JCU > Research Portfolio > Dr Phurpa Wangchuk

About

Biography

Dr. Phurpa Wangchuk is a Senior Research Fellow at James Cook University. He obtained his M.Sc. in Medicinal Chemistry (Research) and Ph.D. with an ‘Outstanding Thesis’ from the University of Wollongong (UOW), Australia. He completed his Post Graduate Diploma in Research Methodology (Clinical Research) from the DBL-Centre for Health Research and Development, Copenhagen University, Denmark, and his Bachelor of Bioscience (Chemistry, Botany and Zoology as majors) from the University of Delhi, India with an ‘Overall Academic Excellence Award’.

He was awarded the National Health and Medical Research (NHMRC) Early Career Peter Doherty - Australian Biomedical Fellowship (2015-2019), NHMRC Ideas Grant (2020-2023), Endeavour Postgraduate Australia Award (2010-2014), Danish DANIDA Research Fellowship (2006), and Royal Government of Bhutan Scholarship (2002-2004).

Both his M.Sc. and Ph.D. research projects resulted in the discovery of 5 novel molecules, 15 drug lead compounds, 1 patent on the novel antimalarial drug lead compound, 2 UOW seminar awards, 2 state-level (New South Wales) conference prizes, 2 international awards, and 16 research papers.

Prior to his appointment at JCU, he worked in Bhutan in various capacities as a Research Officer, Chemist, Product Manager, and Head of the Research and Development Section of the Manjong Sorig Pharmaceuticals. As a Head of the R&D, he led a team comprising ethnobotanist, pharmacognosist, traditional physician,s and external technical consultants from Europe, Japan, India, and Thailand. He implemented 4 World Health Organisation grants and was an executive team member involved in deciding and executing the million Euros European Union Medicinal Plants Project in Bhutan. He also taught first-year laboratory chemistry students at the University of Wollongong.

He has published two books, five book chapters, four conference proceedings, two plant monographs, and many journal articles in the areas of metabolomics and biodiscovery from natural products involving plants, parasites, zootherapy, and geopharmaceuticals. He is also an active member and reviewer of journal papers, book and grant proposals, and HDR thesis. He is the subject editor, guest editor, and editorial board member of the international journals.

The lab's current research focuses on:

His drug discovery research at the Centre for Molecular Therapeutics involves the integration of novel approaches and techniques of natural products chemistry, metabolomics, drug development, ethnobotany, molecule biology, parasitology, and immunology. The focuses are on discovering novel anti-inflammatory, anti-parasitic, antimicrobial, and antimalarial drug leads from natural sources such as medicinal plants, climate-affected plants, insect fungi, parasitic helminths, and other FNQ tropical flora and fauna. He uses advanced analytical technologies including HPLC, MALDI-MS, GCMS, LCMS, and NMR for isolation, structure elucidation, and identification of novel compounds. His group also utilizes in vitro (PBMC), in vivo (a mouse model of colitis), and ex vivo (for parasites) experimental models.

Currently funded projects are:

1. Drug discovery (IBD) from Aboriginal medicinal plants funded by NHMRC

2. Ethnobotanical research funded by FNQ Hospital Foundation

3. Antimicrobial drug leads funded by FNQ Hospital Foundation

For MPhil and Ph.D. Enrolment/Scholarships see:

Potential candidates interested in undertaking a Ph.D. or Masters project/Honours should contact Phurpa to discuss potential projects. Funding is available through:

https://www.jcu.edu.au/research

https://www.jcu.edu.au/graduate-research-school/hdr-candidates/postgraduate-research-scholarships

Teaching/Supervising/Marking

TV3002 Research Proposals - Veterinary Sciences Year 3.
NRS-MBBS 6 Research Activity Task- MBBS Year 6
DS40101 Research Task - Dentistry Year 4

