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Martyn Davies

Professor of Biomedical Surface Chemistry, Faculty of Science

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Biography

I qualified as a Pharmacist, graduating top of my year with First Class Honours and gained my PhD from the Chelsea School of Pharmacy (now Kings College) under the supervision of Mike Newton. After a year at the Manchester School of Pharmacy covering John Fell's sabbatical leave in 1984, I was appointed to a lectureship at Nottingham in 1985. I was promoted to Reader in 1991 and then to a personal Chair in 1996. During this period, I was also Head of Life, Health & Agricultural Sciences Division, Graduate School (1995-97). I was Head of School of Pharmacy from 2000 - 3.

I am the cofounder (with Saul Tendler) and until Jan 2008, was Head of the Laboratory of Biophysics and Surface Analysis (LBSA), a Research Division of the School of Pharmacy, (www.nottingham.ac.uk/lbsa). The LBSA has an international leading reputation and track record in scanning probe microscopy and surface chemical analysis of pharmaceuticals, polymers and biomaterials. The LBSA remain the only grouping to receive the GlaxoSmithKline International Achievement Award (2003), given for "internationally recognized work on drug delivery and new techniques for surface and interface analysis". I have been involved with the formation of a number of University spin-out companies and I am the co-founder and Chairman of a successful spin-out from the LBSA, Molecular Profiles Ltd (www.molprofiles.com) which was awarded the Queens Award for Enterprise in the category of Innovation in 2007.

My work has led to a number of prizes including the CRS Young Investigator Award (1997) and the Distinguished Service Award of the CRS (2008). I was the Scientific Secretary of the CRS (2001-7), was a participant in the recent ESF Forward Look on Nanomedicine, have recently been re-elected to the EPSRC Peer Review College and am a member of the RAE 2008 Pharmacy Panel. I have organised numerous international scientific conferences and am on the editorial boards of 4 science journals. I am a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, American Institute of Biological Engineering and Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain.

Research Summary

My research interests focus on the study of the surface properties of biomolecular assemblies, advanced delivery systems and new generation biomaterials. Surface nanoengineering and the self-assembly… read more

Recent Publications

Current Research

My research interests focus on the study of the surface properties of biomolecular assemblies, advanced delivery systems and new generation biomaterials. Surface nanoengineering and the self-assembly of surfaces are also an interest as is the characterisation of drug delivery systems. My work has involved the application of range of advanced surface analytical technique such as AFM, SIMS, XPS and SPR to define the surface properties, functionality and performance of biomolecular, pharmaceutical and biomaterial systems.

Recent studies include the development, with Morgan Alexander, of the first high throughput surface chemical analysis approach for polymer arrays which is being applied to screen biomaterial - stem cell interactions as part of a BBSRC funded project and undertaken in collaboration with Bob Langer and Dan Anderson at MIT. This activity has lead to the award of a £1.3M translation award from the Wellcome Trust with the additional collaborator, Prof Paul Williams from IIII. The first application of gentle-SIMS to pharmaceutical systems is being undertaken in collaboration with Ian Gilmore (BBSRC) at the National Physical Laboratory. Pharmaceutical nanotechnology studies (in collaboration with Clive Roberts) include the measurement of the forces of adhesion and friction of pharmaceutical powders (BBSRC with 3M), the micro- and nano-structure of solid dispersions (J & J) and drug loaded polymer stents (Abbott). The development of novel nanoparticulate delivery systems is being explored in collaboration with Snow Stolnik and Clive Roberts (Nittodenko) and an EPSRC programme with Cameron Alexander is focused on the development of colloidal cellular delivery systems.

In my academic career, I have published over 350 scientific papers and supervised over 60 PhD students and mentored over 30 postdoctoral fellows, many of whom are now in senior positions within the pharmaceutical industry and 14 have been appointed to academic positions within leading international research Universities. Memberships of Committees and Professional Bodies• Fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain• Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry• Scientific Secretary and Board Member, the Controlled Release Society• Member, RPSGB Academic Excellence Awards• Member of the Editorial Boards of Journal of Controlled Release, Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences.• Member of American Chemical Society• Member, EPSRC Peer Review College

Teaching

Practical Dispensing and the Science of Medicines Manufacture Pharmaceutics 2 : Pharmaceutical TechnologyLaboratory Studies in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacology'The Scientific Entrepreneur: Starting your own pharmaceutical or biotech company and protecting your inventions'.

I am an external examiner on undergraduate and masters courses at the Universities of Bath, East Anglia and King's College London.

School of Pharmacy

University of Nottingham
University Park
Nottingham, NG7 2RD

telephone: +44 (0) 115 951 5100
fax: +44 (0) 115 951 5102
email: pharmacy-enquiries@nottingham.ac.uk