CRS Labs Around the World: Controlled Drug Delivery and Nanomedicine Research Group at The University of Queensland
Amirali Popat is Professor of Pharmacy at The University of Queensland (UQ), Australia, where he leads the Drug Delivery Research Group. His expertise lies in the development of advanced drug delivery systems including 3D printed dosage forms and nanomedicines for the treatment of cancer, infectious diseases, and inflammatory conditions. The research program is highly interdisciplinary, integrating pharmaceutical sciences, materials engineering, and biomedical research to design and optimize drug delivery platforms that overcome biological barriers and improve therapeutic efficacy.
The group’s research is structured around five core areas:
- Advanced drug delivery methods such as controlled release dosage forms (e.g., tablets, granules, microspheres)
- Targeted cancer therapies
- Overcoming antimicrobial resistance
- In vitro and in vivo translocation studies of nanoparticles
- 3D printed pharmaceuticals
These platforms are designed to address critical challenges in bioavailability, targeting, and safety, with an emphasis on translating lab-based innovations into clinically applicable therapies. The group combines innovative formulation strategies with rigorous biological evaluation to develop delivery systems responsive to physiological triggers such as pH, redox potential, and enzymatic activity.
Professor Popat was recently inducted as a Fellow of the Controlled Release Society (CRS). He is a Fulbright Future Scholar, was named one of the “40 Under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australians” in Education, Science and Medicine, and currently serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Controlled Release. His research has been continuously supported by the Australian Research Council (ARC), National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), Tour De Cure, Brain Foundation and various industry collaborators.
As of August 2025 - Popat Group includes 2 postdoctoral researchers, 9 PhD candidates, 1 Honours student, 2 master's students and many international visiting scholars, working closely with national and global collaborators across academia and industry. The team is committed to advancing pharmaceutical innovation, mentoring emerging scientists, and promoting collaborative research to address global health challenges.
Selected recent publications:
- Shahdeo, Deepshikha, Janjua, Taskeen Iqbal, Peyre, Matthieu, Kulshreshtha, Ritu and Popat, Amirali (2025). Gene therapy and nanomedicine for meningioma treatment. Journal of Controlled Release, 384 113881, 113881-384. doi: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2025.113881
- Singh, Ravi Raj, Kulshreshtha, Ritu and Popat, Amirali (2025). Ultrasmall nanoparticles for co-delivery of antisense oligonucleotides targeting miR-21 and miR-210 to treat glioblastoma. Journal of Nanobiotechnology, 23 (1) 482, 1. doi: 10.1186/s12951-025-03529-1
- Paul Joyce, Christine J. Allen, María José Alonso, Marianne Ashford, Michelle S. Bradbury, Matthieu Germain, Maria Kavallaris, Robert Langer, Twan Lammers, Maria Teresa Peracchia, Popat A, Clive A. Prestidge, Cristianne J. F. Rijcken, Bruno Sarmento, Ruth B. Schmid, Avi Schroeder, Santhni Subramaniam, Chelsea R. Thorn, Kathryn A. Whitehead, Chun-Xia Zhao & Hélder A. Santos, “A translational framework to DELIVER nanomedicines to the clinic”, Nature Nanotechnology. 19, 1597–1611 (2024).
- Zheng, Zheng, Krueger, Liam, Harrop, Angus C. F., Ross, Benjamin P., Popat, Amirali and Miles, Jared A. (2025). 3D printed tablets for personalised dose titration of prednisone using selective laser sintering. International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 678 125698, 125698. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2025.125698
- Kooshan, Zeinab, Srinivasan, Srilakshmi, Janjua, Taskeen Iqbal, Popat, Amirali and Batra, Jyotsna (2025). Lactoferrin conjugated radicicol nanoparticles enhanced drug delivery and cytotoxicity in prostate cancer cells. European Journal of Pharmacology, 991 177300, 177300. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2025.177300
