Who we are
Material Science Focus Group.
Material Science covers a range of scales (from molecular to impacting on tonnes of powder) and directly affects the ability for a novel medicine to work in the body and how it is produced so it can get there. i.e. Dictating how you will make and deliver a medicine. Material science covers a very broad range of topics from solubility and rheology to mechanical properties across the whole range of medicines manufacture. So consideration of the material science properties of an active molecule, and the medicine it is part of, is essential to the delivery of new and improved medicines to patients; along with many other considerations (dealt with by other APS Focus Groups). As such material science is a highly collaborative discipline which works across many areas of drug development. This is reflected in the makeup of the Focus Group and the range of meetings we have organised over the group’s history to provide a forum for discussion and learning in the current issues.
The Focus Group steering committee has representation from industrial scientists and academics and the many shades in between (so all are welcome). We have representation from a number of large pharma companies including AstraZeneca, GSK, BMS, Novartis and Pfizer. Along with a number of SME’s and large material providers such as Ashland. We also have representation from academics at UCL School of Pharmacy (SoP), Bradford University SoP, Greenwich University SoP, Queen’s University Belfast SoP, DeMontfort University SoP, Sunderland University SoP and UEA SoP. Through its membership the Focus Group provides a pre-competitive forum that promotes scientific education and training in the field of pharmaceutical material science. This includes topics such as new materials, new analytical techniques and new considerations for known materials in order to meet the needs of novel processing techniques. The Focus Group provides an active community of practice for those interested in pharmaceutical material science and through this network seeks to develop opportunities for cross-sector pre-competitive collaboration. The Focus Group will contribute to the scientific programme for the annual APS PharmSci meeting and organise additional symposia to promote awareness of innovative approaches across material science; often in collaboration with other Focus Groups.
Both Dave and Elaine are Pharmacists by background and spent the formative years of their careers with AstraZeneca (although at different times and at different sites) in material science roles within R&D. They work in separate areas of material science with Elaine dealing with compressions properties and Dave dealing with solid form chemistry. So their knowledge and skills cut across the material science portfolio.
Both Dave and Elaine are Pharmacists by background and spent the formative years of their careers with AstraZeneca (although at different times and at different sites) in material science roles within R&D. They work in separate areas of material science with Elaine dealing with compressions properties and Dave dealing with solid form chemistry. So their knowledge and skills cut across the material science portfolio.