Associate Professor Darren Svirskis

BHB, BPharm, PhD

Associate Professor

In: Pharmacy » Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences

Research | Current

My main research drive is the use of materials to communicate with and influence the body through microelectrode arrays and the intelligent delivery of drugs.

My team’s research has demonstrated the ability of conducting polymer coatings to improve the performance of sensing and stimulating bio-electrodes.

I have developed expertise in releasing different drugs in a controlled fashion from a range of injectable and implantable platforms.

My translational and multidisciplinary research aims to address currently unmet health demands. The technologies my team design and test can be used in implantable medical devices to answer fundamental research questions and to treat injury and disease.

Postgraduate supervision

Current PhD Candidates - Principle supervisor

Mahima Bansal - A glutamate delivery system for neural stimulation

Anusha Dravid - Nerve growth factor stimulation to promote outgrowth in lower motor neurons (with Simon O'Carroll)

Ernest Cheah - The development of sustained and tuneable drug delivery systems for neurotrophic growth factors

Current PhD Candidates - Co-supervisor

Wiremu McFater - Perioperative lidocaine (with Professor Andrew Hill)

Joy Reginald-Opara - Development of a novel drug delivery system for targeted brain delivery in neurodegenerative diseases (with Associate Professor Zimei Wu)

Qing Xu - Pressure sensing PEDOT to improve ocular health (with Dr Duleepa Thrimawithana)

Wes Xia - Investigating Post-Operative Pain following Haemorrhoidectomy (with Professor Andrew Hill)

Patrick Pan - On-demand release from liposomes (with Zimei Wu)

Completed PhDs (primary supervisor)

Dr Prabhat Bhusal - Development of a recoverable controlled release polymeric implant for use following abdominal surgery

Dr Dedeepya Uppalapati - Liquid crystalline templated conducting polymer structures

Dr Zaid Aqrawe - Conducting polymer / neuronal communication

Completed PhDs (co-supervisor)

Dr Marvin Tang - Co-delivery of gemcitabine and dCK DNA to overcome resistance to gemcitabine in pancreatic cancer (with Associate Professor Zimei Wu)

Dr Travis Badenhorst - Dermal and cellular delivery of an endogenous peptide (with Dr Zimei Wu)

Dr Shawn (Guanyu) Chen - Development of a novel drug delivery system to enhance the oral bioavailability of Gemcitabine for the treatment of cancer (with Dr Jingyuan Wen)

Dr Emma Kang - Cancer drug delivery systems and nano-carriers for drug targeting (with Dr Zimei Wu)

Dr M. Naveed Yasin - Conducting polymer implant for on-demand ocular drug delivery (with Dr Ilva Rupenthal)

Distinctions/Honours

Sir Charles Hercus Health Research Fellow

Responsibilities

Current Research Fellows

Dr Brad Raos (https://unidirectory.auckland.ac.nz/profile/brao003)

Dr Bruce Harland (https://unidirectory.auckland.ac.nz/people/profile/bruce-harland)

Previous Research Fellows

Dr Priyanka Agarwal (https://www.linkedin.com/in/p-agarwal-nz/?originalSubdomain=nz)

Dr Ali Seyfoddin (https://www.aut.ac.nz/profiles?id=aseyfodd&asset=268500)

Dr Manisha Sharma (https://unidirectory.auckland.ac.nz/profile/manisha-sharma)

Postgraduate course coordination

Pharmacy 751: Pharmaceutical Techniques

Selected publications and creative works (Research Outputs)

Dravid, A., Raos, B., Aqrawe, Z., Parittotokkaporn, S., O'Carroll SJ, & Svirskis, D. (2019). A Macroscopic Diffusion-Based Gradient Generator to Establish Concentration Gradients of Soluble Molecules Within Hydrogel Scaffolds for Cell Culture. Frontiers in Chemistry, 7, 1-13. 10.3389/fchem.2019.00638
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2292/48693
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Anusha Dravid, Brad Raos
Aqrawe, Z., Wright, B., Patel, N., Vyas, Y., Malmstrom, J., Montgomery, J. M., ... Svirskis, D. (2019). The influence of macropores on PEDOT/PSS microelectrode coatings for neuronal recording and stimulation. SENSORS AND ACTUATORS B-CHEMICAL, 281, 549-560. 10.1016/j.snb.2018.10.099
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2292/46158
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Bryon Wright, Jenny Malmstrom, Johanna Montgomery, Jadranka Travas-Sejdic, David Williams, Yukti Vyas
Sharma, M., Chandramouli, K., Curley, L., Pontre, B., Reilly, K., Munro, J., ... Svirskis, D. (2018). In vitro and ex vivo characterisation of an in situ gelling formulation for sustained lidocaine release with potential use following knee arthroplasty. Drug delivery and translational research, 8 (3), 820-829. 10.1007/s13346-018-0492-x
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2292/41326
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Simon Young, Manisha Sharma, Andrew Hill, Jacob Munro, Louise Curley, Beau Pontre
Yasin, M. N., Brooke, R. K., Rudd, S., Chan, A., Chen, W.-T., Waterhouse, G. I. N., ... Svirskis, D. (2018). 3-Dimensionally ordered macroporous PEDOT ion-exchange resins prepared by vapor phase polymerization for triggered drug delivery: Fabrication and characterization. Electrochimica Acta, 269, 560-570. 10.1016/j.electacta.2018.02.162
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2292/44759
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Wan-Ting Chen, Geoffrey Waterhouse, Ilva Rupenthal, Andrew Chan
Bansal, M., Sharma, M., Bullen, C., & Svirskis, D. (2018). Free standing PEDOT films prepared by vapour phase polymerisation as electrically tuneable barriers to drug permeability. Materials science & engineering. C, Materials for biological applications, 84, 248-253. 10.1016/j.msec.2017.12.002
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2292/42430
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Manisha Sharma, Chris Bullen, Mahima Bansal
Aqrawe, Z., Montgomery, J., Travas-Sejdic, J., & Svirskis, D. (2018). Conducting polymers for neuronal microelectrode array recording and stimulation. Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 257, 753-765. 10.1016/j.snb.2017.11.023
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Jadranka Travas-Sejdic
Aqrawe, Z., Montgomery, J., Travas-Sejdic, J., & Svirskis, D. (2017). Conducting polymers as electrode coatings for neuronal multi-electrode arrays. Trends in Biotechnology, 35 (2), 93-95. 10.1016/j.tibtech.2016.06.007
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Jadranka Travas-Sejdic, Johanna Montgomery
Uppalapati, D., Boyd, B. J., Garg, S., Travas-Sejdic, J., & Svirskis, D. (2016). Conducting polymers with defined micro- or nanostructures for drug delivery. Biomaterials, 111, 149-162. 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2016.09.021
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Jadranka Travas-Sejdic