Interests

Research

Parasitology-worms and their anti-inflammatory compounds
Anti-inflammatory and anthelmintic alkaloids/flavonoids
Phytochemicals and pharmacology of medicinal and parasitic plants
Insect-fungi and their bioactive secondary metabolites
North Queensland Natural Products, their chemistry and therapeutic applications
Metabolomics and biomarkers of natural compounds and diseases

Experience

2020 to 2022 - Topic Editor for the international journal "Plants", Journal publisher (Switzerland)
2018 to 2022 - Guest Editor for the international journal 'Molecules', Journal publisher (Switzerland)
2015 to 2018 - NHMRC ECR Fellow, James Cook University (Cairns)
2014 - Research Officer, James Cook University (Cairns, Australia)
2010 to 2014 - PhD Research Candidate, University of Wollongong (NSW, Australia)
2008 to 2009 - Editor of Quarterly Morbidity and Activity Report, Ministry of Health (Bhutan)
2008 to 2009 - Editor of Manjong Sorig Journal, Ministry of Health (Bhutan)
2007 to 2009 - Product Manager, Manjong Sorig Pharmaceuticals, Kawajangsa, Thimphu District, Bhutan (Thimphu, Bhutan)
2006 to 2009 - Head of R&D, Manjong Sorig Pharmaceuticals (Thmphu, Bhutan)
2006 to 2009 - Executive Team (representing R&D section) of the European Union Project-II, Manjong Sorig Pharmaceuticals, Kawajangsa, Thimphu District, Bhutan (Thimphu, Bhutan)
2006 to 2007 - Secretary of Research and Development of Bhutan, MSP/MoH (Bhutan)
2006 - DANIDA Research Fellowship, DBL-Centre for Health Research and Development, University of Copenhagen (Denmark)
2004 to 2006 - Chemist, Pharmaceutical and Research Unit (Thmphu, Bhutan)
2002 to 2004 - M.Sc. Research Candidate, University of Wollongong (NSW, Australia)
1999 to 2002 - Research Officer, Pharmaceutical and Research Unit (Thmphu, Bhutan)

Research Disciplines

Socio-Economic Objectives

Honours

Awards

2022 - Invited Talk at Queensland Pharmacy Students' Association Research Night
2021 - Invited Guest Speaker at Cairns Marlin Coast Probus.
2021 - Invited Guest Lecture - Mendrelgang Secondary School, Bhutan
2020 - Inaugural Talk - Drukrig Network of Bhutan Scholars.
2020 - Invited Guest Lecture - Jember University, Indonesia
2019 - Invited speaker to The Second Annual Canadian Metabolomics Conference
2018 - Invited Keynote Speaker -fully funded by the international conference on medicine and health sciences, Indonesia
2018 - Invited Speaker to the International conference in Beijing (fully funded by the conference organiser)
2018 - Special Address/Talk invitation -fully funded by the international conference on JIGNASA 2018 International conference, India
2017 - Conference travel grant for organising and chairing a biodiscovery panel at ICTAM IX, Germany
2017 - Invited speaker at International Conference on Medical and Health Sciences, Bhutan
2017 - Full conference travel award as an 'Invited Speaker' at Harvard Conference on Health-Body-Mind
2016 to 2017 - Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine Capacity Building Grant
2016 - Best Poster Presentation Award - awarded in the International Conference on 'Molecular and Cellular Biology of Helminth Parasites X' held at Hydra (4-9 September 2016).
2015 - "Invited speaker" Travel Award -International conference on 'Utilising Sub-Himalayan Biological Resources (fully funded by the conference organiser-Dibrugarh University, India)
2014 - Examiners' special commendations for outstanding PhD thesis
2009 to 2014 - Australian Endeavour Post Graduate Award
2013 - ICTAM VIII Congress Award for attending the conference held every after 4 years
2013 - KIOM-South Korea keynote speaker full funding award for the International Symposium on Value and Folk Remedy as Traditional Knowledge
2013 - Bhutan Royal Civil Service Award for dedicated service (10 years) to the nation and the public
2012 - Phytochemical Society of Europe's Best Congress Communication Award
2012 - UOW Faculty of Science post graduate conference funding award
2011 - UOW 2011 Highly Commended PhD Presentation Award
2011 - Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI) 2011 Best Oral Presentation Runner up Award
2010 - Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI) 2010 Best PhD Meritorious Poster Presentation Award
2010 - BlueScope Steel Research Innovation Awards 2010
2008 - RCSC meritorious promotion
2007 - International Centre for Environmental Health and Toxicology Training Award, Thailand
2000 - United Nations Industrial Development Organization Training Workshop Award
1998 - Graduate Academic Excellence Award

