Dr Ben Boyd

Dr Ben Boyd is the Senior Lecturer in Pharmaceutics and Formulation Science at the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences where he works in Drug Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics.

His research in nanoscience has led Dr Boyd to use particles at the nanoscale to improve medicines and to control the delivery of drugs to specific tissues, like the pancreas, the brain, and to tumours. This helps to avoid side effects in tissues not requiring the drug. His aim is to improve a patient’s quality of life by removing unnecessary side effects and to make drug administration more convenient.

“Our aging population and the increasing prevalence of diseases, such as cancer and diabetes, mean that there is an economic and social cost in sub-optimal therapy. There are major problems ahead which can be solved using nanoscience to improve the performance of medicines.”

There are three particular areas of interest in which Dr Boyd is engaged. Firstly, he is exploring the use of dendrimers to target tumours more effectively with anti-cancer drugs.

Secondly, by using nanomedicine, Dr Boyd and his team are investigating ways to improve the administration of specific treatments to patients. For instance, Dr Boyd hopes to replace intravitreal injections (direct injection in the eye) with less invasive intravenous or subcutaneous (under the skin) injections.

Thirdly, the group has explored the structure of materials at the nanoscale to control the release of drug molecules. This allows for the drug to work for longer, or to be released only ‘on demand’. Dr Boyd is developing liquid crystalline injections which can switch drug release on or off, using a cool pack applied to the injection site. This has particularly positive implications for diabetics – allowing them to have only one injection per day and boosting insulin output on demand.

Dr Boyd and his team collaborate widely, with experts in nanoscience, immunology, microscopy, particle engineering and polymer fields. Nationally, he is engaged with several Australian pharmaceutical companies. Internationally, the alliance with researchers at the Elettra Synchrotron in Italy has been productive, and use of the Australian Synchrotron will only speed up this process.

The group’s wider interest in pharmaceutical nanotechnology has seen them engaged in improving the delivery of agricultural agents into plants. This has produced significant intellectual property and industry collaborations.

Selected Publications

Boyd B.J., Rizwan S.B., Dong Y.-D., Hook S. & Rades T. (2007)“Self-assembled geometric liquid-crystalline nanoparticles imaged in three dimensions - hexosomes are not necessarily flat hexagonal prisms” Langmuir 23, 12461-12464.

Boyd B.J., Khoo S.-M., Whittaker D.V, Davey G. & Porter C.J.H. (2007) “A lipid-based liquid crystalline matrix that provides sustained release and enhanced oral bioavailability for a model poorly water soluble drug in rats” International Journal of Pharmaceutics 340, 52-60.

Boyd B.J., Kaminskas L., Karellas P., Krippner G. &Porter C.J.H. (2006)“Cationic poly-L-lysine dendrimers: pharmacokinetics, biodistribution and evidence for metabolism and bioresorption after intravenous administration to rats.” Molecular Pharmaceutics 3, 614-627.Rated “Must read” in Faculty of 1000 Biology  http://www.f1000biology.com/article/id/1047370/evaluation.

Patents

B.J. Boyd, S.B. Rizwan, Y.-D. Dong, S. Hook, T. Rades “Self-assembled geometric liquid-crystalline nanoparticles imaged in three dimensions - hexosomes are not necessarily flat hexagonal prisms” Langmuir, 2007, 23, 12461-12464.