estimating the sorption of pharmaceuticals based on their pharmacological distribution', Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, vol. 28, no. 12, pp. 2572-2579. Open access 33 31

External engagement & recognition

Collaborations

External engagement & recognition

Collaborations

Organisation	Country
Austin Health	AUSTRALIA
Australian College of Pharmacy Practice	AUSTRALIA
Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital	IRELAND
CSIRO Australia (Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation)	AUSTRALIA
Flinders University	AUSTRALIA
Leiden University	NETHERLANDS
Mahidol University	THAILAND
Medicinova	UNITED STATES
Murdoch University	AUSTRALIA
Naresuan University	THAILAND
National University of Singapore	SINGAPORE
Northern Territory Government	AUSTRALIA
Royal Adelaide Hospital	AUSTRALIA
Royal Darwin Hospital	AUSTRALIA
Royal Zoological Society of SA	AUSTRALIA
University of Adelaide	AUSTRALIA
University of Dublin	IRELAND
University of Gothenburg	SWEDEN
University of Queensland	AUSTRALIA
University of South Australia	AUSTRALIA
Women's and Children's Hospital	AUSTRALIA
XOMA Corporation	UNITED STATES

External engagement & recognition

Engagement/recognition	Year
Member, Australian Drug Evaluation Committee (Pharmaceutical Subcommittee) Therapeutic Goods Administration, Department of Health, Australian Government	2018
Scientific Advisor to the Editors Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (JPharmSci)	2018
Council Member Australian Pharmacy Council	2017
Member Australasian Pharmaceutical Science Association (APSA)	2017
Member American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists	2017
Member Royal Australian Chemical Institute	2017
Member Controlled Release Society	2017
Member Australian Institute of Company Directors	2017
Member AusBiotech	2017
Member, Australian Drug Evaluation Committee (Pharmaceutical Subcommittee) Therapeutic Goods Administration, Department of Health, Australian Government	2017
Member, Research Ethics Committee (Institutional Drug Subcommittee) Royal Adelaide Hospital	2017
Scientific Advisor to the Editors Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (JPharmSci)	2017
Member, Australian Drug Evaluation Committee (Pharmaceutical Subcommittee) Therapeutic Goods Administration, Department of Health, Australian Government	2016
Member, Research Ethics Committee (Institutional Drug Subcommittee) Royal Adelaide Hospital	2016
Scientific Advisor to the Editors Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (JPharmSci)	2016
Member, Australian Drug Evaluation Committee (Pharmaceutical Subcommittee) Therapeutic Goods Administration, Department of Health, Australian Government	2015
Member, Research Ethics Committee (Institutional Drug Subcommittee) Royal Adelaide Hospital	2015
Scientific Advisor to the Editors Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (JPharmSci)	2015
Member, Australian Drug Evaluation Committee (Pharmaceutical Subcommittee) Therapeutic Goods Administration, Department of Health, Australian Government	2014
Member, Research Ethics Committee (Institutional Drug Subcommittee) Royal Adelaide Hospital	2014
Scientific Advisor to the Editors Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (JPharmSci)	2014
Member, Advisory Committee on Prescription Medicines Therapeutic Goods Administration, Department of Health, Australian Government	2013
Member, Australian Drug Evaluation Committee (Pharmaceutical Subcommittee) Therapeutic Goods Administration, Department of Health, Australian Government	2013
Member, Research Ethics Committee (Institutional Drug Subcommittee) Royal Adelaide Hospital	2013
Scientific Advisor to the Editors Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (JPharmSci)	2013
Member, Australian Drug Evaluation Committee (Pharmaceutical Subcommittee) Therapeutic Goods Administration, Department of Health, Australian Government	2012
Member, Research Ethics Committee (Institutional Drug Subcommittee) Royal Adelaide Hospital	2012
Member, Australian Drug Evaluation Committee (Pharmaceutical Subcommittee) Therapeutic Goods Administration, Department of Health, Australian Government	2011
Member, Research Ethics Committee (Institutional Drug Subcommittee) Royal Adelaide Hospital	2011
Member, Therapeutic Goods Committee Therapeutic Goods Administration, Department of Health, Australian Government	2011
Member, Australian Drug Evaluation Committee (Pharmaceutical Subcommittee) Therapeutic Goods Administration, Department of Health, Australian Government	2010
Member, Research Ethics Committee (Institutional Drug Subcommittee) Royal Adelaide Hospital	2010
Member, Therapeutic Goods Committee Therapeutic Goods Administration, Department of Health, Australian Government	2010

