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

低溶解度活性药物成分（APIs）可以对患者产生改变生命的药物作用，但在药物开发过程中可能会造成重大挑战。两亲性赋形剂的使用通常被认为可以增加溶液中溶解API的量，从而使药物的给药成为可能，因此胶束系统由于其纳米尺寸、多功能性和可扩展性而获得了极大的兴趣。由于它们的复杂性，从根本上了解给定胶束溶液在过饱和过程中性质的变化对新药的开发具有巨大的意义，例如通过提高溶解度和更好地递送原料药。因此，需要对原料药和这些组装体之间的相互作用有一个基本的理解，以及对药物过饱和的机制研究。先进的表征技术将允许在纳米尺度和分子水平上理解这一过程1,2这一认识将使新型胶束体系的合理发展成为可能。以下两个主要领域被认为是非常重要的：-胶束体系的配方以及它们如何与溶解能力和物理稳定性联系起来。-广泛表征胶束配方中的过饱和事件，使用最先进的设备来预防物理稳定性问题。该项目的成果将为为患者开发新的、有效的和安全的药物提供信息。学生将获得尖端配方设计、核磁共振、散射和计算技术方面的技能，为他们在工业界或学术界的卓越研究做好准备。

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.