Rate My Professor Harendra Parekh

Associate Professor Harendra Parekh serves as Director of Research and Associate Professor in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Queensland. He earned a BScPharm (Hons I) and a PhD in Medicinal Chemistry from the University of Nottingham in 2002. Registered as a pharmacist in the UK in 1998 and with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency in Queensland, Parekh commenced his professional career post-PhD as a research officer in UQ's School of Chemistry before transitioning to a teaching and research position in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2005. He maintains membership in the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain and holds an adjunct faculty position at Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal University, India.

Parekh's research specializations encompass pharmaceutical medicinal chemistry and pharmaceutics, with emphasis on innovative formulation and device co-development alongside advanced non-viral, bioresponsive drug and gene delivery systems. His group's developments include the Sol-Gel platform for direct nose-to-brain therapeutics delivery, a US-patented bioresponsive linker technology stabilizing peptide therapeutics, bioresponsive lipid nanoparticles featuring tissue targeting and gene catch-and-release functionality, and micro- and nanobubble formulations enabling ultrasound-mediated on-demand drug release, particularly for ocular applications. He has obtained significant funding through NHMRC Ideas Grants, ARC Training Centres, and other schemes. Notable publications comprise 'Development and characterisation of a thermoreversible sol–gel for intranasal delivery of MRI and PET imaging agents' (2026, International Journal of Pharmaceutics), 'Ameliorative anticancer effect of dendrimeric peptide modified liposomes of letrozole: in vitro and in vivo performance evaluations' (2023, International Journal of Pharmaceutics), 'Porous silicon embedded in a thermoresponsive hydrogel for intranasal delivery of lipophilic drugs to treat rhinosinusitis' (2023, Journal of Controlled Release), and 'A systematic review of ultrasound-mediated drug delivery to the eye and critical insights to facilitate a timely path to the clinic' (2023, Theranostics). As Scientific Founder and Chief Research Officer of PreveCeutical and BioGene Therapeutics, Parekh drives clinical translation of his platforms via industry collaborations.