Dr Philip Kwok
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Dr Philip Kwok

BPharm(Hons), PhD, GradCertEdStud (Higher Ed), FHEA, JP
Senior Lecturer in Pharmaceutical Sciences
Research Education Academic Director (READ), Central Sydney (Patyegarang) Precinct
FungiSphere Therapeutics and Global Health Systems Theme Leader
Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute (Sydney ID)
Phone
+61 2 8627 6456
Fax
+61 2 9351 4391
Dr Philip Kwok

Dr Philip Chi Lip Kwok is a Senior Lecturer in Pharmaceutical Sciences in the School of Pharmacy, The University of Sydney. He obtained his Bachelor of Pharmacy degree with First Class Honours in 2002 from this Faculty. He became a registered pharmacist after one year of training in a community pharmacy. Dr Kwok then undertook his PhD studies on pharmaceutical aerosol electrostatics in the Faculty of Pharmacy at The University of Sydney and graduated in 2007. He was a research associate in the same group until August 2011 and became an assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy at The University of Hong Kong in September 2011. Dr Kwok returned to The University of Sydney as a Lecturer in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the end of July 2017. His research is in pulmonary drug delivery. In particular, he specialises in the engineering, physicochemical characterisation, and electrostatics of pharmaceutical aerosol formulations. He has collaborated with academic and industrial researchers, both locally and internationally, on formulation-focused as well as interdisciplinary projects. Dr Kwok is the theme leader of Therapeutics and Global Health Systems in FungiSphere, a multidisciplinary research node within the Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases. He is a member of the New South Wales Ministry of Health Poisons Advisory Committee, advising the State Health Secretary on the scheduling of drugs/chemicals and regulatory legislation matters. He is also the student advisor of The University of Sydney AAPS Student Chapter.

Dr Kwok's research focuses on drug delivery to the lungs as aerosols to treat local or systemic diseases. This route of administration is challenging because the aerodynamic size and dispersibility of the particles need to be optimal. These goals can be achieved through the use of various particle production techniques (e.g. spray drying, spray freeze drying, nanoparticle formation etc) and the incorporation of excipients, if required, to obtain formulations with desirable aerosolisation, stability, and drug release qualities. The physicochemical properties are evaluated by a range of characterisation methods to obtain optimised formulations, which can be tested on cellular/animal models or potentially in clinical trials.

PHAR2922: Respiratory (Coordinator)

Honorary assistant professor: Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy, The University of Hong Kong

Registered pharmacist: Pharmacy Board of Australia

Member: American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS), Asian Federation for Pharmaceutical Sciences (AFPS), American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), Golden Key International Honour Society

Editorial board member: Journal of Aerosol Medicine and Pulmonary Drug Delivery, Open Pharmaceutical Sciences Journal, Austin Journal of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Journal of Pharmaceutics and Pharmacology

Journal manuscript reviewer: Journal of Aerosol Medicine and Pulmonary Drug Delivery, International Journal of Pharmaceutics, Pharmaceutical Research, Aerosol Science and Technology, Drug Discovery Today, Journal of Drug Targeting, Nano Letters, Expert Opinion on Drug Delivery, Drug Development and Industrial Pharmacy, Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Multidisciplinary Respiratory Medicine, Crystal Growth & Design, Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces; Journal of Peptide Science

Grant proposal reviewer: National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (May 2018), National Science Centre of Poland (April 2015), Health Research Council of New Zealand (February 2015)

Justice of the Peace: New South Wales Department of Justice

AbVance Commercialisation Award, NSW Drug Discovery Forum 2024, Sydney, Australia, 29 October 2024.

Faculty of Medicine and Health Makers and Shapers Award for Teach Excellence (Team), The University of Sydney, Australia, 28 April 2022.

Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Advance HE, United Kingdom (Fellowship reference PR238573), 21 March 2022.

Asian Federation for Pharmaceutical Sciences (AFPS) Nagai-Shukri Best Paper Award and AFPS Nagai-Shukri Oral Presentation Award, AFPS Conference 2009, Fukuoka, Japan.

New Investigator Best Oral Presentation, Australasian Pharmaceutical Science Association Conference 2007, Sydney, Australia.

Australian Postgraduate Award (APA), 2003–2006.

Project titleResearch student
Targeting pulmonary bacterial and fungal infections with inhalable repurposed drugsPancy KWONG
Pulmonary delivery of probiotic formulations in respiratory infectionsGrace YAU

Publications

Selected Grants

2023

  • Inhalable pentamidine powder for pulmonary fungal infections, Kwok P, Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases (Sydney ID)/Sydney ID Seed Grants