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Basil Roufogalis

BPharm, MPharm, PhD, DSci

Adjunct Professor, NICM Health Research Institute

Basil Roufogalis completed his Bachelor and Master of Pharmacy in Pharmacy in Sydney in 1965 and the PhD degree in medicinal chemistry in 1968. After postdoctoral work at the University of Ottawa, he joined the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, as MRC Scholar and Assistant Professor, where he rose through the ranks to Professor. He returned to Australia in 1986 as an NHMRC Senior Research Fellow, and was subsequently appointed Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of Sydney in 1989. He served as Head of Department from 1993 to 1995, where he oversaw the development of the 4 year pharmacy curriculum. He served as Pro-Dean when the school became the Faculty of Pharmacy. Recognizing the growing interest in pharmacy and the community in natural products, and the need for evidence based research in the field, he established the Herbal Medicines Research and Education Centre (HMREC) in 1997, and served as its Executive Director. His research focused on the mechanisms and development of herbal medicinal products for the management of cancer, pain, diabetes, hyperlipidemia and inflammation.

Professor Roufogalis was awarded the DSc degree in recognition of sustained work on regulation of cellular function by calcium ion.  His research has appeared in more than 250 peer reviewed publications in international journals and in 5 international patents. Recognition of his achievements has been through the annual Varro Tyler Memorial Award Lecture for outstanding merit in phytomedicine in Exeter, UK and the National Institute of Complementary Medicine (NICM) Commendation for Collaborative Research Excellence. He has chaired symposia on “Safety and Efficacy of Herbal Medicines” at the IXth World Conference on Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics in Quebec, Canada, and was the Convenor of the Scientific Committee of the 3rd International Congress of Complementary Medicines Research in Sydney 2008 and Mechanism-based Natural Product Medicines Conference at Whistler, Canada in 2012. He was Chief Guest Editor of a Special issue of the Canadian Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences on this topic in 2013. He has been active in promoting Pharmaceutical Chemistry at APSA, and was active in organizing APSA symposia in Herbal Medicines, where he presented talks and encouraged his students to present their work at the annual meetings. His long-serving achievements were honoured by the award of Professor Emeritus at Sydney University in 2012.

Research interest

  • Development of new analgesic/anti inflammatory agents based on their interaction with the capsaicin (TRPV-1) receptor
  • Development of cholesterol lowering agents
  • Development of antidiabetic agents from Ayurvedic, Chinese and Western medicinal plants
  • Immune-stimulation to enhance the outcome of cancer chemotherapy
  • Traditional Chinese medicines in type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome
  • The role of calcium in cellular signalling, with particular emphasis on the calcium pump
  • The role of ATP-dependent pumps in the control of phospholipid distribution in cells
  • Fundamental studies on the binding site topology of acetylcholinesterase and its drug interactions
  • Development of cardiovascular agents from the Australian native plant, Grevillea
  • The role of small G-proteins in cellular function

Awards and recognition

  • 1963-1968 National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia Research Studentship
  • 1978 Medical Research Council of Canada Visiting Professor, University of Toronto
  • 1982-1983 U.B.C. Killam Foundation Senior Fellowship
  • 1982-1983 Canadian Heart Foundation Visiting Scientist Award
  • 1982-1984 Medical Research Council of Canada Visiting Scientist and Visiting Professor Awards
  • 1985 McNeil Pharmaceuticals Association of Faculties of Pharmacy in Canada in recognition of a significant contribution to pharmaceutical research
  • 1986-1989 National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia Senior Research Fellowship (five year award - held for nearly three years)
  • 1993,1995 Visiting Professor, University of British Columbia (three months)
  • 2007 Varro Tyler award for outstanding achievements in herbal medicine (Exeter University)
  • 2009 Commendation for Leadership and Collaboration in the NICM Research Excellence Awards
  • 2012 Visiting Professor, School of Pharmacy, Sun-yat Sen University, Guangzhou, China

Affiliations

  • 1993-1995 Head, Department of Pharmacy, University of Sydney
  • 1993-1996 Director, Pharmacy Practice Foundation, University of Sydney
  • 1996-Editorial Board membership: Cell Calcium, Pharmaceutical News, Journal of Toxicological and Pharmacological Methods, Australian Pharmacist, Journal of Complementary Medicine, Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies (FACT), Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry, Mini Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry, Journal of Diabetes
  • 1997-1998 Elected Professoriate Representative, Academic Board of the University of Sydney
  • 2000-2005 Appointed Faculty of Pharmacy representative, Academic Board of the University of Sydney
  • 1997-2011 Executive Director, Herbal Medicines Research and Education Centre, University of Sydney
  • 2005 UCOM Two Pty Ltd Board member (Echium Seed Oil Project)
  • 2007 Interim Consultative Committee, National Institute of Complementary Medicine
  • 2007/8 Co-Chair, 3rd International Congress of Complementary Medicine Research
  • 2007/8 Chair, Scientific Committee, 3rd International Congress of Complementary Medicine Research
  • 2008 NICM Scientific Advisory Board
  • 2011 Guest Editor for the Special Issue of Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology
  • 2010-2012 China Studies Centre, Academic Convenor of the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Academic group
  • 2010-2012  Member, China Studies Centre Executive Committee
  • 2010-Visiting Professor, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, China ISO/TC249 - HE031 Australian Mirror Group
  • 2012 Australian Working Group (AWG) 2 - Quality and safety of manufactured TCM products
  • 2012 FACT Regional Editor for Australasia