Full-Time compressed orally disintegrating tablets |2021-2022 Scholarships Grants

Aston University

Duration: 3 years

Applications are invited for a Full-Time Three Year Research Studentship under the supervision of Dr Afzal Mohammed and Professor Yvonne Perrie. The project will contribute to the research activities of the Medicines Research Unit in the School of Life and Health Sciences and the Aston Research Centre for Children and Young Peopleâs Health (ARCHY) at Aston University, Birmingham, UK.

The Project:

Background: Orally Disintegrating Tablets (ODTs) are an ideal dosage for formulation of medicines for children as they disintegrate rapidly upon contact with saliva. Recent developments in the field such as quality by design (QbD) have addressed robustness of pharmaceutical processes to some degree but significant work needs to be carried out to understand and identify the most relevant characteristics of materials (excipients) and active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) in order to develop formulations capable of delivering the right dose with acceptable patient acceptability and preference, which is critical in the case of paediatric treatments.

Previous work: Work from our laboratory has shown to provide insight into multi functionality of excipients [1]. The current proposal builds on our previous work and aims to extend the investigations to wider pharmaceutical materials including the application of novel techniques such as milling and powder blending to understand material properties and develop reliable strategies with a view to formulating ODTs suitable for delivering model insoluble drugs to children with enhanced taste masking and acceptability.

ElShaer et al., (2013) A systematic and mechanistic evaluation of aspartic acid as a filler for directly compressed tablets containing trimethoprim and trimethoprim aspartate. European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics 83,3,. 468-476.

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Financial Support:

Due to funding restrictions this studentship is co-funded by Aston University and Colorcon Ltd for Home/EU applicants; it provides a tax-free stipend of approximately £13,590 per annum and payment of Home/EU tuition fees only. Please note: This studentship does not cover the tuition fees for overseas (non-EU) applicants. The studentship is available for three years, subject to satisfactory progress review at the end of the first year, with an anticipated start date of 1^st January 2014 for Registration.

Application Requirements:

Eligible Applicants should have, or expect to receive, a good Bachelor Honours degree (either First Class or Upper Second Class) or to hold a Masters Degree in a relevant discipline.

You should be enthusiastic and have a strong interest in science.

If you are an EU Applicant, you will need to demonstrate adequate proficiency in English Language skills, with a minimum score of 620 (260 minimum in computer test) in TOEFL or IELTS with minimum marks of 6.5 in each section and an overall band of 7.0.