May 2023 – mcdonaldlab

24/05/202316/02/2024

George completes his MPhil

Congratulation to George, who today passed his MPhil viva with minor corrections on his thesis titled “Formulating Polypropylene to Establish Structure-Property-Performance Relationships in Recycled Material for Packaging Applications”. Well done George!

George completed his thesis while working in his new career as a Data Analyst, we thank him for all his hard work and wish him all the best in the future.

Many thanks to Haifei Zhang and Lee Fielding for their time spent assessing George’s work.

23/05/202316/02/2024

Paper based on Nancy’s PhD work is published in Food Hydrocolloids

We are delighted to announce the publication of an important research paper in Food Hydrocolloids, stemming from Nancy’s PhD work.

Nancy’s research focuses on utilising a titration method to enhance the stability and release behaviour of curcumin nanosuspensions—a compound with limited aqueous solubility. By employing biocompatible and biodegradable polyelectrolytes, nanosuspension coatings were successfully applied, leading to promising results.

The study showcases the potential of layer-by-layer (LbL) modification, specifically by using a pH-responsive outer layer, which delays curcumin release in acidic conditions and facilitates release in neutral pH environments over an extended period.

These findings contribute to the development of more effective oral drug delivery systems. Nancy’s work demonstrates the value of a titrated LbL modification approach in tailoring nanosuspension stability and release behaviour.