Fellowships

2015 to 2018 - National Health and Medical Research Council ECR Grant
2010 to 2014 - Australian Endeavour Award-PhD
2006 - DANIDA Fellowship for Post Graduate Diploma in Social/Clinical Research Methodology, Denmark.
2002 to 2004 - Royal Government of Bhutan M.Sc. Scholarship

Memberships

2020 - 'Subject/Topic Editor' for an international journal 'Plants' (Impact Factor 2.8)
2020 - Guest Editor for an international journal 'Molecules' (Impact Factor 3.2)
2016 to 2020 - Australia & New Zealand Society for Magnetic Resonance (ANZMAG )
2014 to 2020 - Editorial Board of the Journal of Biologically Active Products from Nature
2013 to 2020 - Council Member of The International Association for the Study of Traditional Asian Medicine (Germany)
2012 to 2016 - Member of the Phytochemical Society of Europe
2014 - The Australian Society for Parasitology
2010 to 2014 - Chemical Society of University of Wollongong
2008 to 2009 - Editorial Board of the Bhutan Ministry of Health Quarterly and Morbidity Activity Report
2008 to 2009 - Organiser and Editor of the Manjong Sorig Journal
2008 to 2009 - Member of the National Scientific Review Committee of Bhutan
2005 to 2009 - Research Core Group and Quality Assurance Team of Manjong Sorig Pharmaceuticals
2007 to 2008 - Non-Wood Forest Products Task Force
2007 - Biodiversity Action Plan Development Technical Committee Member
2007 - Ethnobotany

Other

2021 - Invited Reviewer for Food Reviews International
2020 - Invited Reviewer for Communication Biology (Nature GP)
2020 - Invited Reviewer for Metabolomics
2020 - Invited Reviewer of Phytotherapy Research
2020 - Invited Reviewer for Phytochemistry
2019 - PhD thesis Examiner for Macquarie University
2018 - Invited reviewer -Acta Parasitologica
2018 - Invited Reviewer for the BMC Infectious Diseases
2018 - Invited Reviewer of the 'International Wound Journal'
2021 - Invited Reviewer for 'Cell Biology and Toxicology'
2021 - Invited Reviewer for 'Communications Biology': https://mts-spd.nature.com/apps/spd.plex?form_type=display_person_manuscripts&mod_p_id=73825&mod_j_id=153.
2021 - Invited Reviewer for 'Horticulture Research'-Nature
2020 - M.Sc. Thesis Examiner for Macquarie University
2016 to 2020 - Invited Reviewer of the 'Journal of Ethnopharmacology' Elsevier Impact factor-3.11
2016 to 2020 - Reviewed paper for Molecules
2019 - Invited Reviewer for the 'Bioorganic Chemistry'
2019 - Invited Reviewer of the PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
2016 to 2019 - Reviewed paper for Phytochemistry Letters
2016 to 2019 - Reviewed paper for International Journal of Molecular Sciences
2015 to 2019 - Invited reviewer for the Journal of Biologically Active Products from Nature
2015 to 2019 - Invited Reviewer of the Pharmaceutical Biology
2018 - Invited Reviewer of the Toxins
2018 - Invited Reviewer of the 'Digestive Diseases and Sciences'
2018 - Invited Reviewer of the 'Nutrients'
2013 to 2017 - Reviewer for a journal paper-Natural Products Communication
2016 - Reviewed paper for International Journal of Parasitology
2016 - Reviewed paper for BMC Immunology
2015 - Invited Reviewer for the Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis
2015 - Invited Reviewer of the 'BMC Ecology'
2015 - Invited reviewer for Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine
2015 - Invited Reviewer of the BMC Pharmacology and Toxicology
2015 - Invited Reviewer for Ethnobotany Research & Applications
2015 - Invited Reviewer for the Natural Products Research
2015 - Invited Reviewer of the 'Scientific Reports'-Nature Publishing Group.
2015 - Invited Reviewer of the 'BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine'
2015 - Invited Reviewer of the paper submitted to the BMC Research Notes.
2012 - Guest Reviewer of the Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B

