Development of vascular homing peptides as a drug delivery system in pregnancy

Lead Research Organisation: University of Manchester
Department Name: Medical and Human Sciences

Abstract

Currently, there are no means of delivering drugs directly to the area of the body where they are most needed. For example, when we take a painkiller, the drug is circulated throughout the whole body, even though we may only want to treat a headache or a backache. This means that drugs are diluted and cause unwanted side effects. If we could develop a method for delivering drugs to precisely the areas where they were needed, we could reduce unwanted side effects and make drug treatments much more efficient. It has recently been discovered that every organ in the body expresses a unique combination of molecules on its surface, giving it a unique identity or molecular 'postcode' and making it distinct from any other place in the body. This means that if a vast number of small proteins, each made up of a different sequence, are injected into a host, some of them will bind to unique molecules in the heart, whereas others will bind to unique molecules in the liver or the lungs. I am interested in identifying proteins that bind to the womb and the placenta (afterbirth) so I can develop a drug delivery system for use in pregnancy. Proteins that only bind to the placenta or womb will become trapped there, making it possible to isolate them, study their structure and manufacture them. These proteins can then be used to make an 'envelope' into which drugs can be packaged. Because the envelope will bear the unique postcode of the placenta, the drugs will only be delivered to that location. I will identify unique proteins that bind to the placenta or womb in the laboratory of Professor Erkki Ruoslahti, at the Burnham Institute, CA, USA, a world expert in this area of research. I will carry out the remainder of my work in The Maternal and Fetal Health Research Group (MFHRG), University of Manchester, an internationally recognised centre of excellence for reproductive research. Initially, I will develop this strategy using pregnant mice, including some whose babies don't grow properly. My aim is to deliver drugs to the womb and placenta that will promote the growth of the baby mice, without the mother or baby experiencing any negative side effects. When this method of drug delivery has been proven to work in mice, I will adapt it for use in humans. Human placentas are readily available from the hospital in which I work, as are small pieces of womb, which are taken during routine hysterectomy operations. I will identify proteins that bind strongly to human placenta and womb tissue and use them to make new 'envelopes' for drug delivery. I will test the ability of this method to improve the growth and function of pieces of placenta or womb cultured in the laboratory. There are currently few drugs available for use in pregnancy because drug companies are fearful of harming unborn babies with their new products, and want to avoid expensive lawsuits. Instead, they invest in other areas of research, leaving doctors with few alternatives for treating pregnant women. Development of a targeted drug delivery system will help women feel confident that any drugs they receive during pregnancy will not harm their unborn child, and will provide a means for drug companies to test their products more safely, by controlling exactly where they act. This research will also provide the background work necessary for the development of drug delivery systems that target every organ in the body.

Technical Summary

The future in tailored healthcare is to direct systemically administered pharmaceuticals to their target organs. As the endothelial lining of blood vessels of each organ expresses a unique array of molecules, phage display will be used to identify 'homing peptides' that bind exclusively to particular vascular beds. In this system, a phage library engineered to express random peptides on their surface proteins is injected into a host animal. Non-specific peptide sequences are diluted within the host, whereas peptides that bind specifically to one site are enriched in that location. Peptides that bind exclusively to the placenta or the uterine spiral arteries of pregnant mice will be identified, as both locations express a unique complement of antigens, making the materno-fetal interface a good model system in which to develop targeted drug delivery strategies. Specific peptides will be enriched in rounds of selection, then incorporated into liposomes and used as molecular couriers to deliver insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) or IGF-II exclusively to the placenta, or interferon-gamma or interleukin-15 (IL-15) to the spiral arteries. These molecules promote placental growth and vascular remodelling in the mouse, thus a successful drug delivery strategy will be reflected by enhanced fetal and placental development, in the absence of any maternal or fetal pathology. Once validated, this method will be used to manipulate pregnancy outcome in mouse models that exhibit impaired placental growth and reduced arterial remodelling. The affinity of the isolated peptides for human placenta and spiral arteries will also be assessed; high affinity peptides will be incorporated into liposomes and used to deliver IGFs to manipulate cell turnover in placental explants, or deliver interferon-gamma/interleukin-15 to excised spiral arteries to promote receptivity to remodelling. This will provide the basis for a targeted drug delivery system suitable for use in human pregnancy.

