Dr. Phurpa Wangchuk is a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) early career fellowship holder at JCU. He was an Australian Endeavour Award Holder in 2010-2014 and completed his PhD in Natural Products Chemistry with examiners' special commendation for ‘Outstanding Thesis’ from the University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia. His research project on the phytochemical analysis, bioassays and the identification of drug lead compounds from the medicinal plants resulted into numerous awards, research papers and a patent on the novel antimalarial drug lead compound. Currently, his research at Professor Alex Loukas Laboratory involve the metabolomics, biodiscovery and molecular characterisation of the anti-inflammatory and anthelmintic small molecules from worms, medicinal plants and entomopathogenic fungi using HPLC, MALDI-MS, GCMS, NMR, and the in vitro, in vivo and ex vivo experimental models.  

Dr. Phurpa Wangchuk obtained his Bachelor of Bioscience from Sherubtse College with an award conferred for ‘Overall Academic Excellence’. He completed his M.Sc. (Medicinal Chemistry) by Research from the University of Wollongong, which resulted in the discovery of new alkaloids and three high impact journal articles. He obtained his Post Graduate Diploma in Research Methodology (Clinical Research) from the DBL-Centre for Health Research and Development, Faculty of Life Sciences, Copenhagen University, Denmark under DANIDA fellowship.

Prior to his appointment at JCU, he worked for 12 years in Bhutan and built his career starting as a Research Officer, Chemist, Product Manager and as a Head of the Research and Development Section of the Manjong Sorig Pharmaceuticals. As a Head of the R&D, he lead a team comprising ethnobotanist, pharmacognosist, traditional physician and external technical experts/consultants. He also implemented many World Health Organisation grants and was an executive team member involved in deciding and executing million Euros European Union Medicinal Plants Project in Bhutan. He also did laboratory demonstrations to the first year chemistry students while at the University of Wollongong. He has thus far published more than 23 first authored journal papers, 2 books, 4 conference proceedings, 1 plant monograph, and is an active member, reviewer and editorial boards of national and international journals. 

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

• 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 Manjong Sorig Journal, Ministry of Health (Bhutan)
• 2008 to 2009 - Editor of Quarterly Morbidity and Activity Report, 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

• Medicinal and Biomolecular Chemistry (0304)
• Organic Chemistry (0305)
• Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences (1115)

Socio-Economic Objectives

• Expanding Knowledge (9701)
• Clinical Health (9201)
• Human Pharmaceutical Products (8608)

Awards

• 2018 - Invited Speaker to the International conference in Beijing (fully funded by the conference organiser)
• 2017 - Full conference travel award as an 'Invited Speaker' at Harvard Conference on Health-Body-Mind
• 2017 - Conference travel grant for organising and chairing a biodiscovery panel at ICTAM IX, Germany
• 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 - UOW Faculty of Science post graduate conference funding award
• 2012 - Phytochemical Society of Europe's Best Congress Communication Award
• 2011 - UOW 2011 Highly Commended PhD Presentation Award
• 2011 - Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI) 2011 Best Oral Presentation Runner up Award
• 2010 - BlueScope Steel Research Innovation Awards 2010
• 2010 - Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI) 2010 Best PhD Meritorious Poster Presentation Award
• 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

• 2016 to 2018 - Australia & New Zealand Society for Magnetic Resonance (ANZMAG )
• 2014 - Editorial Board of the Journal of Biologically Active Products from Nature
• 2014 - The Australian Society for Parasitology
• 2013 to 2014 - Council Member of The International Association for the Study of Traditional Asian Medicine
• 2012 to 2014 - Member of the Phytochemical Society of Europe
• 2010 to 2014 - Chemical Society of University of Wollongong
• 2008 to 2009 - Organiser and Editor of the Manjong Sorig Journal
• 2008 to 2009 - Member of the National Scientific Review Committee of Bhutan
• 2008 to 2009 - Editorial Board of the Bhutan Ministry of Health Quarterly and Morbidity Activity Report
• 2005 to 2009 - Research Core Group and Quality Assurance Team of Manjong Sorig Pharmaceuticals
• 2007 to 2008 - Non-Wood Forest Products Task Force
• 2007 - Ethnobotany
• 2007 - Biodiversity Action Plan Development Technical Committee Member

