Associate ProfessorIngrid Gelissen

Dr. Ingrid C. Gelissen is an Associate Professor at the University of Sydney School of Pharmacy. Her career integrates molecular pharmacology, lipid biology and pharmacy education, with a focus on mechanisms of drug transport and their implications for chronic diseases and therapeutic innovation.

Dr. Gelissen completed her Master’s in Agricultural Sciences (Human Nutrition) at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, which sparked her interest in lipid metabolism and pharmacology.  Prior to being appointed as a lecturer at the School of Pharmacy, she completed her PhD in cell biology at the Heart Research Institute in Sydney followed by post-doctoral positions at UT Southwestern (Dallas, USA) and the University of NSW at the Centre for Vascular Biology.  Her research has investigated ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters such as ABCA1, ABCG1, and ABCG4, which regulate cholesterol efflux and lipid homeostasis. Dysregulation of these pathways is linked to cardiovascular disease, pulmonary inflammation, and Alzheimer’s disease. 

A major theme of her work is the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and its role in neuroprotection. She has published extensively on P-glycoprotein (P-gp or ABCB1), an efflux transporter that clears neurotoxic compounds, including amyloid-β peptides, and has many drugs as transport substrates. Her studies have advanced understanding of P-gp regulation and its therapeutic potential in Alzheimer’s disease, offering insights into drug delivery strategies for CNS disorders. 

More recently, Dr. Gelissen’s research has focussed again on nutrition and its role in pharmacy education and integrative health, emphasizing the clinical importance of pharmacotherapy and nutrition. She has explored pharmacy students’ confidence in nutritional counselling, reflecting her dedication to holistic patient care, and has co-authored research on complementary medicines and the microbiome. Additionally, she has an interest in mechanisms underlying food allergies and the importance of patient education, including food allergens present in pharmaceuticals and the role of pharmacists in patient education and advocacy.

Research Metrics

• h-index: 29
• Total citations: ~3,500
• Publications: 65 peer-reviewed research articles and 4 book chapters