Hydrogels in Drug Delivery

Dr Alejandro J. Paredes is a Pharmacist by training (2011) and holds a PhD (2016), both degrees from the National University of Córdoba, Argentina. Dr Paredes made pre- and post-doctoral visits to laboratories in Cuba, Uruguay, Spain, and Italy, and worked as a Research Fellow at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB, UK). In January 2021, Dr Paredes took up a Lectureship (Assistant Professor) at QUB and was promoted to Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in April 2023. At QUB, he leads a group focused on controlled and targeted drug delivery using nanocrystals. He obtained a PGCHET in 2022 and teaches Pharmaceutical Sciences in multiple modules for the BSc, MPharm, and MSc programs at QUB. Alejandro is a named inventor in two patents and has authored >140 publications, including 54 research papers, 10 review articles, 2 book chapters, 2 textbooks, and >70 conference presentations. Dr Paredes has obtained >£3.4M of funding for his research, with prestigious grants as PI from EPSRC, the Academy of Medical Sciences, the Royal Society, and Applied Microbiology International. Dr Paredes obtained the Emerging Scientist Award 2024 from the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences (APS, UK) and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK) and CICOPS (Italy). Alejandro is an active member of the APS, Controlled Release Society, American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, Applied Microbiology International, and British Society for Nanomedicine. Moreover, he is a member of the Early Career Editorial Board of Materials Today Bio, the Advisory Board of AAPS PharmSciTech and an Associate Editor of Drug Delivery and Translational Research.

Prof. Eneko Larrañeta holds the Chair in Pharmaceutical Materials Science at the School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast, specialising in drug delivery systems and biomaterials. He earned a BSc in Chemistry and a PhD in Physical Chemistry from the University of Navarra, where his research centred on self-assembled hydrogels. After completing his PhD in 2012, Prof. Larrañeta worked as a research fellow in nanotechnology for drug delivery before joining Queen's University Belfast in 2013 to advance microneedle technology for transdermal drug delivery. His expertise spans hydrogels, nano/microparticles, and microneedle-based systems. Currently, his research focuses on implantable systems for sustained drug release, utilising techniques like melt processing and additive manufacturing. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed papers, edited multiple books, and contributed numerous book chapters. Prof. Larrañeta has secured funding from leading organisations and collaborated widely with pharmaceutical and cosmetics companies. He has been named a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher and recognised among the top 2% of scientists in his field by Stanford University’s analysis using Scopus data. He is a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy and a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Society for Applied Microbiology.

Dr Garry Laverty is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Pharmacy Queen's University Belfast. His Biofunctional Nanomaterials group develop self-assembling hydrogel platforms for biomedical applications based on peptide and their unnatural variants (peptide-mimetics). These have huge potential within the fields of drug delivery and biomaterials, with the group's focus primarily on the development of sustained release systems (in situ forming injectable hydrogel depots) primarily for use in HIV/AIDs prevention combined with contraception. This system is also showing promise for use in conditions with medication adherence and drug delivery issues e.g. ocular use, cancer, tuberculosis, malaria, antipsychotics. Garry's work is funded by £1.5 million of competitive research funding from sources including: the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the Medical Research Council (MRC), the Wellcome Trust, the Royal Society, Innovate UK and Invest NI. He has authored 53 publications relating to peptide materials and drug delivery. He also holds an interest in the application of neutron scattering techniques to define the microscopic properties of hydrogels, having been awarded substantial beam time by Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL, Grenoble) and UKRI Science Technology Facilities Council ISIS Neutron and Muon Source facilities.

Professor Ryan Donnelly holds the Chair in Pharmaceutical Technology at the School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, where he is Director of Research. A registered pharmacist, his research is centred on design and characterisation of advanced polymeric drug delivery systems for transdermal and intradermal drug delivery, with a strong emphasis on improving patient outcomes. He is currently developing a range of novel microneedle technologies through independent research, but also in collaboration with several major pharmaceutical companies. His work has attracted more than £30 million in funding and he has authored over 1000 peer-reviewed publications, including 11 patent applications, 7 textbooks, 28 book chapters and approximately 360 full papers. He leads a personal research group of approximately 50 people from 15 different countries and has been an invited speaker at numerous national and international conferences. Professor Donnelly is Europe/Africa Editor of Drug Delivery & Translational Research. He has won the International Association for Pharmaceutical Technology (APV) Research Award for Outstanding Achievements in the Pharmaceutical Sciences (2024), the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s Harrison Medal (2024), the Kydonieus Foundation Transdermal Delivery Award (2024), the European Journal of Pharmaceutics & Biopharmaceutics Most Cited Paper Award (2023), the Drug Delivery & Translational Research Best Paper Award (2023), Visit Belfast’s Ambassador Award for Life & Health Sciences (2022), the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences Innovative Science Award (2020), Evonik’s Resomer Award (2018), the Controlled Release Society’s Young Investigator Award (2016), BBSRC Innovator of the Year (2013), the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists Pharmaceutical Research Meritorious Manuscript Award (2013 & 2022), the GSK Emerging Scientist Award (2012), the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s Science Award (2011) and the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland’s Gold Medal (1999).