Publications

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU. Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Journal Articles

Jamtsho T, Yeshi K, Samten and Wangchuk P (2022) Comparative analysis of two Himalayan Aconitum species for their phytopharmaceutical properties. Journal of Herbal Medicine, 32.
Nugraha A, Dayli I, Putri C, Firli L, Pratama A, Triatmoko B, Untari L, Wongso H, Keller P and Wangchuk P (2022) Isolation of antibacterial depside constituents from Indonesian folious lichen, Candelaria fibrosa. Journal of Biologically Active Products from Nature, 12 (1). pp. 24-32
Turpin G, Ritmejeryte E, Jamie J, Crayn D and Wangchuk P (2022) Aboriginal medicinal plants of Queensland: ethnopharmacological uses, species diversity, and biodiscovery pathways. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 18.
Yeshi K, Ruscher R, Loukas A and Wangchuk P (2022) Immunomodulatory and biological properties of helminth-derived small molecules: Potential applications in diagnostics and therapeutics. Frontiers in Parasitology, 1.
Yeshi K, Turpin G, Jamtsho T and Wangchuk P (2022) Indigenous Uses, Phytochemical Analysis, and Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Australian Tropical Medicinal Plants. Molecules, 27 (12).
Yeshi K, Crayn D, Ritmejeryte E and Wangchuk P (2022) Plant secondary metabolites produced in response to abiotic stresses has potential application in pharmaceutical product development. Molecules, 27 (1).
Adegboye O, Field M, Kupz A, Pai S, Sharma D, Smout M, Wangchuk P, Wong Y and Loiseau C (2021) Natural-product-based solutions for tropical infectious diseases. Clinical Microbiology Reviews, 34 (4).
Jamtsho T, Wangchuk P, Yeshi K, Tobgay and Sridith K (2021) Riparian plant species of Sherichhu River in Eastern Bhutan: their diversity, distribution, and ethnobotanical uses. Tropical Ecology, 62. pp. 563-579
Wangchuk P, Anderson D, Yeshi K and Loukas A (2021) Identification of small molecules of the infective stage of human hookworm using LCMS-based metabolomics and lipidomics protocols. ACS Infectious Diseases, 7. pp. 3264-3276
Wangchuk P, Yeshi K, Ugyen K, Dorji J, Wangdi K, Samten , Tshering P and Nugraha A (2021) Water-based therapies of Bhutan: current practices and the recorded clinical evidence of Balneotherapy. Water, 13 (1).

Book Chapters

Yeshi K and Wangchuk P (2021) Essential oils and their bioactive molecules in health care. In: Herbal Biomolecules in Health Care Applications. London, UK, Academic Press, United Kingdom, pp. 215-237
Yeshi K, Aagaard-Hansen J and Wangchuk P (2021) Medicinal, nutritional, and spiritual significance of plants in Bhutan: their biodiscovery potential and conservation status. In: Ethnobiology of Mountain Communities in Asia. Ethnobiology. Springer Nature, Cham, Switzerland, pp. 1-25

More: ResearchOnline@JCU stores 72+ research outputs authored by Dr Phurpa Wangchuk from 2007 onwards.

Current Funding

Current and recent Research Funding to JCU is shown by funding source and project.

