Alastair Stewart

Professor Alastair Stewart serves as Chair of Pharmacology and Therapeutics in the Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology within the School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Melbourne's Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences. He earned his Bachelor of Science with Honours (BSc Hons) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Pharmacology from the University of Melbourne in 1980 and 1984, respectively. Throughout his career, Professor Stewart has amassed extensive expertise in respiratory and inflammation research, leading the Mechanopharmacology Laboratory and holding pivotal leadership positions such as Co-Director of the Lung Health Research Centre (LHRC), Director of the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre for Personalised Therapeutics Technologies (CPTT), and Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) and Director at TianLi Biotech. He has also served on peer review committees for the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and scientific advisory boards of Australian medical research institutes.

Professor Stewart is President of the Asia Pacific Federation of Pharmacologists and a member of the Nominating and Programming Committees for the Respiratory Structure Function assembly of the American Thoracic Society. His editorial contributions include Chief Editor of the Translational Pharmacology section in Frontiers in Pharmacology and Senior Associate Editor of the Journal of Engineering and Science in Medical Diagnostics and Therapy from the American Society for Mechanical Engineering (ASME). His research specializations encompass mechanopharmacology for drug discovery, inflammation and fibrosis mechanisms via novel bioassays, systems pharmacology using transcriptomic and proteomic data, glucocorticoid sensitivity in airway structural cells, regulation of mesenchymal cell growth and function, anti-remodelling activities of anti-asthma agents, and circadian influences on inflammation and tissue remodelling. With over 200 peer-reviewed publications and numerous patents, notable works include "The FDA Modernisation Act 2.0: Bringing Non-Animal Technologies to the Regulatory Table" (Drug Discovery Today, 2023), "Accelerated Translation Using Microphysiological Organoid and Microfluidic Chip Models" (Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2022), and "Endothelial Dysfunction in Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Diseases and Beyond: From Mechanism to Pharmacotherapies" (Pharmacological Reviews, 2021). His innovations drive advancements in treating conditions like steroid-resistant asthma and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Professional Email: astew@unimelb.edu.au