Targeting Cellular Signalling Pathways in Lung Diseases

Kamal Dua is a Senior Lecturer in the Discipline of Pharmacy at the Graduate School of Health, University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Australia. He has research experience of over 12 years in the field of drug delivery systems targeting inflammatory diseases. Dr. Dua is also a Node Leader of Drug Delivery Research in the Centre for Inflammation at Centenary Institute/UTS, where the targets identified from the research projects are pursued to develop novel formulations as the first step towards translation into clinics. Dr. Dua researches in two complementary areas; drug delivery and immunology, specifically addressing how these disciplines can advance one another helping the community to live longer and healthier. This is evidenced by his extensive publication record in reputed journals. Dr. Dua’s research interests focus on harnessing the pharmaceutical potential of modulating critical regulators such as interleukins and microRNAs and developing new and effective drug delivery formulations for the management of chronic airway diseases. He has published more than 80 research articles in peer-reviewed international journals and authored or co-authored four books. He is an active member of many national and international professional societies. 

Raimar Löbenberg holds a BS in Pharmacy from the Johannes Gutenberg-University in Mainz, Germany, and received his PhD in Pharmaceutics from the Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University. His research interests are in Biopharmaceutics and inhalable nanoparticles to treat lung diseases. He is a founder and Director of the Drug Development and Innovation Centre at the University of Alberta. He was president of the Canadian Society for Pharmaceutical Sciences 2014–2015 and a member of the United States Pharmacopeia Dietary Supplement Expert Committee. He is a Vice-chair of the Specialty Committee of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Pharmaceutics of the World Foundation of Chinese Medicine Science. He is a member of the Health Canada Scientific Advisory Committee on Pharmaceutical Sciences and Clinical Pharmacology.

Ângela Cristina Malheiros Luzo is a full Professor from the Surgical Science Post Graduation Discipline at the Faculty of Medical Science Surgery Department, UNICAMP. She is an active researcher at the Biology Institute of the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP). She served as a member of the liver transplantation team and was responsible for the installation of the Umbilical Cord Blood Bank (BSCUP) at UNICAMP. She obtained her medical degree from Faculty of Medical Sciences of Jundiaí and holds Master’s and PhD degrees in the field of biology and cell therapy of umbilical cord blood stem cells from the Clinical Medicine Department of the Faculty of Medical Science, UNICAMP. She has three licensed patents related to fibrin glue that allows the attachment of mesenchymal stromal stem cells in suture filaments providing a complete regeneration of enterocutaneous fistula, tracheal injury, and correction of urethral stenosis in animal models (rat, pig, and rabbit).

Shakti Shukla is a trained microbiologist and completed his PhD in Medical Studies from the University of Tasmania. Dr. Shukla has been actively involved in various aspects of chronic respiratory diseases, including the pathophysiology and immunology of respiratory diseases especially cigarette smoking-related chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, and asthma. Dr. Shukla's primary research interest involves the crucial role of microorganisms, in particular bacteria, in the development, progression, and exacerbations of COPD/asthma. His more recent research focuses on understanding the role of gastrointestinal microbiomes in the progression of COPD and whether the gut microbes could be utilized as a potential treatment for COPD. Dr. Shukla has published more than 65 publications in the last 6 years and has won Young Investigator Award from Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand (Tasmania Branch) for his research.

Saurabh Satija is currently working as Assistant Dean at School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Division of Student Welfare, Lovely Professional University (LPU), India, and also an academic with Discipline of Pharmacy, Graduate School of Health, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia. He has extensive experience in the field of natural products research, drug development, analytical method development, and nanotechnology-based novel drug delivery systems. He has received various national and international awards, scholarships, and research grants. He also carries an impressive bibliography of scientific papers published in journals of international repute. He has more than 100 research publications and two patents published to his credit.