Advanced characterisation of drug-carrier interactions to accelerate prediction of new nanomedicines

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Low solubility active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) can have life-changing medicinal effects on patients but can cause significant challenges in the drug development process. The use of amphiphilic excipients is often considered to increase the amount of dissolved API in the solution, thereby enabling administration of the drug, and so micellar systems have gained significant interest due to their nanosize, versatility and scalability. As a result of their complex nature, fundamentally understanding the changes in the properties of a given micellar solution during supersaturation has enormous implications for the development of new medicines, for example by enhancing solubility and enabling better delivery of APIs. Therefore, a fundamental understanding of the interactions between an API and such assemblies, as well as a mechanistic investigation of drug supersaturation needs to be defined. Advanced characterisation techniques will allow a nanoscale and molecular-level understanding of this process.1,2 This understanding will allow rational development of novel micellar systems.The following two main areas are being considered of high importance: - formulation of micellar systems and how they link with solubilising power and physical stability. - extensive characterization of the supersaturation events in micellar formulations using state of the art facilities to pre-empt physical stability issues.The outcomes of the project will inform the development of new, efficacious, and safe medicines for patients. The student will gain skills in cutting-edge formulation design, NMR, scattering, and computational techniques, equipping them for research excellence in industry or academia.