Dr Mary Bebawy

Lecturer of Pharmaceutics

Qualifications

BSc (Hons), PhD

Contact Details

University of Sydney
Phone: +61 2 9351 6711
Fax: +61 2 9351 4391
Email:
Room 503
Badham Building A16
The University of Sydney
NSW 2006 Australia

Research Interests

• The role of drug transporters in drug distribution
• The role of drug transporters in conferring multiple drug resistance in cancer
• The interaction between drug transporters and metabolizing enzymes in the gut

P-glycoprotein (P-gp) encoded by the human multidrug resistance (MDR) gene, MDR1, is a 150-170 kDa twelve transmembrane domain member of the ATP Binding Cassette (ABC) superfamily of membrane transporters. P-gp is overexpressed in drug resistant cancer cells where it acts to efflux chemotherapeutic drugs out of the cancer cell thus rendering the cancer cell resistant to a large repertoire of anticancer agents (Bebawy et al., 2001, Dong et al., 2004).

P-gp is also found physiologically expressed within certain tissues and organs. The highest levels of P-gp expression is found on the apical surface of polarised epithelial cells of the lower gastrointestinal tract. Here it serves to pump pharmacological agents across the mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract into the lumen. Subsequently, intestinal P-gp is a major determinant of oral drug absorption and a major limiting factor in the rate of the uptake of P-gp drug substrates from the intestinal lumen. Intestinal P-gp mediated transport together with intestinal CYP3A-dependent drug metabolism serve to determine a drugs oral bioavailability and the pharmacokinetic parameters of many drugs.

Professional Employment Record

• 2000-2001: Research academic, Faculty of Pharmacy, The University of Sydney
• 2001-2002: Lecturer of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, The University of Sydney
• 2002-2004: Post Doctoral Scientist, Johnson and Johnson Research Eveleigh, Australia
• 2004-2005: Associate Dean (Undergraduate), Faculty of Pharmacy, The University of Sydney
• Present: Lecturer of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, The University of Sydney

Professional Activities (2004-2005)

• Chair of the Faculty of Pharmacy Teaching and Learning Committee
• Member of Deans Advisory Committee, Faculty of Pharmacy
• Member of the University’s Undergraduate Studies Committee of the Academic Board
• Member of the University’s Teaching and Learning Committee
• Member of the Graduate Attributes Working group (The Institute of Teaching and Learning, USYD)
• Member of the Quality Assurance Working group (The Institute of Teaching and Learning, USYD)
• Member of the College of Health Sciences Teaching and Learning Committee
• Member of the College of Health Sciences Information and Communication Technology Committee
• Member of the College of Health Sciences ‘A Healthy Start to Life’ research program implementation group

Key Works

Bebawy M, Howes LG, Karantanis E, and Morris DL
The Effects of Taxotere in Combination with Lipiodol in Human Colorectal Cancer Cell Lines. Regional Cancer Treatment (1995) 8, 185-188

Bebawy M. Morris MB. and Roufogalis BD (1999). A Continuous Fluorescence Assay for the Study of P-glycoprotein-Mediated Drug Efflux using inside-out Membrane Vesicles. Analytical Biochemistry. 268(2): 270-7

Bebawy M., Morris MB. and Roufogalis BD (2001). Selective Modulation of
P-glycoprotein Mediated Drug Resistance. Br J Cancer. 85(12): 1998-2003

Dong F, Bebawy M, Kable EPW and Roufogalis BD (2004) dynamic and intracellular trafficking of P-glycoprotein-EGFP fusion protein: implications in multidrug resistance in cancer. International Journal of Cancer. 109(2):174-81

Pajic M, Bebawy M, Hoskins JM, Roufogalis BD and Rivory LP (2004). Effect of Short- term Morphine Exposure on P-glycoprotein Expression and Activity in Cancer Cell Lines. Oncology Reports;11(5):1091

Holland ML. Panetta JA. Hoskins JM. Bebawy M. Roufogalis BD. Allen JD. Arnold JC. The effects of cannabinoids on P-glycoprotein transport and expression in multidrug resistant cells. Biochemical Pharmacology. 71(8):1146-54, 2006

Huang TH-W. Bebawy M. Tran V.H. Roufogalis BD. Specific Reversal of Multidrug Resistance to Colchicine in CEM/VLB 100 cells by Gynostemma Pentaphyllum Extract ( 2007) Phytomedicine (In press, available on line)

Bebawy M. and Chetty M. Differential Pharmacological Regulation of Drug Efflux and Pharmacoresistant Schizophrenia. Bioessays (In Press)

Bebawy M. and Sze D. Targeting P-glycoprotein for Effective Oral Anticancer Chemotherapeutics. Current Cancer Drug Targets (In Press)

Successful Grants

1. 1998-2000, USYD Cancer Fund, Associate Investigator, A study into the role of substrate transmembrane movement rates in -gp mediated MDR in human cancer
   $50,000 per annum
2. 1999, Clive and Vera Ramaciotti Foundation (Equipment), Chief investigator, The purchase of the SFA-20/LS50B rapid Kinetics accessory, $11,000
3. 2001, The College of Health Sciences Collaborative Research grants, Chief investigator, Ranitidine as a potential tool for estimating GI P-gp activity
   $22,000
4. 2002-2003,USyd Cancer Fund, Associate Investigator, Morphine: Friend or Foe to Cancer Patients
   $50,000 per annum
5. 2002-2003 Sesqui R&D New Staff Support Scheme, Associate Investigator, Cannabanoids as agents that reverse resistance to chemotherapy
   $28,000
6. 2006, Clive and Vera Ramaciotti Foundation (Project grant), Chief investigator,
   Dietary Nucleotides: Effects on P-glycoprotein Expression and Function in the Gastrointestinal System
   $27,000
7. 2006, The University of Sydney Research and Development Grants Scheme, Chief Investigator. P-glycoprotein and CYP3A4: Subcellular Localisation and Effect on Function Following Drug Exposure in Intestinal Enterocytes
   $32,662

Track Record

Dr Mary Bebawy is a young researcher within the discipline of Pharmaceutics.
Dr Bebawy completed a two year postdoctoral fellowship at Johnson and Johnson Research, Eveleigh before returning to the Faculty of Pharmacy, The University of Sydney to take up the position of Associate Dean (Undergraduate) for the Faculty of Pharmacy, The University of Sydney. Dr Bebawy is currently Lecturer of Pharmaceutics, at the Faculty of Pharmacy.

Dr Bebawy has a Ph.D from the Faculty of Pharmacy, The University of Sydney. Her research interests focus on the role of drug transporters in disease states and in drug therapeutics. Her research is innovative and relevant and has successfully attracted funds from nationally competitive granting agencies in the past. Her research has been published in high quality journals and is often identified by fellow colleagues in the field for collaboration. Dr Bebawy’s experiences are diverse having worked in academia, hospital and industry. Dr Bebawy rejoins the Faculty with a positive perspective that is influenced by innovation, experience and excellent research.