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Background: A needs-based approach is desirable for the transformation of pharmaceutical education, and to link pharmaceutical education with the health needs of populations and national priorities. There are varying levels of data in the literature on the status of pharmaceutical education in all six World Health Organization (WHO) regions, especially in the context of needs identification and evidence-based policy interventions. The framework for this study was the FIP Development Goals. Objectives: The aim of the study was to develop evidence-based policies through a needs-based approach for pharmaceutical education transformation nationally, regionally and globally by addressing the following objectives: 1. Identify global and regional needs in pharmaceutical education, through a regional SWOT analysis and prioritization of FIP development goals; 2. Develop valid and credible regional roadmaps for pharmaceutical education advancement according to the identified prioritized goals and 3. Develop a global call to action as a policy intervention for advancing pharmaceutical education. Methods: This study was conducted between 2020 and 2021 using a mixed methods approach. Surveys of higher education institutions and a series of qualitative interviews were conducted with national professional leadership organizations, with further regional workshops having 284 participants recruited from the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) membership base, spanning all six WHO regions. Results: Eleven out of 21 FIP DGs were identified as priorities for regional roadmaps and FIP DG 1 (Academic capacity) was identified as a priority in four regions. All regions had distinctive results with an area of commonality between them. There were common weaknesses in the adoption of competency-based education and inter-professional education. Conclusions: It is critical for every country and region to develop needs- and evidence-based policies for the transformation of pharmaceut

Cameron J Phillips,1–4 Alice J Wisdom,5 Ross A McKinnon,2,3,6 Richard J Woodman,7 David L Gordon2,8,9 1SA Pharmacy, Flinders Medical Centre, Bedford Park, Adelaide, SA 5042, Australia; 2College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia; 3School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, Division of Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia; 4Infectious Diseases and Immunity, Department of Medicine, Imperial College, London W12 0NN, UK; 5SA Pharmacy, Lyell McEwin Hospital, Elizabeth Vale, Adelaide, SA 5112, Australia; 6Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia; 7Flinders Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia; 8SA Pathology, Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Flinders Medical Centre, Bedford Park, Adelaide, SA 5042, Australia; 9Division of Medicine, Flinders Medical Centre, Bedford Park, Adelaide, SA 5042, Australia Purpose: Vancomycin prescribing requires individualized dosing and monitoring to ensure efficacy, limit toxicity, and minimize resistance. Although there are nationally endorsed guidelines from several countries addressing the complexities of vancomycin dosing and monitoring, there is limited consideration of how to implement these recommendations effectively.Methods: We conducted a systematic search of multiple databases to identify relevant comparative studies describing the impact of interventions of educational meetings, implementation of guidelines, and dissemination of educational material on vancomycin dosing, monitoring, and nephrotoxicity. Effect size was assessed using ORs and pooled data analyzed using forest plots to provide overall effect measures. Results: Six studies were included. All studies included educational meetings. Two studies used implementation of guidance, educational meetings, and dissemination of educational material

With one of the oldest surviving cultures in the world, Australian Aboriginal people have developed immense knowledge about the diverse Australian flora. Western scientific investigation of some Australian Aboriginal medicinal plants has demonstrated interesting pharmacological activities and chemistry, however the majority of these species have not yet been extensively examined. We argue that research that is locally initiated and driven by Indigenous traditional owners in collaboration with Western scientists has significant potential to develop new plant-based products. Locally driven medicinal plants research in which traditional owners work as researchers in collaboration with University-based colleagues in the investigation of medicines rather than “stakeholders” or “informants” is one model that may be used in characterising plants with the potential to be developed into sustainable plant-based medicinal products with commercial value. Our team has taken this approach in research located both on traditional homelands and in the laboratory. Research being conducted by the University of South Australia and Chuulangun Aboriginal Corporation has led to patent filing for protection of intellectual property associated with novel compounds and extracts with the potential for development through cosmetic, complementary medicine and pharmaceutical routes. Ongoing research is examining the commercial developmental pathways and requirements for product development in these spaces. This review will address the opportunities that might exist for working in partnership with Australian Indigenous communities, some of the scientific knowledge which has been generated so far from our work together and the lessons learnt since the inception of the collaboration between the Chuulangun Aboriginal Corporation and scientists from the University of South Australia.

