Dr Ramiz Boulos

Adjunct Academic Status

College of Science and Engineering

place Biological Sciences
GPO Box 2100, Adelaide 5001, South Australia

In my PhD I worked on 'Mechanosensitive ion channels as novel targets for antimicrobial agents'. They act as an emergency valve when cells experience an osmotic downshock. The mechanosensitive ion channel of large conductance (MscL) is highly conserved in bacteria and not found in the human genome making it an attractive target for drug discovery. This research has led to the development of a novel and non-toxic class of antimicrobials effective against gram +ve bacteria, including superbugs.

After completing my PhD I joined Prof. Colin Raston as a postdoc working in a number of projects. I am fascinated by the potential of biomass utilisation where a waste material can be transformed into a high value end product. I am also interested in the biomineralisation of calcium carbonate and its formation under high shear. I also enjoy doing molecular modelling of systems to better understand experimental results.

From 2013 to 2020, I was CEO of Boulos & Cooper Pharmaceuticals, a company I founded in 2013 to commercialise a new class of antibiotics. I am currently Executive Chairman of Veratin, a company I founded in 2016 that is focussed on unlocking the value of low-grade wool. I am also the founder and MD of Founders First, a company that helps founders commercialise their IP and Boulos & Cooper Labs, a research, development and commercialisation company.

Qualifications
PhD Chemistry 2011 (UWA)
Honour Chemistry 2005 (UWA)
BSc Chemistry and Genetics major 2004 (UWA)
Honours, awards and grants

Tall Poppy Award 2014

2nd Prize Poster Presentation - Flinders Centre for NanoScale Science & Technology (CNST) annual conference 2013

Supervisory interests
Antimicrobials
Biomass biorefinery
Biomaterials
Nanotechnology
Higher degree by research supervision
Current
Associate supervisor: Nanotechnology (1)
Completion
Associate supervisor: Nanotechnology (1)
Expert for media contact
Antibiotics
Microbiology
Nanotechnology
Mechanosensitive channels
Novel bacterial targets
Superbugs
Available for contact via
Or contact the media team
+61 8 82012092
0427 398 713
Researcher
Media expert
Media expertise
  • Antibiotics
  • Microbiology
  • Nanotechnology
Interests
  • Mechanosensitive channels
  • Novel bacterial targets
  • Superbugs
Further information
From in-silico drug design to preclinical studies, my PhD Thesis tells a story of the birth of a novel class of antibacterials.

PhD Thesis