Research impact - Nanoparticles in drug delivery

Karen Baxter

A case study submitted to the Research Excellence Framework 2014 demonstrating the impact of the University's research.

Research by Medway School of Pharmacy in the emerging area of nanotechnology, has shown that gold nanoparticles may be the key to developing new treatments for diseases such as allergy, leukaemia and autoimmune disorders.

Nanoparticles are so small that they operate on the same scale as biologically active macromolecules, and gold nanoparticles were found to be an excellent platform for drug delivery. With clear potential for therapeutic innovation, these findings led to Dr Vadim Sumbayev’s collaboration with the Institute for Health and Consumer Protection (part of the European Commission Joint Research Centre). The work has inspired further research from companies who specialise in nanotechnology, nanobiotechnology and synthetic biology.

The Research Excellence Framework 2014 showed that Kent ranks 17th in the UK for research intensity, has world-leading research in all subjects and that 97% of our research is deemed to be of international quality.

Contributing to the University’s REF success were the number of our world class publications, the number of research active staff and the demonstrable impact our research has made to the sciences and to economic, social and cultural understanding.