Scott Smid

Dr Scott Smid

Senior Lecturer

School of Biomedicine

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.


Dr Scott Smid is a pharmacologist specializing in drug discovery and development research both in industry and academia. He maintains a strong research interest in experimental therapeutics applied towards novel treatments for gastrointestinal and neurodegenerative diseases. This includes investigating the biological actions of phytocannabinoids, synthetic cannabinoids and endocannabinoids in areas as diverse as gut function, inflammation and neurodegeneration. Current interests include novel ligand development for binding and inhibiting pathological aggregating proteins such as beta-amyloid and alpha-synuclein, which are associated with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

Current projects for Masters, M.Phil or PhD candidates include:

1. Identifying novel cannabis phytochemicals with neuroprotective properties. This includes using neural stem cells and other neuronal cell populations to model neurotoxicity to dementia-associated misfolding proteins such as amyloid beta and alpha-synuclein, related to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. We have identified a range of cannabis phytochemicals with bioactive properties, including novel phytocannabinoids, selected terpenes and a novel cannabis flavonoids with neuroprotective activity that could be used in nutritional or nutraceutical settings in ageing.

2. Identifying novel cannabis phytochemicals and other natural products with antibiotic properties. The non-psychotropic component of cannabis, cannabidiol (CBD) has recently been identified as having potential antibiotic properties. Derivatives of CBD and other novel phytocannabinoids may be obtained to test this in a collaboration with Dr Katharina Richter at BHI with scholarships available. See https://researchers.adelaide.edu.au/profile/katharina.richter for more information.

3. Identifying and characterising novel marine-derived polyphenols with gastro- and neuro-protective properties. This is a collaboration with the Centre for Marine Bioproducts Development at Flinders University. For example, we have identified phlorotannins from brown macroalgae (seaweed) found along coastal regions in South Australia that have neuroprotective and mucoprotective bioactivity.

4. A range of natural product bioactivity projects for neuroprotection, intestinal barrier function and antimicrobial activity. This includes recent and previous work with seaweeds, grape skin, tea, acmella, acai and Goji berry to name a few.

  • Appointments

    Date Position Institution name
    2015 - ongoing Visiting Fellow University of Western Australia, Perth
    2012 - ongoing Deputy Head University of Adelaide, Adelaide
    2006 - ongoing Senior Lecturer University of Adelaide, Adelaide
  • Awards and Achievements

    Date Type Title Institution Name Country Amount
    2012 Award Faculty International Conference Award (FICA) - - -
  • Education

    Date Institution name Country Title
    1991 - 1994 University of Adelaide, Adelaide Australia Doctor of Philosophy
    1990 University of Adelaide, Adelaide Australia Honours Degree of Bachelor of Science (Class 1 Honours)
    1979 - 1989 University of Adelaide, Adelaide Australia Bachelor of Science
  • Research Interests

Grants and Funding
Research Support and Scholarship
2022 Principal Investigator. Marine-derived bioactives and nutraceuticals: Sustainable use of marine products for health and wellbeing. AC21 Special Project Funding $USD 15,000
2021 Co-Investigator. Exploring the use of personalised CBD/THC dosing to prevent common and impactful symptoms of treatment in advanced cancer. The CANnabinoids for CANcer Therapy (CANCAN) Clinical Trial: Medical Research Futures Fund, Department of Health, Australian Goverment. $AUD $1.5M

2019

Principal Investigator. Australia Japan Foundation Award, Dept Foreign Affairs and Trade. Enabling technologies in Personalised and Precision Medicine.

$AUD 38,600

2018 JSPS Invitational Fellowship, Nagoya University. Development of Super-efficient Screening Technologies for Neural Cell Regulatory Products.

¥JPY

342,000

2018 Principal Investigator. Faculty Research Infrastructure Award. The University of Adelaide. AUD $17,000
2017-18 Principal Investigator. Faculty Research Development Award (with Prof Kato, Nagoya University and Dr Ian Musgrave). Novel neuroprotective agents targeting beta amyloid. The University of Adelaide. AUD $15,500
2013-15 Co-Investigator (with Ian Musgrave, Louise O’Keefe and Tara Pukala). 'Structure function relationships of anti-amyloid drugs: verification in an in-vivo model.' lnterdisciplinary Research Fund Grant, The University of Adelaide. AUD $21,000
2011-13 Principal Investigator. (Associate Investigator: Dr Rachel Gibson). Validation of an ex vivo human colonic mucosal explant colitis model. MAWA Trust Research Grant. AUD $28,122
2010-12 Principal Investigator Broad Medical Research Program, United States (IBD-0268R). Functional Expression of the Endocannabinoid System in Inflammatory Bowel Disease. USD $130,000
Teaching and Course Coordination
2006-present The University of Adelaide: Course Coordinator - PHARM 3102 Drug Discovery & Development; HLTH SC 2100 Fundamentals of Human Nutrition. Courses taught: Pharmacology 2100/2200 (Level 2 B.Hlth.Sci, B. Pharm. Eng.). Pharmacology for Nursing (Level 1&2, Bachelor of Nursing). PHARM 3101, 3102, 3103, HLTH SC 2100, 2103, 2104, 3100. Higher Degree by Research: Discipline Coordinator
  • Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2024 Principal Supervisor In vitro neuroprotective effects of alpha-1 adrenoceptor antagonists Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Aari Jasper Oliphant-Hand
    2022 Co-Supervisor Diagnosis and therapeutics of intrinsically disordered protein misfolding disorders Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Zohaib Raza
    2022 Principal Supervisor The bioprotective properties of cannabis phytochemicals on mammalian cells Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Luke Thomas Wooley
    2022 Principal Supervisor Neuroprotective characterisations of cannabis phytochemicals Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr John Laws III
  • Past Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2019 - 2022 Principal Supervisor Characterising the Protective Bioactivity of Macroalgal Polyphenols Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Srijan Shrestha
    2017 - 2022 Principal Supervisor Exploring the Bioactivity and Therapeutic Potential of Structurally Diverse Phytochemicals in Neurodegenerative and Gastrointestinal Disease Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Dylan Thomas Marsh
    2016 - 2020 Co-Supervisor Visualising Intestinal Inflammation and Fibrosis using Zirconium-89 Labelled Antibodies in a Preclinical Model of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Nicole Dmochowska
    2015 - 2018 Principal Supervisor Small molecular inhibitors of Amyloid beta and alpha Synuclein amyloidogenic aggregation, toxicity and in silico design of amyloid-binding ligands Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mrs Sukanya Das
    2010 - 2014 Principal Supervisor The Effect of Cannabinoids on Cytokine Evoked Human Colonic Mucosal Damage and Caco-2 Epithelial Permeability Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Benjamin Harvey
  • Position: Senior Lecturer
  • Phone: 83135287
  • Email: scott.smid@adelaide.edu.au
  • Fax: 82240685
  • Campus: North Terrace
  • Building: Helen Mayo North, floor 3
  • Org Unit: Medical Sciences

Connect With Me
External Profiles