Pharmaceutical Innovation and Development Group

Your Partner in Translational Pharmaceutical Research

Pharmaceutical science is a key strategic research area within UniSA with an ERA ranking of 5 (outstanding performance well above world standard). The Pharmaceutical Innovation and Development Group (PIDG), led by Prof Sanjay Garg covers the full spectrum, from basic mechanistic studies to preclinical and clinical product development. Our interdisciplinary research is based on the principles of engagement, innovation, translation and impact. With a patient and partnership-driven approach, PIDG is a one-stop destination for progressing molecules to medicines, ensuring significant savings of time and resources. The team excels in solving difficult product development challenges such as poor solubility, stability, and the need for local and systemic drug targeting. PIDG work closely with several companies developing human and veterinary pharmaceutical, biotechnological, complementary, nutrition and cosmetics products.

Our research

PIDG delivers customised R&D solutions to fulfil your product development requirements from preformulation, formulation, manufacturing (at pilot scale) to technology transfer, and developing alternate formulations for late lifecycle challenges. Our industry engagement is tailored to each collaborator/client with agreed intellectual property (IP) arrangement and can include "fee for service", collaboration, consulting or hybrid models. We specialise in partnerships for generating funding under the joint industry-academia programs such as ARC Linkage and CRC-P programs.

The PIDG team excels in offering the following services to companies developing human and veterinary pharmaceutical, biotechnological, complementary, nutrition, aquaculture and cosmetics products.

Analysis and Bioanalysis
- Drug release and stability studies
- Analytical method development, validation and optimisation of complex test procedures
- Quantitation of test compounds in biological samples (plasma, blood, urine, tissues)
- Raw material testing, product characterisation and stability assessment
- Identification and evaluation of degradation products, metabolites; stress testing for stability indicating method
- Compendial verification and qualification
- Transfer of analytical procedures.
New Drug Development
- Preformulation:
  - Solubility and stability assessment and improvement
  - Solid state characterization
  - Polymorphism etc.
- Preclinical and clinical drug development
- Formulations supplies for in-vitro, ex-vivo, and in-vivo safety and efficacy studies
- Process optimisation and validation
- Scale up and Technology transfer.
Dosage Form Design
- Conventional dosage forms including solid (tablets, capsules, beads), semi-solid (gel, cream, ointment, paste, suppositories) and liquid (solution, suspension, emulsions)
- Novel dosage forms:
- - Modified release: Fast acting, long acting, pulsed, sustained, delayed, and enteric
    
    Improvement of physicochemical characteristics e.g. solubility, stability, metabolism, permeability, bioavailability and taste
    
    Site specific delivery: localised or systemic
Advanced Delivery Systems
- Nanotechnology: Mesoporous silica nanoparticles, liposomes, micelles, polymeric nanoparticles, lipid nanoparticles, nanoemulsion, nanocrystals, nanosuspension
- Coating and Encapsulation: conventional pan coating, Fluid bed coating, spray dryer, dip coating, extrusion/spheronisation
- Novel drug delivery systems: Solid dispersion, films, implants, lipid suspension, microparticles, microcapsules, microspheres, pellets, in-situ gel, co-solvent, coated stents
- Drug loaded medical devices: Hydrogel
- 3D printing technology for precision therapy.
Veterinary Formulations
- Formulations for dogs, cats, cows, horses, pigs, and fish
- Dosage forms including:
- - Intramammary delivery systems
    
    Semi-solid topical formulations
    
    Modified release pellets
    
    Long acting injectables
    
    Sustained release otic formulation
    
    Suppositories
    
    Single layer and bilayer tablets
    
    Palatable oral formulations
    
    Drug loaded feed and pour-on.
Pharmacokinetics
- PK Studies determine drug behaviour in the animal body and facilitate critical decision making on drug dosage and safety. PIDG provides the full range including protocol design, ethics submission, conduct study using mice or rat model and generate the PK sample analysis data using a fully validated bioanalytical assay to evaluate relevant PK parameters such as bioavailability, distribution, metabolism, and clearance.