About me

Dr Dua has a multi-faceted research background with experience in drug delivery technology, biomedical sciences, immunology and microbiology. He is a pharmaceutical and formulation scientist who recognised that there was limited information linking knowledge acquired from various biological (cellular and molecular) approaches to drug delivery. This observation encouraged him to pursue research studies in the field of immunology and microbiology to enhance his ability to bridge the gap between formulation sciences and biological advances. Being a highly focussed and motivated researcher, Dr Dua’s career is dedicated to improving outcomes in healthcare through his initiatives in the formulation and biomedical research.

His dual doctorate “Pharmaceutical Sciences (2010) and Immunology & Microbiology (2018)” enable him to confidently lead cross-disciplinary research in pharmaceutical drug delivery and biological sciences. Dr Dua's research involves identifying potential key targets regulating the pathophysiology of disease and formulating them into effective drug delivery systems that could be translated to clinical settings, thereby contributing to an impactful change. Dr Dua is a Core member of Australian Research Centre in Complementary and Integrative Medicine (ARCCIM), University of Technology Sydney.

Dr Dua has developed substantial expertise in the study of immune responses and respiratory diseases using unique mouse models, in vitro and human ex vivo studies. His studies to date with Professor Phil Hansbro have identified novel factors such as microRNAs and IL-13 that regulate the susceptibility of people with chronic lung diseases such as asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) to influenza infection. These findings possess the potential of translating into new and effective treatments for people with chronic airway diseases. However, the safe and efficient delivery of biological entities to target tissues remains a significant challenge. Thus, to harness the potential of modulating these entities, Dr Dua is actively involved in guiding the nanotechnology-assisted delivery of these potential signalling molecules. Development of the nano-formulations will allow sequestering of these biological entities, improving tissue permeability and bioavailability.

His research has influenced the field of drug delivery by sparking recognition of encapsulating potential therapeutic moieties and biomolecules into vesicular drug delivery systems to target inflammatory conditions, with a special emphasis on respiratory diseases [Life Sci (2021); Assay Drug Dev Technol (2021); Cancers (2020); Expert Opin. Drug Deliv. (2020); Mater. Sci. Eng. C (2020); J. Microencapsul (2020); Toxicol in vitro (2020); Int. J. Biol. Macromol. (2019); J. Photochem. Photobiol. B (2019); Drug Deliv. Transl. Res. (2018); Pharm. Nanotechnol (2018)].

Dr. Dua's overall skills and expertise in formulation development combined with his in-depth knowledge of immunology enables him to further advance his research with herbal moieties and to explore new avenues and opportunities to expand this area of his pharmaceutical research. As a result, Dr Dua and his team, is actively pursuing their research interests in encapsulating various phytoconstituents in vesicular drug delivery systems to target inflammation in many disease states including airway diseases [Curcumin (Curr Pharm Design, 2020; Nanomedicine, 2020; Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces, 2018), Rutin (Toxicol in vitro, 2020; Future Med Chem, 2021; Life Sci, 2021), Celastrol (Int. J. Polym. Mater, 2020; Biomed Pharmacother, 2019), Naringenin (J Food Biochem., 2021; Eur J Pharmacol, 2020), Boswellic acid (Future Med Chem, 2020); Tragia involucrata (Antiinflamm Antiallergy Agents Med Chem, 2021); Lens Culinaris Medik. (Curr Pharm Design, 2021).

Dr Dua's other research interests include:

• Solubility enhancement of poorly water-soluble drugs using solid dispersions, molecular inclusion complexes, co-precipitates, and salt-forming techniques.

• Topical, ocular and advanced (nanotechnology, liposomes and proniosomes) drug delivery systems (in dosage forms such as ointments, gels and creams).

• Transdermal drug delivery

• Periodontal drug delivery

• Use of natural/herbal compounds in oral and topical dosage forms using novel approaches and their pharmacological investigations

Dr Dua is an active researcher and has established both national and international collaborations with various Universities. Some of these collaborations include The University of Tasmania, Hobart TAS; University of New South Wales (UNSW), Australia; The Queen’s University of Belfast, UK; Ulster University, UK; University Free State, South Africa; Hacettepe University, Turkey; University Sao Paulo, Brazil; University of Alberta, Canada; Queensland University of Technology, Australia; Western Sydney University, Australia; The University of Newcastle, Australia; Perdana University, Malaysia; Pontifical Catholic University, Chile; Kumamoto University, Japan; The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago; National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), India and Amity University, India