Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre

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Cameron Alexander

Professor of Polymer Therapeutics, Director of Research, Faculty of Science

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Biography

Cameron Alexander is Professor of Polymer Therapeutics and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. Following BSc and PhD degrees in Chemistry at the University of Durham, UK, he was a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the Melville Laboratory for Polymer Synthesis, University of Cambridge. Cameron has held many external roles, including elected membership of the EPSRC Science Engineering and Technology Board (SETB) from 2019-2022, and as Chair of the EPSRC Strategic Advisory Team from 2016-2019.

Cameron was awarded the Royal Society of Chemistry /Society of the Chemical Industry Macro Group UK Prize and Medal in 2014 for contributions to polymer science. He is currently the recipient of the Royal Society of Chemistry Interdisciplinary Prize and Medal 2025 for research at the interface of chemistry, pharmaceutical science and medicine..

Expertise Summary

We aim to develop materials which can improve the delivery of small molecule drugs, genes and vaccine components to target sites in the body, to enhance therapeutic efficacy and reduce side-effects. The main focus is on polymer therapeutics, for which we are developing a range of synthetic, natural and hybrid materials to transport drugs, genes and cells safely and efficiently to disease locations. We are currently working on polymer formulations for cancer medicines, anti-infectives and RNA vaccines in collaboration with groups from all over the world. Alumni from the group hold faculty posts at University College London, Sheffield, East Anglia, King's College London, Federico II (Napoli), Paris Est, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University (China), University College Dublin and senior research posts in Abzema, Achilles Therapeutics, AstraZeneca, Baxter Pharmaceuticals (China), Catalent, Cytrx, Exactmer, GSK, Lonza DPS, Malvern Instruments, MIP Diagnostics, Quotient, Revolymer, Samsung, Sanofi, Sygnature, Synthomer, UCB Pharma and ViaNautis.

Teaching Summary

Teaching

MPharm. Medicines Pathway (Convenor) - Clinical Trials and Case Studies of Accelerated Trials (Year 2); Cancers module - Cancer Pharmaceutics (Year 3)

Pharmaceutical Sciences MSci. Pharmaceutical Biotechnology - Protein and Vaccine Formulations.(Year 2). Biologics - Viral and Non-viral gene delivery, Advanced Nucleic Acid Formulations (Year 3)

Applied Biomolecular Technology MSc - Contributor to drug delivery / pharmaceutics modules,

Research Summary

Key research foci include smart materials (Biomater. Sci. 2025, Biomater. Sci. 2023, Nanoscale 2021, Nature Mater 2014), drug and gene delivery (Br. J. Cancer 2024, J. Control Release 2023, Biomater.… read more

Selected Publications

Awards and External Activities

  • Royal Society of Chemistry Interdisciplinary Prize and Medal 2025.
  • Member of the MHRA Highly Personalised Medicines Expert Working Group, 2024-
  • International Review Panel Member for the Helmholtz Foundation, 2024-2025
  • Director of Research, School of Pharmacy, Nottingham, 2024-
  • Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award 2016-2021.
  • EPSRC Impact Fellowship 2016-2019.
  • Conference Chair - Materials Chemistry 15, Royal Society of Chemistry, 2021.
  • Conference Chair - Academy of Pharmaceutival Sciences PharmSc Conference 2019
  • Chair of EPSRC Physical Sciences Strategic Advisory Team (SAT) - 2016 -2019.

Current Research

Key research foci include smart materials (Biomater. Sci. 2025, Biomater. Sci. 2023, Nanoscale 2021, Nature Mater 2014), drug and gene delivery (Br. J. Cancer 2024, J. Control Release 2023, Biomater. Sci. 2023, ACS Nano 2020), nucleic acid vaccine formulations (Biomaterials 2024, Nanoscale Adv 2024, Polym. Chem 2020, Biomacromolecules 2020,) and synthetic biology (ACS Macro Lett. 2022, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2020, Nature Chem 2013).

This research has been generously supported by a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award Fellowship, InnovateUK, Wellcome LEAP, UKRI and industry research grants.

Past Research

Polymer synthesis, organic magnets, self-assembly of liquid crystalline polymers and molecular imprinting

Future Research

Advanced Biomaterials, Nucleic acid vaccines and therapeutics, Nanomedicines, Responsive polymers, Gene Delivery, Anti-Microbial Resistance, Synthetic Biology

Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre (NBCRC)


University of Nottingham
Biodiscovery Institute (Room C214)
University Park
Science Road
Nottingham, NG7 2RD


email: nbcrc@nottingham.ac.uk