Andrew Somogyi

Dr Andrew Somogyi

Professor

School of Biomedicine

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences

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


Professor Andrew Somogyi is a practicing pharmacist, having graduated from the Tasmanian College of Advanced Education in 1972. He undertook a higher degree (Master of Science-1978) and then PhD (1982) at Sydney University, School of Pharmacy. Andrew then undertook postdoctoral research at the Medical Hospital of the University of Bonn in Germany for 2.5 years under the mentorship of Prof Roland Gugler and Prof Michel Eichelbaum. Following a short period in Melbourne at the then Baker Medical Research Institute in Melbourne, he was recruited as a Research Fellow to the Department of Clinical & Experimental Pharmacology at the University of Adelaide in late 1982. In 1992 he was appointed as Senior Lecturer, then promoted to Associate Professor (1994) and Professor in 2002. He was Deputy Head of the Department between 1992 and 2010. Between May 2005 and December 2010, he was Associate Dean (Research) of the Faculty of Health Sciences. In 2010 he was made an Honorary Fellow of the Faculty of Pain Medicine the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists.

Andrew teaches pharmacology in undergraduate medicine, dentistry, nursing and health science programs. He has an active research program centred on elucidating the dispositional mechanisms for altered human drug response in pain therapeutics, cancer and transplantation through pharmacokinetic, metabolism, pharmacodynamic and pharmacogenomic studies. He has translated his research into clinical practice by establishing a Pharmacogenetics Service at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. Pharmacogenomics and personalised healthcare is a theme of his overarching research and public health focus.

He provides regular consultancy on the role of pharmacogenomics in adverse drug reactions to clinicians, patients and the legal profession Australia-wide.

RESEARCH PROJECTS AVAILABLE: Clinical Pharmacogenomics Research Group

Research Project 1 

Title: Why do Aboriginal Australians respond differently to European when given medicines
 

Project description: Aboriginal Australians are vulnerable to not responding as well or better to medicines than Europeans because of their genetic make-up or can have life threatening adverse reactions.  By knowing more about the genes that are involved we will be in a better position to personalise medicines for Aboriginal Australians. Our current research has identified that we can do a much better job of identifying why some medicines work better, some worse and why some can cause serious toxicity. We are currently working on statin medicines for reducing cholesterol and in chemotherapy for childhood leukaemia. This project would be ideally suited for a person interested in research into disadvantages peoples in Australia. 

Research Project 2 

Title:The genetics of acute, chronic and postoperative pain therapy with opioids

Project description: More and more people have chronic pain and more undergo surgery which causes acute pain than candevelop into chronic pain. When we give opioids for such pain relief, the doses can vary 10-fold and some get severe side effects. The reasons are mainly due to the patients genetic make-up and we have studied this overt the past decade. New findings show that it is not just their genetic make-up but their epigenetic make up. We have cohorts of patients that we are studying that include those of European ancestry but also Han Chinese, Malay and Indian. We have shown that ethnicity plays a very important role and we want to study this further. We have acute pain patients, cancer patients and patients who having had surgery go on to develop chronic persistent pain. The latter includes a trial of ketamine to attenuate this postsurgical pain. We look at the genetics of the drugs such as morphine and ketamine in terms of their receptors and pharmacokinetics. There are 3 projects, 1 each in : acute pain, chronic cancer pain, chronic post surgical pain.

Research Project 3 

Title: Biomarker determinants of ketamine for treatment -resistant depression
 

Project description: We are the trial site for biomarker analysis of a large NHMRC funded clinical trial for investigating the efficacy and side effects to ketamine for treatment-resistant depression. Upto now the antidepressants that are prescribed work in less than 1 of 4 patients and takes upto 8 weeks to work, which is a poor outcome. Ketamine is a potential new therapy which is very rapid acting within 4 hours. We need to have a beter understanding of the dose, why some don’t respond and why some get unacceptable side effects. Our site will investigate this by measuring blood concentrations and the genetics of the target sites. Over 300 patients are being recruited so you will be part of a large national group of investigators, the outcome of which may mean a new approved therapy for depression.  

