Pharmaceutical Materials Science

A principal focus is the development and validation of analytical techniques for

(i) determining the functionality and/or quality of both amorphous and crystalline pharmaceutical solids, and

(ii) pharmaceutical process development (with special emphasis on freeze-drying).

Amorphous Materials : The group is researching strategies for the effective freeze-drying of drugs (especially the role of excipients, such as sugars) that will lead to optimal formulations that support long term stability of the active. At the centre of this research is the use of dielectric spectroscopy in the characterization of molecular dynamics below the glass transition temperature of the amorphous phase (Dr Smith, Dr Ermolina, Dr Fei). The Group is combining new information obtained from these measurements, with other metrologies such as thermal analysis (Hyper-DSC), x-ray crystallography, and near infrared, to establish correlations between the physical data and chemical stability data on the active. New knowledge derived from these approaches will assist product development (thereby shortening life-cycles and time-to-market).

Research Staff

• Dr Geoff Smith
• Dr Irina Ermolina