Dr Prasher, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Petroleum & Energy Studies, has research experience of 8 years in medicinal chemistry and biomaterials, while working in the field of anti-inflammatory and anticancer chemotherapy. The research team led by Dr. Prasher focuses on the development of rationally designed molecules for targeting various disorders, including inflammation, cancer, and antimicrobial MDR, which also includes the Identification of novel pharmacophores, chemical moieties and APIs for developing the potential chemotherapeutics. With inspiring national/ international collaborations, Dr. Prasher has published more than 45 peer reviewed publications, and >10 book chapters in the journals of repute. Dr. Prasher serves as reviewer for reputed journals published by Elsevier, ACS, RSC and Springer publishers, with the status “Recognized reviewer. Dr. Prasher has been a recipient of the prestigious Junior/ Senior Research Fellowship by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Government of India (2012-2015). Dr. Prasher received ‘Lectureship’ award by the Government of India (2012). In 2012, Prof. Zacconi became Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Chemistry at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (Chile). Currently, her Associate Professor position is shared between the Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy and the Institute for Biological and Medical Engineering (IIBM). Moreover, Dr. Zacconi has a research experience of more than 11 years in organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry and biomaterials, while working in the field of chemical synthesis, structural analyses, drug design, and materials. Dr. Zacconi’s research focuses on the intersections of organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, engineering and biological chemistry, developing multi- and interdisciplinary research to understand the complexity in the design, synthesis and biological evaluation of bioactive compounds. Besides, Prof. Zacconi is an Associate Researcher at the Research Center for Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials (CIEN-UC). Additionally, Dr. Zacconi acts as a reviewer for international journals and she has published research papers, book chapters, books and reviews. Kamal Dua is a Professor in the NICM Health Research Institute and the School of Science at Western Sydney University (WSU). Dr Dua has been recognised and named as one of Australia’s Top 250 researchers in 2026, 2025 and 2024 in Research Magazine by “The Australian in the research discipline of Health and Medical sciences, and #1/research leader in the area of Pharmacology and Pharmacy (2026, 2025) and Toxicology (2024) respectively. With over 17 years of research experience, he has specialised in drug delivery targeting inflammatory diseases. Additionally, Dr Dua also leads drug delivery research at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research. In this role, he focuses on advancing targets identified in research projects to develop innovative formulations, taking the first steps toward clinical translation. Dr Dua’s research encompasses two complementary areas: drug delivery and immunology. His work explores how these disciplines can mutually benefit, contributing to the goal of promoting longer and healthier lives for the community. His commitment to synergy is reflected in his extensive publication record in reputable journals. Dr Dua’s research interests are centered on harnessing the pharmaceutical potential of modulating critical regulators, such as interleukins and microRNAs. He also specialises in developing new and effective drug delivery formulations for managing inflammation in chronic airway diseases and cancer.Michael J. Rathbone is founder and managing director of his own company, ULTI Pharmaceuticals, New Zealand. He is also an associate of the School, Discipline of Pharmacy, Graduate School of Health, University of Technology Sydney, NSW, Australia. He was formerly professor of Pharmaceutical Technology and dean, School of Pharmacy, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Prior to this he was associate professor of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Griffith University, Australia where his responsibilities included Acting Head of School. Previous to his appointment at Griffith University, he was the director of Research and General Manager InterAg, New Zealand, where he spearheaded the companies veterinary controlled drug delivery research and directed their national and global collaborative research activities. Dr. Rathbone obtained his undergraduate degree in Pharmacy at Leicester Polytechnic (De Montfort University), UK (1980), and PhD in Pharmaceutics from the University of Aston, Birmingham, UK (1986). Dr. Rathbone has innovated many novel veterinary drug delivery systems, several of which have been registered on the New Zealand, Australian and United States markets. He is a fellow of the Controlled Release Society, has served on the Board of Directors of the CRS and has received several prestigious awards for his contribution to the science and technology of controlled release. He has edited eight books in the area of modified release drug delivery and 10 special theme issues of journals such as Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews and Journal of Controlled Release. His knowledge of the entire spectrum of innovation, product research & development, cGMP analysis, manufacturing scale-up, QC analysis, stability testing, and registration provides him with an extensive overview, and unparalleled experience of the veterinary pharmaceutical industry. Professor Jeffrey Withey, PhD, has worked in the infectious diseases field for over 19 years and has held a faculty position at Wayne State University since 2006. Dr. Withey earned a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Johns Hopkins University in 1991 and a PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of Michigan in 2000. Dr. Withey has been awarded numerous grants from the US NIH and the Gates Foundation to fund his research. Dr. Withey was a Fulbright Scholar in 2014-2015 and was selected as a Fulbright Alumni Ambassador for 2020-2022. Dr. Withey is currently an Associate Editor for PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, and on the Editorial boards for Journal of Bacteriology, Infection and Immunity, Journal of Microbiological Methods, and Current Clinical Microbiology Reports. He has served on numerous grant review panels for NIH and international funding agencies and published nearly 40 research papers and several book chapters.
