Professor Michael Sorich

Professor in Clinical Pharmacology

College of Medicine and Public Health

place Flinders Medical Centre Building (5E:315)
GPO Box 2100, Adelaide 5001, South Australia

I am a clinical epidemiologist, biostatistician, and pharmacist with primary research interests including

  • the quality and safety of generative artificial intelligence for health information tasks
  • the use of biological, chemical, and clinical markers to guide clinical decisions regarding the most appropriate use of medicines (precision medicine),
  • the use of circulating extracellular vesicles as a liquid biopsy to expedite drug development by enabling tracking of organ-specific drug effects

My research includes the use of machine learning and advanced biostatistical methods to predict treatment efficacy and toxicity - particularly in the area of anti-cancer medicines. Additionally, I develop and evaluate health applications of generative artificial intelligence (AI) - aiming to maximise the positive health impacts for patients and mitigate the potential safety issues for individuals and society.

I have deep expertise in many areas of clinical data science, including prediction models (machine learning), generative AI, survival analysis, evaluation of treatment heterogeneity, clinical trial analysis, and meta-analysis. I have a high degree of proficiency in both R and python programming languages.

Qualifications
  • PhD
  • Graduate Diploma in Medical Statistics
  • Bachelor of Pharmacy Honours (1A)
  • Bachelor of Pharmacy
Honours, awards and grants

Selected Awards

  • 2019: Principal Cancer Research Fellowship, Beat Cancer Project
  • 2008: South Australian Tall Poppy Award, Australian Institute of Policy and Science
  • 2006: Denis Wade Johnson & Johnson New Investigator Award, Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists
  • 2004: CJ Martin Postdoctoral Fellowship, National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia
  • 2003: New Investigator Award, Australasian Pharmaceutical Science Association
  • 2002: Scholarship, Machine Learning Summer School, Australian National University

Selected Research Grants

  • Electronic Patient REPorted Outcome MeAsures for REmote Symptom Monitoring. CIs: Kichenadasse G, Ostroff C, Corsini N, Sorich M, et al. MRFF Project Grant. (2023 -2027)

  • Machine learning of randomised controlled trials. Sorich MJ, Kichenadasse G. NHMRC Ideas Grant. (2012-2024)
  • From Big Data to Precision Medicine. Sorich MJ. Cancer Council SA / Beat Cancer (2019-2023).

  • ADMExosomes: A new paradigm for tracking variability in drug exposure. Rowland A, Sorich MJ, Makenzie P. NHMRC Project Grant (2019-2021)

  • Improving the evaluation of new cancer therapies to expedite patient access. Karnon J, Sorich MJ, Ward R, Latimer N, Coory M. Project grant. NHMRC Project Grant (2017-2019)

  • Dynamic Prediction of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Response and Toxicity. Sorich MJ, Gurney H, Kichenadasse G, McKinnon RA, Wiese MD, Rowland A. Cancer Council SA Project Grant (2017-2018)
  • Optimisation of the safety and efficacy of protein kinase inhibitors using endogenous and dietary biomarkers. Sorich MJ, Rowland A, Wiese M, Miners J, Gurney H. NHMRC Project Grant. (2016-2018)
  • Personalised medicine markers of anti-EGFR antibody therapy in metastatic colorectal cancer. Karapetis, C, Sorich MJ, McKinnon RA, Buyse M. NHMRC Project Grant (2015-2018)
  • Flinders Centre for Gastrointestinal Cancer Prevention. Watson D, Karapetis C, Young G, Wilson C, Fraser R, Reed R, Sorich M, et al. Beat Cancer Hospital Research Package. (2014-2018).
Key responsibilities
  • Member, NHMRC Grant Review Panel Working Committee

  • Member, Editorial Board of Translational Lung Cancer Research
  • Member, Executive Committee, FHMRI Cancer
  • Topic Coordinator, Principles of Pharmacology and Therapeutics (MMED9110), Flinders University
  • Topic Coordinator, Pharmacology for Advanced Professional Practice (MMED9111), Flinders University
  • Member, Master of Nursing (Nurse Practitioner) Course Committee, Flinders University
Topic coordinator
MMED9110 Principles of Pharmacology and Therapeutics
MMED9111 Pharmacology for Advanced Professional Practice
Topic lecturer
MMED3934 Principles of pharmacology and toxicology
PARA3006 Applied Pharmacology
MMED9110 Principles of Pharmacology and Therapeutics
MMED9111 Pharmacology for Advanced Professional Practice
NUTD3102 Nutrients Role & Function
MMED8203 Knowledge of Health and Illness 2
MMED8103 Knowledge of Health and Illness 1A
Supervisory interests
Biomarkers
Biostatistics
Clinical epidemiology
Clinical pharmacology
Machine learning
Meta-analysis
Personalised medicine
Randomised clinical trial
Higher degree by research supervision
Current
Principal supervisor: Biomarkers of drug metabolism (1)
Associate supervisor: Drug exposure response relationships (1), Biomarkers of drug metabolism (1)
Interests
  • Precision medicine
  • Prediction modelling in cancer