Planned Impact

Development of a targeted drug delivery system will provide the mechanistic basis for delivery of drugs to defined vascular beds. This technology will advance current strategies of drug delivery and, as a consequence, will be of interest to scientists studying pharmacology, vascular biology and drug delivery, along with the R+D and pharmacokinetic arms of the pharmaceutical industry. In the longer term, this strategy could provide drug companies with a mechanism for testing new products more safely, by controlling their site of action and reducing unwanted side effects. The ability to specifically target drugs to the materno-fetal interface will provide biologists with a means of manipulating fetal or placental development in vivo and aid the discovery of new therapeutic strategies to treat pregnancy complications. These outcomes will be of interest to clinicians and midwives, and may increase the number of dugs developed for use in pregnancy and labour by providing the pharmaceutical industry with a mechanism to safely direct drugs away from the fetus. As suboptimal development in utero is linked to poor health in adult life, development of strategies that enhance fetal growth and placental efficiency will be a high priority in years to come. Furthermore, revolutionary changes to the ways in which drugs are administered will be of interest to the media and the general public. I will inform the scientific community of the data generated during my fellowship via presentations at key national and international conferences. I will communicate my work to the medical community by attending clinical conferences and more informal gatherings such as the regional M62 Obstetrics and Gynaecology meeting. I am required to give local seminars within St. Mary's Hospital, where our research group is located, allowing me to converse with clinicians, nurses and midwives. I will continue to participate in departmental open days to inform healthcare professionals and members of the public about my research and maintain my profile on the University's website, which I regularly update with key experimental findings and publications. As a leader of tutorials for the Maternal and Fetal Health MRes. course, I will keep the next generation of students informed about my work. Our research group is partially funded by Tommy's the Baby Charity, allowing me to interact with members of the fundraising and charity sectors. In return, Tommy's promotes our research to the public via their website, newsletters and information booklets, and through interactions with commercial companies. I regularly present my data at joint conferences with other Tommy's-funded research centres, which are attended by charity employees and freelance journalists, and participate in fundraising events which involves explaining my research to the lay community. I will ensure that the BBSRC press office and University of Manchester public relations office are informed of my key findings and will attend the BBSRC media course, along with university-led communication workshops to advance my training in public engagement. I am committed to furthering public understanding of science and I will be actively involved in seeking opportunities to present my research to the public, via as many channels as possible. To interact with the pharmaceutical industry and facilitate translation of this basic scientific research into an effective biotechnological application, the University of Manchester runs a system for the early filing of patents on exploitable findings, and houses a Research to Enterprise Centre that aids scientists with business plans and marketing strategies, and interfaces with the commercial sector. These resources will provide the support and guidance to effectively exploit my research. In addition, our research group has worked closely with Pfizer and Ardana Biosciences in the past, thus I will capitalize on these existing links when the time is right.

Publications

10 25 50

 
Description Suboptimal fetal development remains a problem despite advances in antenatal care, and impacts heavily on future health: small size at birth is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes in later life. Therapeutic interventions to improve pregnancy outcome are severely lacking, as pregnant women are considered a high risk cohort. Growth factors such as insulin-like growth factor-II (IGF-II) have been shown to enhance placental function in vitro, and improve fetal growth in animal models; however, there is currently no means of restricting their actions to the utero-placental interface.

To address this issue, we have identified a series of placental "homing peptides" which will be used to develop a targeted drug delivery system. Using a peptide library that contained 10 billion different sequences, multiple rounds of screening were performed in pregnant mice to identify novel peptides that bound exclusively to the surface of the placenta. Homing efficiency of specific sequences was validated by intravenous injection of individual synthetic peptides tagged with a fluorescent molecule. Furthermore, iron oxide nanoparticles coated with placental homing peptides accumulated at the placental surface, whereas those coated with control peptides did not, provided proof of principle for targeted delivery. Injection of the individual peptides at multiple time points during pregnancy did not alter fetal or placental weights, litter size or number of resorptions, suggesting that they have no adverse effects on placental function. Affinity chromatography has identified candidate peptide receptors expressed on the murine placental surface, and ex vivo tissue culture experiments has shown that the peptides can also bind to human placental tissue.

