Tel:  +44 (0)20 7753 5997
Fax: +44 (0)20 7753 5942
Email: ijeoma.f.uchegbu@pharmacy.ac.uk

View Image Library

Areas of Expertise

Physical Chemistry, Self Assembly, Nanoscience, Nanotechnology, Drug delivery, Gene delivery

Biography

1994 - PhD School of Pharmacy, University of London, London, UK
1997 - Lecturer School of Pharmacy, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
2000 - Senior Lecturer, School of Pharmacy, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
2002 - Professor of Drug Delivery, School of Pharmacy, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
2006 - Professor of Pharmaceutical Nanoscience, School of Pharmacy, University of London, UK
2000 - Tom Gibson Memorial Award from the British Society of Plastic Surgeons, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in Glasgow and the Universities of Strathclyde and Glasgow.
2001 – American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists New Investigator Grant in Oral Lipid Delivery Systems, 2001

Research Interests

Our research is concerned with the design, synthesis and use of amphiphilic polymers and low molecular weight dendrimers to effect drug and gene delivery solutions.  Key firsts emanating from our work are detailed below.

• Report that amphiphilic polyelectrolytes significantly increase the oral bioavailability of hydrophobic drugs (Cheng et al, 2006, Biomacromolecules, 7: 1509). 
• Discovery that carbohydrate amphiphiles significantly improve the central nervous system and transcorneal bioavailability of hydrophobic drugs (Qu, et al, Biomacromolecules, in press). 
• In collaboration with Dr Andreas Schatzlein  of the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University of London, demonstration that polypropylenimine dendrimers may be used to construct an effective synthetic anti-cancer gene medicine (Dufes et al, 2005, Cancer Res, 65: 8079).
• The fabrication of biological mimic bilayer membranes from polyelectrolytes (Wang et al, 2001, J Coll Interf Sci, 237: 200; Wang et al, 2004, Macromolecules, 37: 9114). 
• Elucidation of the specific controllers of nanosystem size namely: polymer molecular weight (Wang et al, 2001, Langmuir, 17: 631) and polymer hydrophobicity (Wang et al, 2004, Macromolecules, 37: 9114).
• Elucidation of the polymer architecture variables that control the formation of three types of nanosystems: micelles, vesicles and dense nanoparticles (Wang et al, 2000, Langmuir 16: 7859; Wang et al, 2001, J Coll Interf Sci, 237: 200; Wang et al, 2004, Macromolecules, 37: 9114).

Selected Publications

Qu X, Khutoryanskiy VV, Stewart A, Rahman S, Sternberg-Papahadjopoulos B, Dufes C, McCarthy D, Wilson CG, Lyons RL, Carter KC, Schätzlein AG, Uchegbu IF, Carbohydrate based micelle clusters which enhance hydrophobic drug bioavailability by up to an order of magnitude, Biomacromolecules (in press).

Cheng WP, Gray AI, Tetley L, Hang TLB, Schätzlein AG, Uchegbu IF (2006), Polyelectrolyte nanoparticles with high drug loading enhance the oral uptake of hydrophobic compounds, Biomacromolecules, 7: 1509 - 1520.

Uchegbu IF Schätzlein AG (eds.).  Polymers in Drug Delivery, Taylor and Francis, Boca Raton (2006).

Dufès C, Proutski I, Bilsland A, Keith, WN, Uchegbu, IF, Schätzlein AG (2005), Synthetic anti-cancer gene medicine exploits intrinsic anti-tumour activity of cationic vector to cure established tumours, Cancer Res, 65: 8079 – 8084. 

Schätzlein AG, Zinselmeyer BH, Elouzi A, Dufès C, Chim YTA, Roberts CJ, Davies MC, Munro A, Gray AI, Uchegbu IF (2005), Preferential liver gene expression with polypropylenimine dendrimers, J Control Rel, 101: 247-258.

Wang W, Qu X, Gray AI, Tetley L, Uchegbu IF (2004), Self assembly of cetyl linear polyethylenimine to give micelles, vesicles and dense nanoparticles, Macromolecules, 37: 9114-9122.

Kan PL, Schätzlein AG, Papahadjopoulos-Sternberg B, Wong D, Waigh RD, Watson DG, Gray AI, McCarthy D, McAllister M, Uchegbu IF (2004), Highly hydrophilic fused aggregates (microsponges) from a C12 spermine bolaamphiphile, J Phys Chem B, 108: 8129-8135.

Zinselmeyer B, Schätzlein AG, Mackay SP, Uchegbu IF (2002).  The Lower generation dendrimers are effective gene transfer agents, Pharm Res 19: 960-967.

Wang W, McConaghy A, Tetley L, Uchegbu IF (2001).  Controls on polymer molecular weight may be used to control the size of palmitoyl glycol chitosan polymeric vesicles, Langmuir 17: 631-636.

Brown MD, Schätzlein AG, Uchegbu IF (2001).  Gene delivery with non-viral vectors, Int J Pharm 229: 1-21.

Wang W, Tetley L, Uchegbu IF (2000).  A new class of poly-L-lysine based polymers forms nanoparticles on probe sonication in aqueous media.  Langmuir 16: 7859-7866.