Research Expertise
Pharmaceuticals and HealthcareThe following highlights our research expertise in this area:
Antibiotics:
Gene manipulation.
Antiparasitic
Chemotherapy:
Antimalarials (synthesis and design); anti-trypanosomals; capillary
electrophoresis; steroid synthesis; chromatography; scanning calorimetry;
anti-leishmanials.
Auto Immune Diseases/Pregnancy:
Development of new synthetic and protein based drugs (specific capability
of blocking the action of cytokines and modulating lymphocyte and macrophage
activity); relationship between endocrine and immune systems; mechanisms
for non-rejection of the foetus; molecules responsible for ovulation and
the initiation of labour.
Biochemical Analysis:
Chromatography; scanning calorimetry; mass spectrometry.
Biomedical and
Pharmaceutical Analysis:
Separation techniques (high performance liquid chromatography; gas
liquid chromatography; capillary electrophores); LC/MS/MS; stability studies;
impurity profiling. FT-IR spectroscopy; X-ray powder diffraction; mass
spectrometry; chromatography and scanning calorimetry applied to the isolation,
characterisation and determination of drug structures; mass spectrometry,
chromatography and scanning calorimetry in studies of cancer and ophthalmics.
Biomedicinal
Chemistry:
Phytochemistry; medicinal chemistry; molecular biology; solid state. Biotransformations:
Study of enzymes and cells; bioprocessing; bioreactors; DNA sequence analysis;
biocatalysis.
Cardiovascular
Pharmacology:
Vascular smooth muscle and cardiac electrophysiology; myocardial ischaemia;
pathophysiological mechanisms involved in hypertension, ischaemic heart
disease and septic shock; myocardial protectants; anti-hypertensives;
restenosis; anti-aggregatory compounds.
Cell Pharmacology:
Studies of membrane-based processes involved in the regulation of cell
function in health and disease; ion channel electrophysiology; potassium
channels; cation channels; pacemaker channels; multiphoton and confocal
microscopy; calcium signalling; mitochondria; neuronal excitability; neurotoxins;
vascular smooth muscle; bladder smooth muscle; interstitial cells.
Cellular Response
to Stress:
Studies on the potential of thiol drugs and novel thiol-containing compounds
for manipulation of the oxidant-antioxidant balance in mammalian cell
lines; regulation of antioxidant metabolism in normal and disease states;
rheumatoid arthritis; atherosclerosis; cancer and AIDS.
Combating Pathogenic
Bacteria:
Use of bacteriophages to prevent bacterial infections.
Cytotoxicity
Testing:
Development of improved differentiated immortalised cells for toxicity
assessment and therapeutic use; target cells- bone liver, kidney; cellular
assessment of cytotoxicity.
Delivery Analysis Techniques: Opto-thermal techniques for non-invasive study of topically applied drugs; MRI; gamma scintigraphy; gastrointestinal drug absorption analysis; non-invasive studies of the behaviour of new delivery systems.
DNA Sequence
Analysis/Genomics:
Retinitis pigmentosa.
Drug Delivery
and Formulation:
Delivery systems for targeted, triggered and pulsatile release, sustained
delivery, oral, injection and topical application; applications for brain
tumor treatment, wound healing, gastrointestinal tract, colon, eyes, skin,
cancer, infectious disease and cosmetics; biodegradeable implants; formulation
studies; pre-formulation studies; physio-chemical analysis; microencapsulation;
drug targeting; gene delivery; chronopharmaceutics; rheology; bioimaging.
Drug Delivery
Technologies:
Emulsion technology; creams; crystallography; microemulsions; microencapsulation;
hydrogels; topical systems; hyaluronic acid; low density lipoproteins;
vesicular systems (liposomes and niosomes); polysaccharide bioadhesive
agents; nanoparticles; biodegradeable implants; gene delivery.
Epidemiological
Studies:
Studies of animal and human populations for the management and control
of disease; statistical population studies forensic.
Immunobiology
of Leucocyte Membranes:
Studies on the interaction of molecules at the cell surface of leucocytes
with particular relevance to cancer.
Immunomodulation:
Manipulation of the immune system to stimulate an immune response;
ovarian, stomach and lung cancer; auto immune disease; parasite infections;
pregnancy; anti-sense DNA.
