Welsh School of Pharmacy

Drug Delivery & Microbiology Research Discipline

Understanding the nature of biological barriers and developing advanced systems to improve the delivery of therapeutics

Understanding microbial survival strategies, microbial contamination of pharmaceutical products, control of microbial infection in healthcare environments

(Joint coordinators, James Birchall & Les Baillie )

Expertise includes: molecular imprinting; pharmaceutical engineering of therapeutic microneedles; technological & biological aspects of transcutaneous drug and gene delivery; technological & biological aspects of pulmonary drug and gene delivery; synthesis and exploitation of novel polymer systems; technological & biological aspects in the tissue and cellular trafficking of macromolecules; phage as a therapeutic and a display technology; bioimaging; quantitative analytical chemistry; particle characterisation; technological and biological aspects of the study of biocides, formulation preservation and biofilm formation; vaccine development.

Specialist facilities include: imaging and cytometry facilities, containment laboratories and suites for prokaryote and eukaryote investigations, cell and molecular biology resources, a dedicated ultra centrifuge suite, advanced chromatographic equipment, polymer chemistry equipment for synthesis and characterisation, and a GMP suite for clinical trial formulation .

Current research interests include:
- pulmonary drug delivery
- microneedle delivery of drugs and biologics
- stability of total parenteral nutrition admixtures
- molecular imprinting
- cell membrane penetration
- transdermal penetration of drugs
- interaction of microorganisms with pharmaceuticals
- antimicrobial mechanisms
- diagnostics for infectious agents, especially B.anthracis and Cl. difficile

Latest News

Major Home Office research grant to support Anthrax research

Prof Les Baillie has been awarded £267,003 to evaluate the ability of environmentally friendly biocides to remediate anthrax spore contaminated environments.

Lovleen Tina Joshi (current PhD student) awarded a SfAM President's Fund travel grant

12/01/2011

to attend the 3^rd International Clostridium difficile Symposium in Bled, Slovenia, 22- 24^th September 2010

Callum Cooper (PhD 2007-2011) recipient of the Microbiology Communication Prize.

SGM's Microbiology Communication Prize is given to Callum Cooper, WSP Alumni (PhD 2007-2011).

Tuberculosis Research and Lecture visit to South Africa

Dr Arwyn Jones visited South Africa as part of a collaborative Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation research award to study new methods for targeting the Tuberculosis bacterium in macrophages.