Far North Queensland Hospital Foundation - Research Grant

Biodiscovery from Wet Tropics' native plants

Indicative Funding: $5,000 over 2 years
Summary: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) affects 1 in 250 Australians including the people living in the FNQ region. It cost Australians a total of $3.18 billion per annum. Given that it has no cure and the disease prevalence and its associated cost are expected to increase sharply, there is an urgent need for new drugs. Inspired by the Wet Tropics' biodiversity of Far North Queensland (FNQ), the proposed project envisions discovering novel anti-inflammatory drug leads for IBD from selected climate-affected native plants using cutting-edge drug discovery techniques and technologies. The aims are : ? Determine the metabolomes of the anti-inflammatory extracts of five native mountaintop plants using mass spectrometry techniques. ? Isolate anti-inflammatory molecules from Uromyrtus metrosideros extract using chromatographic techniques.
Investigators: Phurpa Wangchuk and Karma Yeshi (Australian Institute of Tropical Health & Medicine)
Keywords: Wet Tropics; Biodiscovery; Inflammatory Bowel Disease; Anti-inflammatory drug lead; Natural Products; Climate change

National Health & Medical Research Council - Ideas Grants

Discovering novel drug lead molecules for inflammatory bowel disease from Australian Aboriginal tropical medicinal plants

Indicative Funding: $1,209,524 over 4 years
Summary: Inflammatory Bowel Disease is a debilitating disease, which has no cure. It costs the Australian Health System billions of dollars in hospitalisation, management and lost productivity, thereby precipitating the need for novel drugs. Building on my extensive preliminary data, we aim to discover novel drug leads from Aboriginal medicinal plants, which are currently used for treating inflammatory conditions by the Mbabaram community of the Atherton Tablelands.
Investigators: Phurpa Wangchuk, Roland Ruscher, Joanne Jamie, Stephen Pyne, Darren Crayn and Gerald Turpin (Australian Institute of Tropical Health & Medicine, Macquarie University, University of Wollongong, College of Science & Engineering and Australian Tropical Herbarium)
Keywords: Aboriginal medicinal plants; Anti-inflammatory activities; Inflammatory Bowel Disease; Biologically active molecules; New drug leads; Metabolomics

Far North Queensland Hospital Foundation - Research Grant

Documentation and evaluation of Aboriginal medicinal plants for anti-inflammatory agents

Indicative Funding: $5,000 over 1 year
Summary: Aboriginal people in Australia, especially in remote areas, have a vast knowledge of medicinal plants and bush food (Packer et al., 2012) that have supported their sustenance and protected them against different ailments for thousands of years. In Far North Queensland (FNQ), there are more than 18 Aboriginal communities and their customary food and medical knowledge differ from other parts of Australia. Their knowledge is shaped by their rich tropical forests that are home to range of medicinal plants and bush tucker. It is believed that these plants and bush food keep some remote Aboriginal people healthy especially protected against Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). The prevalence of IBD in Indigenous Australians in the Northern Territory is almost 8-37-times less than the non-indigenous population (Leach et al., 2014; Iyngkaran, 2015). Although genetic and other factors cannot be ruled out, diet, which plays a pivotal role in shaping the architecture and functionality of resident microbes in the gut (Zmora et al., 2019), may be responsible for this health outcome. Indeed, some Indigenous populations are known to possess unique microbiota compared to non-indigenous population (Iyngkaran, 2015) and we hypothesize that this could be due to inclusion of medicinal plants and bush food in their diet. Unfortunately, since younger generation are not interested to learn the Aboriginal medicinal plants and bush food knowledge, the rich customary knowledge is dying with the community elders. There is urgent need to document the surviving customary food and medical knowledge of some remote Indigenous communities before they are lost forever, which has both cultural and health ramifications in near future. Therefore, this study proposes to document and study the largely untapped pharmacopoeia of Mbabaram Aboriginal people in Atherton and discover viable medicinal plant candidates for anti-inflammatory screening.
Investigators: Phurpa Wangchuk and Gerald Paul Turpin (Australian Institute of Tropical Health & Medicine)
Keywords: Aboriginal Medicine; Rainforest plants; Biodiscovery; Medicinal Plants; Inflammatory Bowel Disease; Traditional Knowledge

Far North Queensland Hospital Foundation - Research Grant

Preclinical evaluation of phytocompounds as novel antimicrobial agents.