 

Projects available for:list as appropriate

Honours / HDR /  Masters

Location: 

Helen Mayo Building;  

Research project start:

 Semester 1 and 2

Special requirements: 

vaccination required

 

 

  • Appointments

    Date Position Institution name
    2005 - 2009 Associate Dean (Research) University of Adelaide
    2002 - ongoing Professor in Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology University of Adelaide
    1998 - 1998 Acting Head of Department University of Adelaide
    1994 - ongoing Associate Professor University of Adelaide
    1992 - 1993 Acting Head of Department University of Adelaide
    1992 - 2010 Deputy Head of Department University of Adelaide
    1991 - 1993 Senior Lecturer University of Adelaide
    1989 - 1991 Senior Research Officer University of Adelaide
    1987 - 1988 Visiting Lecturer University of Adelaide
    1986 - 1988 Florey Research Fellow Royal Adelaide Hospital
    1983 - 1985 Senior Research Officer (NH&MRC) University of Adelaide
    1983 - ongoing Honorary Pharmacologist Royal Adelaide Hospital
    1982 - 1982 Research Associate University of Adelaide
    1981 - 1982 Senior Research Officer (NH&MRC) Baker Medical Research Institute and Alfred Hospital
    1980 - 1980 Scientific Officer University of Bonn
    1974 - 1977 Tutor Sydney University
  • Education

    Date Institution name Country Title
    1975 - 1978 University of Sydney Australia Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D)
    1974 - 1975 University of Sydney Australia Master of Science (M.Sc)
    1973 - 1973 University of Sydney Australia Diploma of Hospital Pharmacy
    1969 - 1972 Tasmanian College of Advanced Education/ University of Tasmania Australia Certificate of Pharmacy (Ph. C)
  • Postgraduate Training

    Date Title Institution Country
    2010 Fellow Faculty of Pain Medicine Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists Australia
  • Research Interests

Date Project Title / No. Investigators Funding Body Amount
2016 - 2018

Ketamine therapy among patients with treatment-resistant depression: a randomised, double-blind placebo-controlled trial. 

Loo C, Mitchell P, Glue P, Fitzgerald PB, Glozier N, Lapidus K, Hadzi-Pavlovic D, Somogyi A, Hackett M, Galvez V NHMRC $2,069,381
2015 - 2017

Personalised Medicines for Aboriginal Peoples

Somogyi AA, Jamieson L, Dettwiller P NHMRC  $1,066,571
2014 - 2017

Improving the treatment of breathlessness- a phase III randomised, controlled trial of sustained released morphine for the symptomatic treatment of of chronic refractory breathlessness. 

Currow D, Abernethy A, McDonald C, Miners J, Johnson M, Quinn S, Kirkpatrick C, Somogyi A, Denehy L, McCaffery N NHMRC $860,807
2014- 2015

Predictors of persistent postsurgical pain following total knee joint arthroplasty.

MT Kluger, PJ McNair, AA Somogyi, GN Lewis  Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists $36000
2013 - 2015

Evaluating the effect of morphine on obstructive sleep apnoea.

Wang D, Eckert D, Somogyi A, Grunstein R, Wong K NHMRC $515,779
2001 - 2004 Pain and Analgesic Response in Opiate Dependence W Ling, K Miotto, J White, A Somogyi, F Bochner National Institutes of Health $1, 591, 603
2009 - 2011

The role of OCT-1 Activity enhancers in improving the response of patients with low OCT-1 activity to imatinib.

White D, Hughes T, Somogyi A, Melo J

Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Translational Research Grant

$600, 000
2011 - 2012 Signalling pathway pharmacogenomics and opioid response: beyond the mu opioid receptor. Somogyi AA (CIA) NHMRC $240, 000
1983 -present

24 grants

Multiple researchers

NHRMC

$13, 000, 000
Course Title Course Level/ Code URL
Drugs and Society

PHARM 2200

https://www.adelaide.edu.au/course-outlines/104923/1/sem-2/ 
Drug Development and Therapeutics

PHARM 3011

https://www.adelaide.edu.au/course-outlines/102195/1/sem-2/
Scientific Basis of Medicine I Part 1

MEDIC ST 1101B

https://www.adelaide.edu.au/course-outlines/008570/1/sem-2/2014/

Scientific basis of Medicine I Part 1

MEDIC ST 1101A

https://www.adelaide.edu.au/course-outlines/018570/1/sem-1/
Scientific basis of Medicine 2 Part 1

MEDIC ST 2101A

https://www.adelaide.edu.au/course-outlines/013241/1/sem-1/
Scientific basis of Medicine II Part 2