We have now synthesised small, hollow nanoparticles called liposomes displaying placental homing peptides on their surface and packaged candidate drugs (e.g. the growth factors IGF-I and IGF-II and the vasodilator SE175) inside. These have been administered to pregnant mice and we have shown that this treatment can increase placental weights without causing detrimental side effects in the mother or fetus. We have also administered IGF-II-loaded targeted liposomes to a mouse model of fetal growth restriction and shown enhancement of fetal weight. Administration of targeted liposomes containing SE175 also increased fetal weights, normalised placental weights and reduced placental oxidative stress. Finally, we have developed and tested targeted microRNA inhibitors to enhance placental growth; we have demonstrated enhanced proliferation in human placental explants and increased fetal and placental weights in pregnant mice
Exploitation Route Identification of peptides with a high affinity and specificity for the human placenta or uetrus, will further the development of a drug delivery system that targets the materno-fetal interface. Currently, pregnant women are considered to be a high risk, low return cohort by drug companies, who fear expensive lawsuits associated with side effects and teratogenicity. As a consequence, only three new drugs have been licensed for use in pregnancy in the last 20 years, two of which are used after delivery. This has created a drug drought in obstetric therapeutics and has left clinicians reliant on early delivery, leading to expensive neonatal intensive care and adverse health outcomes in children.

The ability to deliver pharmaceuticals to the utero-placental interface offers two broad prospects: acute treatment to extend time in the womb and offset early delivery, and intervention early in gestation to prevent later fetal pathology. Provision of a mechanism to safely direct drugs away from the fetus may, in turn, increase the number of products developed for use in pregnancy and labour. Given the worldwide health impacts from maternal and perinatal illness and the chronic underfunding of maternal and fetal health research in relation to this impact, it is in the national interest to use government funding to develop attractive research strategies that can be offered for exploitation for profit, given appropriate and constructive regulatory control. By synthesizing liposomes that display homing peptides on their surface, we will create nanocarriers that can courier drugs directly to the placenta. Validation of a targeted drug delivery system for use in the mouse will provide the groundwork for the development of commercially available targeted drug delivery systems to treat a variety of diseases. This technology will therefore be of interest to the R+D and pharmacokinetic arms of the pharmaceutical industry.



In the longer term, this strategy could provide drug companies with a mechanism for testing new products more safely, by controlling their site of action and reducing unwanted side effects, and in turn increase the number of products developed for use in pregnancy and labour.
Sectors Healthcare

Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology

 
Description This research has lead to the development of novel nanoparticles for targeted delivery of drugs to the placenta, and the findings have lead us to secure further funding; however, but this award has not had any tangible impacts in the categories listed below as yet.
First Year Of Impact 2011
 
Description BBSRC DTP PhD studentship
Amount £24,000 (GBP)
Organisation Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 08/2012 
End 08/2014
 
Description BBSRC In Vivo Strategic Skills Award
Amount £8,000 (GBP)
Organisation Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 08/2012 
End 08/2016
 
Description Developing placental homing targeted peptides
Amount $140,000 (USD)
Organisation Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation 
Sector Charity/Non Profit
Country United States
Start 07/2021 
End 03/2023
 
Description MRC project grant
Amount £505,513 (GBP)
Funding ID MR/P023401/1 
Organisation Medical Research Council (MRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 09/2017 
End 09/2020
 
Description NHMRC project grant
Amount $513,147 (AUD)
Funding ID APP1127536 
Organisation National Health and Medical Research Council 
Sector Public
Country Australia
Start 01/2017 
End 12/2019
 
Description NOWNano DTC PhD studentship
Amount £3,000 (GBP)
Organisation Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 03/2012 
End 08/2015
 
Description Use of nanoparticles to deliver growth signals to the placenta
Amount £590,169 (GBP)
Funding ID MR/K01126X/1 
Organisation Medical Research Council (MRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 11/2013 
End 10/2016
 
Description Prof. Ruoslahti 
Organisation Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute
Country United States 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution I worked in the laboratory of my host, driving a new research project and generating data for co-authored publications and further funding applications.
Collaborator Contribution I worked as a visiting fellow in the lab of my host for the first year of my BBSRC fellowship. They provided access to equipment, reagents, expertise and training, allowing me to become proficient working in a new research field and generating data that has underpinned my fellowship research and allowed me to start my own group.
Impact This collaboration has resulted in two co-authored conference abstracts (see below) and two manuscripts (one under review, one in preparation). The collaboration is ongoing so we anticipate further publications and we continue to share reagents via an MTA and a IP agreement. Abstracts LK Harris, C Ndifon, JD Aplin, VR Kotamraju, L Agemy, T Teesalu, E Ruoslahti (2012) Tumour homing peptides as tools for targeted delivery to the placenta. Placenta, 33 (9) A43. IFPA meeting, Hiroshima. LK Harris, VR Kotamraju, T Teesalu, E Ruoslahti (2012) Identification of novel placental homing peptides. Placenta, 33 (9) A44. IFPA meeting, Hiroshima. Papers: A King, C Ndifon, S Lui, K Widdows, VR Kotamraju, L Agemy, T Teesalu, JD Glazier, F Cellesi, N Tirelli, JD Aplin, E Ruoslahti, LK Harris. Tumour homing peptides as tools for targeted delivery of payloads to the placenta. Under review. N Cureton, VR Kotamraju, T Teesalu, F Cellesi, JD Aplin, E Ruoslahti, LK Harris. Identification of novel placental homing peptides for targeted delivery of payloads to the placenta. Manuscript in preparation.
Start Year 2010
 
