Welcome to the Nanomedicines Focus Group
Who We Are
What is Nanomedicine?
Nanomedicine is the application of nanotechnology to healthcare. while ‘Nanomedicines’ as nanometre-scale (i.e., with at least one dimension in the size range of approximately 1–100 nm) complex systems for the treatment, diagnosis or prevention of disease. At this nanoscale range, nanomedicines exhibit different chemical or physical properties, or biological effects compared to conventional therapeutics.
The first nanomedicine was authorised by the European Commission in 1996 (Doxil/Caelyx, i.e. PEGylated liposomal doxorubicin), and there are now more than 100 nanomedicines on the market (REF; https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/S13346-021-01024-2) and over 500 nanomedicine-based products undergoing clinical trials.
About Us
The Nanomedicine Focus Group provides a forum for discussion and helps to raise the profile of nanomedicines within the UK, engaging with personnel working at all stages across the supply chain, from first principles to clinical use. Our main interests include:
- Novel therapeutics and drug delivery systems
- Nanotechnology-based diagnostic and analytical tools
- Nanoimaging
- Nanomaterials and nanodevices
- Vaccines
- Clinical, regulatory and toxicological challenges of nanomedicines
Our Focus Group members come from a wide range of disciplines, career stages and sectors, including students, early career researchers and established principal investigators from academia, industry, healthcare and regulatory sectors. We are an inclusive group and welcome anyone working, or with an interest, in nanomedicines to join the Focus Group.
The Focus Group is led by a Steering Committee, who meet quarterly to plan activities and events, including webinars, in-person symposia and our annual session at the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences’ PharmSci conference. We encourage Focus Group members to contact the Chair if they wish to join the Steering Group.
Drawing on expertise from industry, academia, regulatory and clinical practice, the group encourages the exchange of information and collaboration across all parties. Through establishing an active and open community in this fast-moving field, this Focus Group will explore the opportunities that nanomedicine offers, investigate any barriers to their adoption and then work together to propose solutions.
Meet the Group
What We Do
What We’ve Done
We organise special events and contribute to the annual APS PharmSci conference. Our most recent event was sold out APS Nanomedicines for the Delivery of Biologics University of Reading, Wednesday 18 July 2018. Overall Meeting satisfaction was 5/5, Content 5/5 and Venue 5/5
Delegate Comments included:
“Thank you for an excellent, engaging & informative conference with wonderful talks and ample opportunities for networking. Thank you also for the provision of catering for special diet, the food was great!”
“Excellent presentations”
“Well organised meeting”
Please take a look at the meeting summary and the programme.
We have also organised several webinars relating to Nanomedicine, including a series of talks relating to ‘Crossing the biological barriers with nanomedicines’ in 2021 and a five-part webinar series on ‘Characterisation and Standardisation of Nanomedicine’ in 2023/2024. These sessions included presentations and discussion by World-leading nanomedicine experts, including Stefaan de Smedt (Universiteit Ghent, Belgium), Maria Vicent (CIPF, Spain), Caterina Minelli (National Physical Laboratory, UK) and Fanny Caputo (Laboratoire National de Metrologie et D’Essais, France). Webinars were very well attended and feedback from attendees and speakers about the presentations and informal discussions was very positive.
Hot Scientific Topics
- The role of nanomedicines for immune-based therapies
- Nanomedicines for vaccine development
- Translation of nanomedicine manufacture from the research laboratory to pharmaceutical industry
- Nanomedicines exploiting biological opportunities and navigating delivery challenges
- Hurdles and lessons for the clinical translation of anticancer nanomedicines
- Development of biosimilar second-generation nanomedicines
- Regulatory challenges for nanomedicines
Future Plans
We are currently planning the next in-person Nanomedicine Symposium in September 2025. We also deliver a session on Nanomedicines at the annual APS PharmSci conference.
We are considering collaborative meetings with other APS Focus groups and relevant organisations. If you have an interest in nanomedicines and would like to contribute to the planning and delivery of our meetings, please get in touch.
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