Advanced Drug Delivery Systems in Management of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Dr. Parteek Prasher, an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Petroleum & Energy Studies, possesses 8 years of research experience in medicinal chemistry and biomaterials. Leading a research team, he focuses on developing rationally designed molecules to target various disorders, including inflammation, cancer, and antimicrobial multidrug resistance. Dr. Prasher has received prestigious fellowships and awards, including the Junior/Senior Research Fellowship by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (2012-2015) and the TARE Fellowship by the Department of Science and Technology-Science and Engineering Research Board (DST-SERB) for three years.

Dr. Mousmee Sharma, an Assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry at Uttaranchal University, possesses over 5 years of research experience in physical chemistry and biomaterials, with a focus on bio membranes. Her recent research centres on developing mucoadhesive materials for drug delivery across physiological mucus barriers. Dr. Mousmee, a 'Gold Medallist' in post-graduation, has authored 80 research and review articles and 20 book chapters in reputable journals

Dr. Gang Liu completed his Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology at Tianjin University of Commerce in 2008, followed by a Master of Science in Biotechnology at the University of Wollongong in 2011. He earned his PhD in Immunology and Microbiology at the University of Newcastle (Australia) in 2016, focusing on airway remodeling in respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), severe asthma, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Dr. Liu conducted postdoctoral research from 2016-2017, investigating inflammation's role in respiratory diseases, and later studied tissue structure changes and remodeling in the gut-lung crosstalk at Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI) from 2017-2019. Since 2019, he has held a tenure position as a lecturer at the University of Technology (UTS), leading the fibrosis program at the Center for Inflammation in the UTS/Centenary Institute. Dr. Liu was awarded a CREATE Hope Fellowship from Lung Foundation Australia (2022-2023) and was promoted to senior lecturer at UTS in early 2023. Currently, he teaches and coordinates immunology and pathology subjects at UTS while supervising three PhD students. His ongoing research focuses on understanding the mechanisms of lung fibrosis in various lung diseases and identifying new therapeutic options.

Dr. Amlan Chakraborty specializes in unraveling the mechanisms of innate immune cells in airway inflammation and remodeling linked to chronic allergic airway diseases, particularly asthma. He holds a research master's degree and a PhD, focusing on developing immunomodulators to target airway inflammation in acute lung injury and asthma. As a postdoctoral research associate, he investigated peptide-conjugated nanoparticles in asthma-related inflammation. Joining the Fibrosis Group at Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute in 2020, he secured two industry-funded fellowships to explore induced pluripotent stem cells' role in pulmonary fibrosis and understand epithelial cell repair in chronic allergic airway disease. Dr. Chakraborty has over 20 publications, 7 pending patents, and has attracted $200K in commercial funding. His post-PhD research concentrates on using nanoparticles, including serelaxin-conjugated ones, to attenuate airway inflammation and target airway remodelling in pulmonary fibrosis and asthma. He also investigates the role of pulmonary myeloid cells in asthma-associated airway remodeling using functionalized nanoparticles, traceable through innovative imaging techniques. Recently, he has expanded his research interest to explore circadian mechanisms in asthma.

Dr. Kamal Dua is an Associate Professor in the Discipline of Pharmacy at UTS. Dr Dua has been recognised and named as one of Australia's Top 250 researchers in 2025 and 2024 in Research Magazine by the Australian in the research discipline of Health and Medical sciences, and #1/research leader in the area of Pharmacology and Pharmacy (2025) and Toxicology (2024) respectively. With over 17 years of research experience, he has specialised in drug delivery targeting inflammatory diseases. Additionally, Dr Dua also leads drug delivery research at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research. In this role, he focuses on advancing targets identified in research projects to develop innovative formulations, taking the first steps toward clinical translation. Dr. Dua's research encompasses two complementary areas: drug delivery and immunology. His work explores how these disciplines can mutually benefit, contributing to the goal of promoting longer and healthier lives for the community. His commitment to synergy is reflected in his extensive publication record in reputable journals. Dr Dua's research interests are centered on harnessing the pharmaceutical potential of modulating critical regulators, such as interleukins and microRNAs. He also specialises in developing new and effective drug delivery formulations for managing inflammation in chronic airway diseases and cancer.