Co-Directors
Caitriona O’Driscoll
Investigator
caitriona.odriscoll
ucc.ie
Professor Caitriona O’Driscoll is Professor and Chair of Pharmaceutics in the School of Pharmacy, University College Cork.
Research Focus: Professor O’Driscoll’s research strategy is translational in nature and product driven. The research is focused on the design, formulation and characterisation of biomimetics drug delivery systems incorporating the products of the pharmaceutical biotechnology industry such as peptide/protein type drugs and RNA. Biopharmaceuticals, including peptide/proteins and nucleic acids, are now approaching 50% of all new drugs in development. The focus of Professsor O’Driscoll’s research is the development of nano-sized delivery constructs which are robust enough to survive processing, are stable on storage and achieve cell /site specific delivery in vivo. Clinical targets under investigation are: Cancer, prostate cancer and acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), Neurodegenerative disease, including Huntington’s disease, Gastrointestinal disease, including Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).
History of Mentoring and Supervision: Postgraduate: supervisor of 22 PhD and 10 MSc theses to completion. Career paths pursued by PhDs: 7 in Pharmaceutical Industry; 10 in Academia/Research; 2 Regulatory Agency; and 3 in Healthcare services. Postdoctoral Researchers mentored 27, (2000-2018). Currently supervising 3 PhD students and mentoring 1 Postdoctoral researcher.
Innovation/Commercialisation Activity: Patent 1: Amphiphilic macrocyclic derivatives and their analogues” – this has been granted in the US (31st August 2010, US 7,786,095 B2) and is pending being granted in Europe (3rd May 2003, application number is 01928168.2). Patent 2: “A macrocyclic derivative and assemblies formed therefrom” – this has been entered into the national phase in the US (30th December 2010, application number 13/002,067) and the European regional phase (2nd January 2011, application number is 09772569.1). Patent 3: New International (PCT): “Cyclodextrin conjugates”. Filed 14th December 2017. EI Identifier No. 2016-UCC-009-PF. Regulatory Science Ireland (RSI), Company Limited by Guarantee registered in Irl., Co. No.,565753, founding member and Chair, 2014-date. Research Funding as Lead/Co-Applicant to date >€4,800,000
Editorial Board Member: Eur J Pharm Sci; J Pharm. and Pharmacology; J Drug Delivery Sci & Tech., Pharm Nanotechnology and PloS ONE and previously for J. Pharm. Sci.
Board Membership: Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA), 2011-15, re-appointed 2016-20. Cork Cancer Research Centre 2013- 16. Council Member, Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland, 2011-15
Grant Reviewer for: Foundation for Science & Technology, Ministry for Education & Science, Portugal (FCT); IWT-Flanders, Agency for Innovation by Science & Technology, Belgium; Israel Sci Foundation; The Wellcome Trust; MRC (UK); Novo Nordisk Foundation, FWF-Austrian Science Fund, European Research Council Consolidator Grant and EU Innovative Medicines Initiative.
Publications: 108 peer-reviewed publications, 82 as senior author, in journals including Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews (IF 15.038), Biotechnology Advances (IF 9.015), Trends in Molecular Medicine (IF 9.453), J Controlled Release (IF 7.705) and Biomaterials (IF 8.557). H-index: 35
http://publish.ucc.ie/researchprofiles/C019/caitrionaodriscoll