Description Careers "speed dating" event at Fairfield High School for Girls, Manchester 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Schools
Results and Impact In October 2017, I participated in a careers "speed dating" event at Fairfield High School for Girls. Over 3 hours, 200 Year 10 students asked me questions about my education, career path and current job. The event allowed students to meet females working across a range of careers and provided an insight into their working lives.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
 
Description Cover image and article in Physiology News 
Form Of Engagement Activity A magazine, newsletter or online publication
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Participants in your research and patient groups
Results and Impact My research was discussed in an article in The Physiological Society magazine "Physiology News", Winter 2011, issue 85. One of my images was used to create the cover of this publication.

no actual impacts realised to date
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2011
 
Description European City of Science Manchester Pharmacy School Open Day 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact In July 2016, I developed 3 interactive activities and ran a stand at the Manchester Pharmacy School Cancer Treatment: From Bench to Bedside Event to educate the general public about the importance of viscosity when designing and formulating medicines
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
 
Description Invited Lightning Lecture: Medical and Human Sciences Graduate Society, University of Manchester, October 2015 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact I gave an invited Lightning Lecture to ~25 postgraduates at the Medical and Human Sciences Graduate Society, University of Manchester, October 2015
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2015
 
Description Invited lecture: Edge Hill University 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Undergraduate students
Results and Impact I gave an invited lecture to ~50 undergraduate students at Edge Hill University, November 2015
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2015
 
Description Invited seminar (expenses paid): Animal Science Research Center, University of Missouri, USA 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact I gave an invited seminar (expenses paid) to ~ 50 undergraduates, postgraduates and Faculty members at the Animal Science Research Center, University of Missouri, USA, March 2015
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2015
 
Description Invited seminar (expenses paid): Faculty of Medicine, St. George's University of London, January 2018 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact Invited research seminar (expenses paid): Faculty of Medicine, St. George's University of London, January 2018
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
 
Description Invited seminar (expenses paid): School of Pharmacy, University of Reading, January 2018 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact Invited research seminar (expenses paid): School of Pharmacy, University of Reading, January 2018
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
 
Description Invited seminar, Center for Pregnancy and Newborn Research, University of Texas 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.)
Results and Impact Invited seminar, Center for Pregnancy and Newborn Research, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, USA, October 2011

no actual impacts realised to date
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2011
 
Description Invited seminar, Mercy Hospital for Women, University of Melbourne, Australia, September 2015 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact I gave an invited seminar to ~25 postgraduate students, scientists and clinicians at The Mercy Hospital for Women, University of Melbourne, Australia, September 2015
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2015
 
Description Invited seminar, Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, Australia 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.)
Results and Impact Invited seminar: Targeted drug delivery to the placenta: the key to optimising fetal health? Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, Perth, Australia, January 2013

no actual impacts realised to date
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2013
 
Description Invited seminar: Department of Paediatrics, Imperial College London, June 2016 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact Invited seminar: Department of Paediatrics, Imperial College London, June 2016
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
 
Description Invited seminar: Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, May 2017 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact Invited seminar (expenses paid): Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, May 2017
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
 
Description Invited speaker, Stepping Up programme 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact Invited speaker, Stepping Up programme: sharing my experiences of securing an external research fellowship

no actual impacts realised to date
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2013
 
Description Invited speaker: IFPA conference, Manchester, UK, September 2017 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact Invited speaker: IFPA conference, Manchester, UK, September 2017
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
 
Description Live interview for the Nanotechnology Inside Out Program 
Form Of Engagement Activity A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press)
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact In July 2016, I gave a 1 hour live interview for the Nanotechnology Inside Out Program on the YouTube channel NanoWeb TV.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
 