Cytochromes P450 (CYPs) are critically important in the oxidative metabolism of a diverse array of xenobiotics and endogenous substrates. We have previously reported the cloning and characterisation of the koala CYP4A15, the first reported member of the CYP4 family from marsupials, and have demonstrated important species differences in CYP4A activity and tissue expression. In the present study, the cloning of CYP4B1 in the wallaby (Macropus eugenii) and their expression across marsupials is described. Rabbit anti-mouse CYP4B1 antibody detected immunoreactive proteins in lung and liver microsomes from all test marsupials, with relative weak signal detected from the koala, suggesting a species-specific expression. Microsomal 2-aminofluorene bio-activation (a CYP4B1 marker) in wallaby lung was comparable to that of rabbit, with significant higher activities detected in wallaby liver and kidneys compared to rabbit. A 1548 bp wallaby lung CYP4B complete cDNA, designated CYP4B1, which encodes a protein of 510 amino acids and shares 72% nucleotide and 69% amino acid sequence identity to human CYP4B1, was cloned by polymerase chain reaction approaches. The results demonstrate the presence of wallaby CYP4B1 that shares several common features with other published CYP4Bs; however the wallaby CYP4B1 cDNA contains four extra amino acid residues at the NH2-terminal, a fundamentally conserved transmembrane anchor of all eukaryote CYPs.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) is a member of the nuclear/steroid receptor gene superfamily that plays an essential role in fatty acid metabolism. PPARα modulates the expression of genes encoding peroxisomal fatty acid β-oxidation enzymes and microsomal fatty acid hydroxylases CYP4As. We have previously reported that the obligate Eucalyptus feeder koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) exhibits a higher hepatic CYP4A activity and an absence of peroxisomal palmitoyl-CoA oxidation as compared to non-Eucalyptus feeders human, rat or wallaby. Here we describe the cloning, expression and molecular characterisation of koala hepatic PPARα. A full-length PPARα cDNA of size 1515 bp was cloned by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). The koala PPARα cDNA encodes a protein of 468 amino acids. Transfection of the koala PPARα cDNA into Cos-7 cells resulted in the expression of a protein recognised by a rabbit anti-human PPARα polyclonal antibody. PPARα immunoreactive bands of the same molecular mass were detected in nuclear extracts of koala livers. The results of this study demonstrate the presence of koala hepatic PPARα which shares several common features with other published PPARαs; however, it exhibits important differences in both the DNA and ligand binding domains.

Hu, Y., Le Leu, R. K., Christophersen, C. T., Somashekar, R., Conlon, M. A., Meng, X. Q., ... & Young, G. P. (2016). Manipulation of the gut microbiota using resistant starch is associated with protection against colitis-associated colorectal cancer in rats. Carcinogenesis, 37(4), 366-375. Available here.

Personalized medicine has gained significant attention over the last decade as technologies for understanding biological differences between individuals have advanced dramatically. There are many potential benefits of personalized medicine including minimizing risk of drug toxicity, increasing benefit from drugs used, contributing to the sustainability of the healthcare system and facilitating drug discovery and development programs. Unfortunately there are also many barriers such as cost, complexity, high quality evidence requirements, and the need for further education that have limited the clinical translation of pharmacogenomic tests to date. Issues that need to be clarified are also considered, such as the regulatory evidence requirements for pharmacogenomic tests and the need for multiple pathways and for pharmacogenomic marker development. These issues surrounding personalized medicine are contextualized using three contemporary examples of pharmacogenetic tests involving drug metabolising enzymes: UDP glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 and irinotecan toxicity, cytochrome P450 2C19 and clopidogrel efficacy, and cytochrome P450 2C9 and warfarin dosing.