Inflammation:
Analysis of the sugar chains of inflammatory proteins; inflammatory
disorders; biochemistry of inflammation; enzymology; biochemical analysis;
retinitis pigmentosa; arthritis; asthma; inflammatory bowel diseases;
design and testing of new molecules; mass spectrometry and chromatography.
Inorganic Chemistry:
Synthesis and analysis of bio-inorganic compounds; organometallics;
metal complexes; heart disease; cancer; anti-colitics.
Molecular Microbiology: Genetic modulation of antibiotic-producing micro-organisms.
Molecular Signalling:
Radio-immunoassay, high performance liquid chromatography and biochemical
measurement; phosphodiesterases, phospholipases, protein kinase, regulatory
G-proteins, tyrosine kinase and adenyl cyclase; study of inflammation,
proliferative and degenerative disorders including asthma, pulmonary hypertension,
rheumatoid arthritis, retinitis pigmentosa and endotoxaemia; lipids.
Neuroimmunology:
Studies of neurological disorders; rapid screening systems for neurotoxicological
and pharmacological studies; motor neurone diseases eg Alzheimer's, Multiple
Sclerosis and Parkinson's disease.
Neurosciences:
Neuronal excitability; CNS; neuromuscular transmission; P2 receptors;
nicotinic receptors; neurodegenerative diseases; epilepsy; schizophrenia;
neuropathic pain; drug dependence; anti-cholinesterases; adjuncts to anaesthesia;
brain imaging; patch clamp; amperometry; brain slices; cloned ion channels
and receptors in cell lines; development of analysis software.
Organic Chemistry:
Biological chemistry; biocatalysis; organometallics; organic synthesis;
chiral synthesis; DNA sequence analysis; matrix isolation and mechanistic
problem-solving; biotransformations; synthesis of compounds for Alzheimers
disease, anti-cancer and analgesics; neuropeptide processing enzymes;
enzyme inhibitors.
Parasitology:
Investigations in protozoa leishmania, toxoplasma and nematode onchocerca
volvulus, trichenella spiralis; development and testing of new anti-parasite
drugs and vaccines.
Pharmaceutical
Care and Pharmacy Practice:
Pharmaceutical public health service; delivery in local populations; prevention
of drug-related problems in chronic disease; misuse of cannabis and alcohol;
pharmaceutical care models; development and testing of methods of pharmacy
practice; drug education and healthy lifestyle analysis; health promotion
in a pharmacy context; health promotion; drug misuse; the development
and evaluation of pharmaceutical care systems of practice in primary and
secondary care; investigation into developing the quality of medicines
used in practice; current interests are in cardiovascular, respiratory
and gastro-intestinal disease, diabetes, arthritis and cancer care; pharmaco-epidemiological
approaches to local health service assessment of quality of use of medicines
and patients' needs.
Phytochemistry:
Pharmacognosy; biologically active plant products; plant/animal ecological
interactions and chemotaxonomy; plant analysis; NMR; chemical ecology;
structure elucidation and plant analysis; active agent discovery.
Regulation of
Immune Cell Function:
Immunoactivation; release of cytokines and lipid mediators; the growth
and differentiation of immune cells; changes in blood levels of cytokines
and prostaglandins in vivo.
Safety and Hygiene:
Oxygen leak detection in sterile packaging.
Sport Science:
Muscle power and training in the elderly population; factors affecting
human skeletal muscle energetics- power and efficiency of human locomotion;
thermal physiology; neuromuscular control and adaptation; mathematical
modelling of loading on body tissues; psychology of sport injuries; social
psychology of physical activity; athlete career and education; imagery
and sport performance; applied methods of sport psychology; physical education
and sport; outdoor and environmental education.
Statistics and
Modelling Science:
Biomedical modelling; epidemiology; infectious diseases; nonparametric
inference for survival models; risk assessment and modelling.
Vaccines:
Novel vaccine adjuvant development; delivery systems; characterisation
and cloning of surface and secreted antigens for incorporation into vaccines
reliant on novel carrier systems; anti-tumour vaccines.
Departments and Specialist Centres
The areas of research
described in the above section represent the activities of a number of University
departments and specialist centres including:
Pure and Applied
Chemistry
Bioengineering Unit
Bioscience
Pharmaceutical
Sciences
Physiology and
Pharmacology
Immunology
Strathclyde Institute for Drug Research
Statistics
and Modelling Science
Applied
Physiology, Sport and Exercise Science.
Centre for Biophotinics
