Professor Sanjay Garg

Your Partner in Translational Pharmaceutical Research: from Molecules to Medicines

Professor Sanjay Garg is the Director of the Centre for Pharmaceutical Innovation and Development (CPID).  He is a pharmaceutical scientist with a passion for research and teaching in translational drug development and delivery, with a mission to make lives better for our patients. His interdisciplinary research is based on the principles of innovation, engagement, translation and quality.

Prof Garg's team is focusing on novel anticancer drug delivery systems, nanotechnology, antibacterial compounds and formulations for superbugs, wound healing, and veterinary formulations. With the research team, Prof Garg has published 178 peer-reviewed papers, 37 patents, 24 book chapters, edited four books, and successfully completed technology transfers for ten products, leading to h index of 47 (Google Scholar). He has supervised 201 research scholars at all levels, including 7 current PhD students.

For cancer drug targeting, his team is exploring both local as well as systemic delivery approaches. PhD Scholars Paris and Arafat are developing oesophageal and colonic stents as the vehicles for delivering single and the combination of anticancer drugs to control GI tumour growth, manage obstructions and alleviate dysphagia while minimizing systemic side effects. To achieve site-specific targeting, Franklin is using novel drug loaded responsive hydrogel to treat colon cancer. Candace is exploiting the properties of nano-silica materials to actively deliver anticancer agents to breast tumours. She is functionalizing drug-loaded nanoparticles with targeting ligands, using a bioconjugate and a pH-sensitive component to achieve drug release in the breast cancer microenvironment.

Prof Garg has a strong track record of working with the development of novel antimicrobial compounds and formulations for human and veterinary applications. In highly successful partnership with Prof Darren Trott from the Australian Centre for Antimicrobial Resistance Ecology (ACARE) University of Adelaide, Prof Adam McCluskey (University of Newcastle), Dr Stephen Page (Luoda Pharma and Neoculi Ltd), Dr Sam Abraham (Murdoch University) and alongside others, he is leading the preclinical development of new drug candidates with activity against resistant pathogens. Recent patents (US9775818 and US 9539223) on methods for treating bacterial infections cover the output from these efforts. Netra, an honours student is using pharmaceutical approaches to improve antimicrobial activity and reduce the toxicity of selected compounds. In collaboration with Prof Allison Cowin and Prof Krasi Vasilev (Future Industries Institute), PhD students Pivian and Hanif are assessing the role of pH in wound healing and developing new therapeutics for wound repair using nano-technological approaches.

Working on collaborative and sponsored projects with several companies, his team is rapidly developing expertise in veterinary delivery systems for cattle, horses, pigs, cats, dogs, and fish. An innovative injectable IM formulation of highly unstable drug Omeprazole is revolutionizing the treatment of equine gastric ulcer. The preparation is in the process of registration with the USA and European agencies. Formulations for antimicrobial compounds have gone through clinical evaluation in mastitis in cows. The application of lessons learned from human pharmaceuticals to veterinary preparations is helping in finding new ways of delivering drugs to animals in swine farms and aquaculture, not only improving the health and well-being of the animals but the safety and quality of products for human consumption. 

He continues to work on projects that benefit patients directly and are at the crossroads of pharmacy practice and science, e.g. extemporaneous compounding and analysis of drugs in human milk. 

CPID laboratories are well equipped with laboratory and pilot scale pharmaceutical development, analysis and characterization equipment for various dosage forms, including tabletting, extruder/spheronizer, encapsulation, spray and fluidized bed coating, stability chambers compliant to ICH guidelines, dissolution, Franz diffusion cells, texture analyser, HPLCs with PDA, fluorescence and ELSD detectors, LC-MS, NMR etc.     

Prof Garg collaborates with several human and animal pharmaceutical, biotechnological, nutrition, and complementary medicine companies through private and partnership grants. His research has been supported by Govt. agencies, Foundations and Pharmaceutical companies (e.g.  Australian Research Council (ARC), National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) New Zealand, Contraception Research and Development Program (CONRAD), USA; International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM), USA,  and many others. He regularly reviews grants from ARC, NHMRC, and for National agencies from Brazil, UK, Singapore, Ireland, South Africa, and Hongkong. 

He is passionate about International engagement and acts as Co-Director of the China-Australia Centre for Health Science Research (CACHSR), in collaboration with Shandong University, China. Prof Garg has ongoing adjunct appointments with the International Medical University (IMU), Malaysia and Manipal University, India. His research collaborations extend to USA, Canada, Brazil, India, Malaysia, and China, and he is very keen to develop new links, especially research staff and students exchanges for the short or long term. 

After PhD from National Institute of Immunology, India, Prof Garg joined the Program for Topical Prevention of Conception and Disease (TOPCAD) Rush University, Chicago (1995-1998) USA, developing novel microbicides compounds and formulations. A number of his patented formulations have reached clinical stages and market in USA, India, New Zealand, Australia and U.K., e.g. Acidform, an acid-buffering formulation (USA Patent 6706276) has been approved by US FDA as a vaginal lubricant and completed Phase III trials (Amphora) as a contraceptive. During the tenure with the School of Pharmacy, the University of Auckland, New Zealand (2003-2011), he established AnQual Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) compliant analytical laboratory. Acting as Deputy Head of the Auckland Pharmacy School, he played a critical role in establishing research and post-graduate program.

In 2015, Prof Garg was honoured with Australasian Pharmaceutical Science Association (APSA) Medal. Some other awards that he has received include Butland Award for Excellence in Research Supervision, Young Pharmacy Teacher of the Year, and Fellowship of the Indian Pharmaceutical Association. 

• Scientific Advisory Committee Member, Australasian Pharmaceutical Sciences Association (APSA);  Executive Committee Member 2009-2014
• Director, Board Member and Chair, Students Affairs Committee, International Society of Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE), Australasia (2008-2014)
• Controlled Release Society (CRS)
• Life member and ex-secretary, Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA), India
• Project Management Institute, USA

Qualifications

• Doctor of Philosophy National Institute of immunology, India

• Master of Pharmacy University of Delhi, India

• Master of Management University of Auckland, New Zealand

Work history

Jan 2012 to present: Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Director, Centre for Pharmaceutical Innovation and Development (CPID), School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia. Director, China Australia Centre for Health Science Research; Adjunct Professor, School of Pharmacy, International Medical University, Malaysia;  JSS college of Pharmacy and Manipal College of Pharmacy, India.

Jun 2003­ to Dec 2011: Associate Professor and Deputy Head, School of Pharmacy, University of Auckland; Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, AnQual GLP Laboratories.

Jul 2002 to May 2003 Associate Professor, Department of Pharmaceutics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Mohali, India; Assistant Professor from May 1998 to June 2002.

Apr 1995 to Apr 1998 Product Development Research Scientist and Assistant Professor, The Program for Topical Prevention of Conception and Disease (TOPCAD), Section of Ob/Gyn. Research, Rush Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Centre, Rush University, Chicago, USA.

Jul 1994 to Mar 1995 Research Associate, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), New Delhi, India.

Jul 1989 to Jul 1990 Product Executive with a Pharmaceutical Company, New Delhi, India.