Indicative Funding: $5,000 over 2 years
Summary: Through previous work funded by a FNQ Hospital Foundation Grant (JCU-QLD-838341), we have discovered two novel phytocompounds from tropical medicinal plants that show broad-spectrum antimicrobial properties against drug resistant bacterial strains that affect FNQ. To progress the development of these compounds into potential antibiotics, further pre-clinical in vitro and in vivo testing is required.
Investigators: Phurpa Wangchuk and Andreas Kupz in collaboration with Visai Muruganandah (Australian Institute of Tropical Health & Medicine)
Keywords: Biologically active molecules; Novel drug leads; Antimicrobial agents; Isolation of compounds; Tropical medicinal plants; Wet Tropics

National Health & Medical Research Council - Early Career Fellowship

Isolation and pre-clinical evaluation of small molecule anti-inflammatory compounds from hookworms

Indicative Funding: $309,436 over 4 years
Summary: Taking cues from millennia of host-parasite co evolution, my research envisions harnessing the unique ability of hookworm to modulate inflammation and would determine the therapeutic potential of the low molecular weight cultured excretory/secretory (<10 kDa) and the somatic extracts of adult hookworms. It aims on: (1) Isolating, structure elucidating and identifying small drug lead compounds; (2) Derivatizing these bioactive molecules; and (3) Evaluating the anti-inflammatory activity of rude extracts and their compounds using in vivo and ex vivo experimental mouse models. This study would lead to novel anti-inflammatory drug discovery that has implications to the Australian patients with inflammatory bowel diseases.
Investigators: Phurpa Wangchuk (Australian Institute of Tropical Health & Medicine)
Keywords: Anti-inflammatory; Drug Discovery; Hookworm; Excretory/secretory Proteins; Inflammatory Bowel Disease; small molecule

Supervision

Advisory Accreditation: I can be on your Advisory Panel as a Primary or Secondary Advisor.

These Higher Degree Research projects are either current or by students who have completed their studies within the past 5 years at JCU. Linked titles show theses available within ResearchOnline@JCU.

Current

Antimicrobial Properties of Molecular Isolates from Tropical Flora and Fauna (PhD , Secondary Advisor/AM)
Biodiscovery of anti-inflammatory drug leads from parasites and medicinal plants of Australian wet tropics. (PhD , Primary Advisor)
Isolation of Novel Anti-inflammatory Drug lead Molecules from Australian Tropical Medicinal Plants (Masters , Primary Advisor)
Ethnobotany and drug discovery of Mbabaram Aboriginal medicinal plants (Masters , Primary Advisor)

Completed

Exploring low molecular weight molecules produced by hookworms (Ancylostoma caninum) and their use as anti-inflammatory agents (2018, PhD , Secondary Advisor)

Data

These are the most recent metadata records associated with this researcher. To see a detailed description of all dataset records, visit Research Data Australia.

Wangchuk, P. (2020) Single crystal X-ray structure of virescenine hydrochloride. James Cook University
Wangchuk, P. (2020) Single crystal X-ray structure data of dubiamine. James Cook University
Wangchuk, P. (2020) Single crystal X-ray structure data of atisinium chloride. James Cook University
Wangchuk, P. (2020) Single crystal X-ray structure data of 6-methoxy-dihydrosanguinarine. James Cook University
Wangchuk, P. (2020) Single crystal X-ray structure data of dihydrosanguinarine. James Cook University

Collaboration

The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
Note: Map points are indicative of the countries or states that institutions are associated with.