Description Manchester Pharmacy School Bugs to Drugs Community Open Day 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact In 2014, I was team lead for a stall at the Manchester Pharmacy School Bugs to Drugs Community Open Day to educate 5-75 year olds about microbes and antibiotic resistance. I showed children how to isolate their DNA from a saliva sample and how to identify different bacteria under the microscope
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2014
 
Description Medical School Community Open Day 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Schools
Results and Impact I was team lead for a stall at the medical school Community Open Day to educate 5-12 year olds about the placenta. I developed a series of interactive activities to demonstrate the importance of optimal placental function and to explain how we can treat poor placental function

no notable impact documented
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2014
 
Description Organiser and host, annual Meet the Scientist workshops 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Schools
Results and Impact I have organised and hosted 2-4 "Meet the Scientist" sessions for groups of A Level Biology students every January since 2012. This involved running lab tours, discussing my research and my career path so far. Simple handouts were produced for the students to summarise the research discussed. These were to be used by the students to prepare a report on their visit.

no actual impacts realised to date
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2012,2013,2014
 
Description Plenary speaker: Manchester MedX national undergraduate conference, Manchester, April 2016 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Undergraduate students
Results and Impact Plenary speaker: Manchester MedX national undergraduate conference, Manchester, April 2016
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
 
Description Press release and media interviews associated with publication of King et al. 2016 in Science Advances 
Form Of Engagement Activity A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Media (as a channel to the public)
Results and Impact As a result of the publication of our paper, King et al. in Science Advances, I issued a press release via The University of Manchester press office, which resulted in 6 media interviews by phone and email. Subsequently, our work was reported on by over 40 news outlets, including The Daily Mail, The Scotsman, Reuters and The San Diego Times. I was also interviewed by Pan European Networks, resulting in an article in their "Science and Technology" publication and by BioCentury, resulting in an article in their BioCentury Innovations weekly translational science publication.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
 
Description School visit to the Maternal and Fetal Health Research Centre 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Schools
Results and Impact I organised and hosted a school visit to our Research Centre for 32 Year 10 students and 2 teachers from Flixton Girls School, Greater Manchester. During this half day session the girls learnt about our research and participated in a careers session, a lab tour and a debate about ethical issues in pregnancy. Simple handouts were produced for the students to summarise the research discussed. These were to be used by the students to prepare a report on their visit

no actual impacts realised to date
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2014
 
Description Science Connections event 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Schools
Results and Impact In July 2015, I participated in a Science Connections event at Levenshulme High School for Girls in Manchester. I talked to groups of girls about my education, career path and what my job entails from day to day. I also held a discussion about science and pregnancy in the news, to gauge the girls' opinions on cloning, IVF, designer babies and embryo selection. The aim of the day was to give them a wider understanding of different career paths within the medical sciences and to help them understand some of the roles and responsibilities of different professions
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2015
 
Description Science extravaganza volunteer, University of Manchester 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Schools
Results and Impact Science Extravaganza: From Tues 19th to Fri 22nd March 2013 the University offered a programme of interactive workshops, demonstrations and lectures aimed at pupils in Years 7 to 9. I helped to run a interactive DNA/genetics stand.

no actual impacts realised to date
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2013
 
Description University of Manchester Community Open day 2017 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact In June 2017, I participated in the University of Manchester Community Open day to educate the public about the role of viscosity in formulation of medicines. I developed a series of interactive activities to demonstrate the effects of viscosity in different delivery devices.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
 
Description University of Manchester Medical School Community Open Day 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact In 2014, I was team lead for a stall at the University of Manchester Medical School Community Open Day to educate 5-12 year olds about the placenta. I developed a series of interactive activities to demonstrate the importance of optimal placental function and to explain how we can treat poor placental function
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2014
 
Description Widening participation Dragonfly Day speed networking event 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Schools
Results and Impact In 2015, I participated in a Dragonfly Day speed networking event organised by The University of Manchester. Groups of local school girls aged 12-15 asked me questions about my education, career path and current job. The aim of the programme was for the girls to meet and chat with female staff working in STEM areas, improve their self-confidence and communication skills, challenge their perceptions of scientists and highlight careers they may not have considered
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2015
 
Description World Cancer Day Manchester Pharmacy School Open Day 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Schools
Results and Impact In Feb 2017, I ran a stand at the Manchester Pharmacy School Cancer Treatment: From Bench to Bedside Event to educate 11-18 year olds about the importance of viscosity when designing and formulating medicines
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017