MEDIC ST 2101B

https://www.adelaide.edu.au/course-outlines/003241/1/sem-2/
Scientific basis of Medicine III Part 1

MEDIC ST 3101A

https://www.adelaide.edu.au/course-outlines/018078/1/sem-1/
Scientific basis of Medicine III Part 2

MEDIC ST 3101B

https://www.adelaide.edu.au/course-outlines/008078/1/sem-2/
Medical Home Unit Part Part 2

MEDIC ST 4015BHO  

https://www.adelaide.edu.au/course-outlines/106185/1/sem-2/
Medical Home Unit Part Part 1

MEDIC ST 4015AHO  

https://www.adelaide.edu.au/course-outlines/106184/1/sem-1/
Dental Science and Practice IV part 1

DENT 4004AHO

https://www.adelaide.edu.au/course-outlines/106890/1/sem-1/
Dental Science and Practice  III Part 2

DENT 3005BHO

https://www.adelaide.edu.au/course-outlines/106444/1/sem-2/2015/
Pharmacology for Nursing I

NURSING 1009

https://www.adelaide.edu.au/course-outlines/107033/1/sem-2/
Pharmacology for Nursing II

NURSING  2010

https://www.adelaide.edu.au/course-outlines/107042/1/sem-2/2014/
  • Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2021 Co-Supervisor Investigation of Genetic Polymorphisms That Could Interfere With Drug Metabolism of Omeprazole in Horses Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Dr Gustavo Ferlini Agne
  • Past Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2019 - 2023 Principal Supervisor Development and application of methods for pharmacokinetics (PK) analysis in PNG HIV/AIDS patients Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Natalia Bordin Andriguetti
    2015 - 2019 Principal Supervisor Genetics of Tacrolimus Pharmacokinetics and Kidney Transplant Outcomes Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Rong Hu
    2014 - 2015 Principal Supervisor Impact of CYP2C8 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms on In-vitro Metabolism of Imatinib to N-desmethyl Imatinib Master of Philosophy (Medical Science) Master Full Time Mr Muhammad Suleman Khan
    2011 - 2017 Co-Supervisor Mycophenolic Acid Pharmacokinetics and Clinical Outcomes in Renal Transplantation: Effect of ABCC2 Haplotype Analysis and Distribution into Lymphocytes and Kidney Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Zaipul Izwan Md Dom
    2011 - 2017 Co-Supervisor Neuroimmunopharmacology of Opioids Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Jacob Henry Lloyd Thomas
    2010 - 2014 Principal Supervisor Pharmacogenetics of Ketamine Metabolism and Immunopharmacology of Ketamine Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Yibai Li
    2009 - 2011 Principal Supervisor CNS Immune Signalling and Drug Addiction: Role of Interleukin-1 Beta Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Liang Liu
    2008 - 2011 Principal Supervisor The Neuroimmunopharmacology of Alcohol Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Yue Wu
    2007 - 2011 Co-Supervisor Two methods of biomarker discovery: applications in neuropathic pain and pharmacotherapy Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Peter Grace
    2007 - 2013 Co-Supervisor The Stereoselective Pharmacodynamics of the Enantiomers of Perherhexiline Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Dr Johnny Licari
    2006 - 2013 Principal Supervisor The Effect of Opioids on Emotional Reactivity Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Steven Savvas
    2005 - 2010 Principal Supervisor Pharmacogenomics of ABCB1 in Maintenance Pharmacotherapies for Opioid Dependence Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Daniel Barratt
    2003 - 2007 Co-Supervisor Evaluation and Treatment of Opioid-Induced Hyperalgesia Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Justin Hay
    2003 - 2008 Co-Supervisor The Stereoselective Pharmacokinetics of the Enantiomers of Perhexiline in Poor and Extensive Metabolisers of the Cytochrome P450 2D6 Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Benjamin Davies
    2002 - 2007 Co-Supervisor Clinical Pharmacology of Methadone Induction Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Ms Erin Morton
    2001 - 2005 Co-Supervisor ENHANCING THE USE OF OPIOIDS IN PAIN MANAGEMENT: ANTINOCICEPTIVE POTENTIATION WITH OPIOID AGONIST/ANTAGONIST COMBINATIONS Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Sophie La Vincente
    2001 - 2013 Principal Supervisor Opioid Maintained Subjects and the Effects of High Dose Morphine and Adjuvant Analgesics Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Peter-Allan Athanasos
    2000 - 2004 Principal Supervisor Opioids and Immune Function: The Role of Non-Classical Opioid Receptors and the Association with Pain Perception Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Prof Mark Hutchinson
    2000 - 2004 Co-Supervisor A comparison of methadone and slow-release oral morphine as maintenance pharmacotherapies for opioid dependence Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Timothy Mitchell
    1998 - 2002 Co-Supervisor ACUTE PAIN MANAGEMENT IN METHADONE MAINTENANCE TREATMENT Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Mark Doverty
    1997 - 2006 Co-Supervisor An Examination of the Pharmacodynamics and Pharmacokinetics of Levo-alpha-acetylmethadol (LAAM), compared to Methadone, in Opioid Maintenance Patients Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr David Newcombe
    1997 - 2010 Principal Supervisor The in vitro and in vivo Formation and Potency of 6 -Naltrexol, the Major Human Metabolite of Naltrexone Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Susan Porter
  • Board Memberships

