Professor Chrishan Samuel is a matrix biologist by training, Head of the Fibrosis Laboratory and Deputy Head (Research) of the Department of Pharmacology at Monash University (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia). He is also Deputy Head of the Cardiovascular Disease Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia). His research is primarily focused on the pharmacology of novel peptide, stem cell and combination therapies for the treatment of fibrosis (organ scarring) that is associated with cardiovascular, renal and pulmonary diseases. More recently, he has evaluated the therapeutic application of stem cells and nanoparticles as drug delivery vehicles. This combined body of work has resulted in over 190 publications and several patents (since 1996). Since 2002, he has had continuous support of his work from various funding bodies including the National Health & Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia, Australian Research Council (ARC), National Heart Foundation of Australia (NHFA), and a number of commercial and philanthropic sources. He has also consulted to and/or worked with a number of pharmaceutical companies that are developing novel anti-fibrotic therapies (such as Cynata Therapeutics Ltd (Australia); that used Cymerus™ technology to produce induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived mesenchymal stem cells) and/or that are facilitating the translation of his key findings into clinical outcomes.
