Professor Chris Porter, Associate Dean of Research at MIPS, has been recognised
as a Fellow by the world’s largest international pharmaceutical science organisation
for his outstanding achievements.
Professor Porter, was inducted as a Fellow of the
American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists
(AAPS) at their Annual Meeting in San Diego, USA,
in late 2014.
AAPS Fellows are granted each year to individuals
who make sustained remarkable scholarly and
research contributions to the pharmaceutical
sciences through original articles, scientific
presentations or patents.
Founded in 1986, AAPS is an individual
membership society of approximately 11,000
pharmaceutical scientists. This year 17 Fellows
were elected, Professor Porter is now the third
AAPS Fellow at MIPS, joining Professors Bill
Charman and Colin Pouton.
Professor Porter said he was delighted to be
recognised as a Fellow.
“This was great news. AAPS is in many respects
the de-facto international pharmaceutical science
organisation. To be recognised by them in this
way is an honour and a great reflection of
the efforts of the research group here at MIPS,”
he said.
Professor Porter’s research looks at ensuring
that drug doses are absorbed efficiently and
are effectively transported to their site of action
to target disease.
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His team is currently investigating ways to
combine drugs with fats, ‘piggybacking’ onto
natural processes where fats are absorbed and
distributed throughout the body. The method,
which could increase the effectiveness of
drugs used to treat a range of clinical problems
including autoimmune and metabolic disease,
aims to enhance absorption and to target
drugs to specific sites in the body including
the lymph nodes.
Professor Porter graduated with a Bachelor
of Pharmacy and a PhD from the University of
Nottingham in the UK, before moving to Australia
and Monash approximately 20 years ago.
A research leader with impact across a number
of fields of research he has published widely
with over 160 peer reviewed publications, given
over 50 invited presentations and graduated
20 PhD candidates.
Professor Porter is a Chief Investigator within
the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre
of Excellence in Convergent Bio Nano Science
and Technology, headquartered at MIPS, and
maintains funding across all major national
competitive grant programs.
While AAPS members primarily come from a
pharmaceutics, biopharmaceutics, or pharmacy
field of study, they also represent those scientists
from complementary disciplines, such as
chemistry, biology, engineering, and medicine,
who are involved in the discovery, development,
and manufacture of pharmaceutical products
and therapies.