    Date Role Board name Institution name Country
    1993 - 2000 Member Faculty of Science Board University of Adelaide Australia
  • Committee Memberships

    Date Role Committee Institution Country
    2015 - ongoing Member Pharmacogenomics Executive Committee International Association of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring and Clinical Toxicology Australia
    2015 - ongoing Chair Therapeutics Goods Committee Therapeutics Goods Administration, Department of Health, Canberra Australia
    2014 - ongoing Member Pharmacogenetics Executive Committee International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharamacology -
    2012 - ongoing Member Excellence in Research for Australia Research Evaluation Committee Australian Research Council Australia
    2010 - ongoing Member Excellence in Research for Australia Research Evalutation Committee Australian Research Council Australia
    2010 - 2014 Member Research Executive Committee University of Adelaide Australia
    2004 - ongoing Member Research Committee, Faculty of Pain Medicine Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists Australia
    2002 - 2016 Member Advisory Committee on Nonprescription Medicine (ACNM) Department of Health (Canberra) Australia
    2001 - 2005 Member Higher Degrees Committee University of Adelaide Australia
    2000 - 2005 Member Grants and Personnel Subcomittee of Research Comittee University of Adelaide Australia
    1999 - 2005 Member Research Committee University of Adelaide Australia
    1998 - 1998 Member Organising Committee International Meeting of the International Society for the Study of Xenobiotics United States
    1998 - 2000 Member Hospital Scientists Assessment Committee The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Australia
    1995 - 1995 Chair Local Organising Comittee Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists -
    1994 - 2011 Member Research Review Committee Royal Adelaide Hospital Australia
    1994 - 1998 Member Division of Health Sciences Information Technology Committee University of Adelaide Australia
    1994 - ongoing Member Research Ethics Committee Royal Adelaide Hospital -
    1990 - 1996 Member Ethics of Human Research Committee The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Australia
    1987 - 1987 Member Organising Committee International Symposium on Microsomes and Drug Oxidations Australia
  • Memberships

    Date Role Membership Country
    2013 - ongoing Member Member NHMRC Grant Review Panel – 3B Australia
    2010 - ongoing Member Member NHMRC Grant Review Panel – 3A Australia
    2006 - 2009 Member Member of NHMRC Grant Review Panel –Pharmacology Australia
    2005 - 2007 President The Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists Australia
    2000 - 2002 Member NHMRC Discipline Panel Australia
    1997 - 2000 Secretary The Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists Australia
    1995 - 1996 Council The Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists Australia
  • Editorial Boards

    Date Role Editorial Board Name Institution Country
    2010 - 2014 Editor European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology - -
    2010 - ongoing Member Pharmacogenomics and Personalized Medicine - -
    2007 - ongoing Member Journal of Opioid Management: a medical journal of proper and adequate use - -
    2007 - 2015 Editor British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology - Australia
    2002 - ongoing Member Pharmacogenetics and Genomics - -
    1998 - ongoing Member Australian Medicines Handbook - Australia
  • Position: Professor
  • Phone: 83135572
  • Email: andrew.somogyi@adelaide.edu.au
  • Fax: 82240685
  • Campus: North Terrace
  • Building: Helen Mayo North, floor 5
  • Org Unit: Medical Sciences

Connect With Me
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