Other

Manager, external evaluation group (within the Sansom Institute, University of South Australia) to undertake expert reviews of marketing applications on behalf of the Therapeutic Goods Administration

Committee member, Australian Pharmacy Council, Canberra, for reviewing examinations (on behalf of the Australian Pharmacy Board) intended for foreign pharmacists wishing to practice in Austalia.

Australian Institute of Company Directors, Graduate and Fellow, membership now lapsed

Past President (also Vice President, Secretary) , Royal Australian Chemical Institute - South Australian Branch, (Professional organisation)

Teaching & student supervision

Highlights

I am the Program Director, Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Science,I am the Program Director, Bachelor of Pharmacy and Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Science Double Degree,Medicinal chemistry,Applied pharmacotherapeutics,Pharmacy,Pharmaceutics / pharmaceutical science,Biopharmaceutics, pharmacokinetics

Teaching & student supervision

Research degree supervision

Supervisions from 2010 shown

Thesis title	Student status
Assessing patterns and appropriateness of prescription of medications in elderly patients admitted to South Australian Hospitals	Completed
DNA adducts and colorectal cancer	Completed
In vitro dissolution testing in relation to in vivo performance of drugs	Completed
Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry-based bioanalysis to assess toxicological and therapeutic aspects in human disease conditions	Completed
Opioid prescribing in older patients; pharmacoepidemiology and pharmacokinetics	Completed
Solid nanostructured formulations for the oral delivery of poorly water-soluble drugs: from bench to bedside	Completed

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Dr Desmond Williams

Alternative contact

Alternative contact details

About me

About me

UniSA Clinical & Health Sciences

About me

Professional Associations

Experience

Qualifications

Research

Research focus

Highlights

Projects

Outputs

Journal Articles

Current research & highlights

External engagement & recognition

Collaborations

Collaborations

External engagement & recognition

Member, Australian Drug Evaluation Committee (Pharmaceutical Subcommittee)

Scientific Advisor to the Editors

Council Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member, Australian Drug Evaluation Committee (Pharmaceutical Subcommittee)

Member, Research Ethics Committee (Institutional Drug Subcommittee)

Scientific Advisor to the Editors

Member, Australian Drug Evaluation Committee (Pharmaceutical Subcommittee)

Member, Research Ethics Committee (Institutional Drug Subcommittee)

Scientific Advisor to the Editors

Member, Australian Drug Evaluation Committee (Pharmaceutical Subcommittee)

Member, Research Ethics Committee (Institutional Drug Subcommittee)

Scientific Advisor to the Editors

Member, Australian Drug Evaluation Committee (Pharmaceutical Subcommittee)

Member, Research Ethics Committee (Institutional Drug Subcommittee)

Scientific Advisor to the Editors

Member, Advisory Committee on Prescription Medicines

Member, Australian Drug Evaluation Committee (Pharmaceutical Subcommittee)

Member, Research Ethics Committee (Institutional Drug Subcommittee)

Scientific Advisor to the Editors

Member, Australian Drug Evaluation Committee (Pharmaceutical Subcommittee)

Member, Research Ethics Committee (Institutional Drug Subcommittee)

Member, Australian Drug Evaluation Committee (Pharmaceutical Subcommittee)

Member, Research Ethics Committee (Institutional Drug Subcommittee)

Member, Therapeutic Goods Committee

Member, Australian Drug Evaluation Committee (Pharmaceutical Subcommittee)

Member, Research Ethics Committee (Institutional Drug Subcommittee)

Member, Therapeutic Goods Committee

Other

Teaching & student supervision

Highlights

Courses and programs

Research degree supervision

Gallery