Other

• 2018 - Invited Reviewer for the BMC Infectious Diseases-Impact Factor 2.7
• 2018 - Invited reviewer -Acta Parasitologica
• 2018 - Invited Reviewer of the 'International Wound Journal' -Impact factor-2.8
• 2018 - Invited Reviewer of the 'Digestive Diseases and Sciences'-2017 Impact factor-2.9
• 2018 - Invited Reviewer of the Toxins- Impact factor = 3.2
• 2018 - Invited Reviewer of the 'Nutrients'-2017 Impact factor-4.2
• 2016 to 2018 - Invited Reviewer of the 'Journal of Ethnopharmacology' Elsevier Impact factor-3.11
• 2016 - Reviewed paper for Phytochemistry Letters-IF=1.5
• 2016 - Reviewed paper for International Journal of Molecular Sciences-IF=3.6
• 2016 - Reviewed paper for International Journal of Parasitology-IF=4.2
• 2016 - Reviewed paper for BMC Immunology-IF=2.6
• 2016 - Reviewed paper for Molecules-IF = 3
• 2015 - Invited Reviewer of the Pharmaceutical Biology-impact factor = 1.9
• 2015 - Invited Reviewer of the paper submitted to the Ethnobotany Research & Applications
• 2015 - Invited reviewer for the Journal of Biologically Active Products from Nature
• 2015 - Invited Reviewer of the paper submitted to the BMC Research Notes.
• 2015 - Invited Reviewer of the BMC Pharmacology and Toxicology-Impact factor = 1.84
• 2015 - Invited Reviewer for the Natural Products Research
• 2015 - Invited Reviewer of the 'Scientific Reports'-Nature Publishing Group-2014 Impact factor-5.58.
• 2015 - Invited reviewer for Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine-Impact factor = 2.1
• 2015 - Invited Reviewer of the 'BMC Ecology'-2014 Impact factor-2.36
• 2015 - Reviewer for a journal paper-Natural Products Communication Impact factor =1
• 2015 - Invited Reviewer of the 'BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine'- 2015 Impact factor-2.12
• 2015 - Invited Reviewer of the Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis-Impact factor = 2.97
• 2013 - Invited Reviewer of the Natural Product Communications IF = 1
• 2012 - Guest Reviewer of the Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B- Impact factor = 6.01

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

• Eichenberger R, Hasanuzzaman T, Field M, Wangchuk P, Giacomin P, Loukas A and Sotillo J (2018) Characterization of Trichuris muris secreted proteins and extracellular vesicles provides new insights into host–parasite communication. Journal of Extracellular Vesicles, 7 (1).
• Shepherd C, Wangchuk P and Loukas A (2018) Of dogs and hookworms: man's best friend and his parasites as a model for translational biomedical research. Parasites & Vectors, 11.
• Shepherd C, Giacomin P, Navarro S, Miller C, Loukas A and Wangchuk P (2018) A medicinal plant compound, capnoidine, prevents the onset of inflammation in a mouse model of colitis. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 211. pp. 17-28
• Sundaraneedi M, Eichenberger R, Al-Hallaf R, Yang D, Sotillo J, Rajan S, Wangchuk P, Giacomin P, Keene F, Loukas A, Collins J and Pearson M (2018) Polypyridylruthenium(II) complexes exert in vitro and in vivo nematocidal activity and show significant inhibition of parasite acetylcholinesterases. International Journal for Parasitology: Drugs and Drugs Resistance, 8 (1). pp. 1-7
• Wangchuk P, Apte S, Smout M, Groves P, Loukas A and Doolan D (2018) Defined small molecules produced by Himalayan medicinal plants display immunomodulatory properties. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 19 (11).
• Wangchuk P (2018) Therapeutic applications of natural products in herbal medicines, biodiscovery programs, and biomedicine. Journal of Biologically Active Products from Nature, 8 (1). pp. 1-20
• Weeks J, Roberts W, Leasure C, Suzuki B, Robinson K, Currey H, Wangchuk P, Eichenberger R, Saxton A, Bird T, Kraemer B, Loukas A, Hawdon J, Caffrey C and Liachko N (2018) Sertraline, paroxetine, and chlorpromazine are rapidly acting anthelmintic drugs capable of clinical repurposing. Scientific Reports, 8.
• Yeshi K, Wangdi T, Qusar N, Nettles J, Craig S, Schrempf M and Wangchuk P (2018) Geopharmaceuticals of Himalayan Sowa Rigpa medicine: ethnopharmacological uses, mineral diversity, chemical identification and current utilization in Bhutan. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 223. pp. 99-112
• Sundaraneedi M, Tedla B, Eichenberger R, Becker L, Pickering D, Smout M, Rajan S, Wangchuk P, Keene F, Loukas A, Collins J and Pearson M (2017) Polypyridylruthenium(II) complexes exert anti-schistosome activity and inhibit parasite acetylcholinesterases. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 11 (12).
• Wangchuk P, Yeshi K and Jamphel K (2017) Pharmacological, ethnopharmacological, and botanical evaluation of subtropical medicinal plants of Lower Kheng region in Bhutan. Integrative Medicine Research, 6 (4). pp. 372-387
• Yeshi K, Kashyap S, Yangdon P and Wangchuk P (2017) Taxonomical identification of Himalayan edible medicinal plants in Bhutan and the phenolic contents and antioxidant activity of selected plants. Journal of Biologically Active Products from Nature, 7 (2). pp. 89-106

Book Chapters

• Wangchuk P and Loukas A (2018) Techniques and technologies for the biodiscovery of novel small molecule drug lead compounds from natural products. In: Natural Products and Drug Discovery: An Integrated Approach. Elsevier, Amsterdam, Netherlands, pp. 435-465

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ResearchOnline@JCU stores 45+ research outputs authored by Dr Phurpa Wangchuk from 2007 onwards.

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

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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.

Completed

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

The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
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