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Ijeoma Uchegbu

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Ijeoma Uchegbu
Uchegbu at the Oxford Union Science Debate 2018
Alma materUniversity of Benin
University of Lagos
University of London
Known forNanoparticle drug delivery
Scientific career
InstitutionsUniversity of Strathclyde
University College London
Websitehttp://www.nanomerics.com

Ijeoma Uchegbu is a Nigerian-British Professor of Pharmacy at University College London, where she held the position of Pro-Vice Provost for Africa and the Middle East. She is the Chief Scientific Officer of Nanomerics, a pharmaceutical nanotechnology company specialising in drug delivery solutions for poorly water-soluble drugs, nucleic acids and peptides. She is also a Governor of the Wellcome, a large biomedical research charity.[1] Apart from her highly cited scientific research in Pharmaceutical Nanoscience,[2] Uchegbu is also known for her work in science public engagement and equality and diversity in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).[3][4] In December 2023, it was announced that she will become President of Wolfson College, Cambridge, in October 2024.[5]

Education and early career

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Ijeoma Uchegbu grew up in Hackney, London, and South East Nigeria.[6] She studied pharmacy at the University of Benin, graduating in 1981, and earned her Masters degree at the University of Lagos, [7] but was unable to complete her PhD in Nigeria due to infrastructure difficulties in the 1980s.

"I came into science simply because after training as a pharmacist I wanted something a little bit more challenging to do. I thought that being a researcher would be a great place to start. As I did my pharmacy degree at Nigeria’s University of Benin, I did give research a try in Nigeria, but the infrastructure difficulties in the eighties made this virtually impossible. I came back to the UK, having emigrated 17 years earlier from the UK to Nigeria and started looking around for opportunities."[8]

She moved back to the UK and, as a mature student with three young children,[9][10] completed her postgraduate studies at the University of London, graduating with a PhD in 1997. She was appointed a lecturer at the University of Strathclyde from 2002 to 2004.

Uchegbu has been elected President of Wolfson College, Cambridge, to take up the post commencing on 1 October 2024.[11]

Research

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Uchegbu was made a Chair in Drug Delivery at the University of Strathclyde in 2002. Here she worked on polymer self-assembly, identifying materials that could form stable nanosystems.[12] She demonstrated that polymer molecular weight could be used to control the size of vesicles.[13]

She joined University College London in 2006 as a Chair in Pharmaceutical Nanoscience at the School of Pharmacy.[14][15] Uchegbu leads a research group that investigate molecular design and dosage of pharmaceuticals.[16] She has designed polymers that self-assemble into nanoparticles with the appropriate properties to transport drugs.[16] She explores how nanoparticles can be used for drug delivery.[17] Uchegbu holds several patents for drug delivery,[18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] and biocompatible polymers.[26][27][28] Her pharmaceuticals deliver genes and siRNA to tumours and peptides to the brain as well as encouraging the absorption of hydrophobic drugs using nanoparticles.[29] She is exploring how nanomedicine can be used to treat brain tumours.[30]

In 2018, she was part of a £5.7 million Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council grant, Raman Nanotheranostics, that will use gold nanoparticles to identify disease and light to destroy diseased cells.[31] She also works with magnetic nanoparticles.[32][33]

Nanomerics

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In 2010, Uchegbu with Andreas Schätzlein founded Nanomerics,[34] a pharmaceutical company that uses nanotechnology platforms to develop medicine. Uchegbu is the Chief Scientific Officer of Nanomerics,[12] developing structures that can transport antibodies that can cross the blood–brain barrier.[35] Nanomerics develop molecular envelope technology nanoparticles from amphiphilic polymers that self-assemble.[36] Uchegbu won the Royal Society of Chemistry Emerging Technologies prize for their molecular envelope technology in 2017.[37] She licensed the medicine NM133 to Iacta Pharmaceuticals in 2017.[36] NM133 contains cyclosporine A and can be used to treat dry eye.[36]

Professional service

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Uchegbu serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Controlled Release.[38] She has served as the scientific secretary of the Controlled Release Society. She is editor-in-chief of Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology.[39] She is on the healthcare strategy advisory team of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. She was involved in the University College London celebrations of the National Health Service turning seventy.[40] In 2007, she was chosen for the Women of Outstanding Achievement in SET photographic exhibition that was displayed at the Science Museum and the British Museum.[41]

In 2015, Uchegbu was appointed Pro-Vice Provost for Africa and the Middle East.[42][43] She chairs the Africa and Middle East regional network at University College London (UCL), building partnerships and starting collaborative teams, welcoming international visitors and supporting student recruitment.[44]

Public Engagement and Equality and Diversity

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Uchegbu is involved in public engagement and science communication and featured on BBC Woman's Hour discussing her research into how nano particles can be used to help deliver drugs to the body[45] and taken part in Soapbox Science, an international science outreach programme promoting women scientists and the work they do to members of the public.[8]

Uchegbu is also involved in equality and diversity activities and programmes, acting as the UCL Provost's Envoy for Race Equality[4] and featuring as the only Black British Role Model for the Women's Engineering Society.[3] She also serves on the University College London Race Equality Charter self-assessment team.[46][47] She is part of the Black Female Professors Forum, representing one of the 55 female professors of colour and one of the 25 Black female professors in the UK in 2017.[48][49]

Books

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  • 2000: Synthetic Surfactant Vesicles: Niosomes and Other Non-phospholipid Vesicular Systems: 11 (Drug Targeting and Delivery)[50]
  • 2006: Polymers in Drug Delivery[51]
  • 2013: Fundamentals of Pharmaceutical Nanoscience[52]

Awards and honours

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References

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  1. ^ "Ijeoma Uchegbu appointed to Wellcome's board". Wellcome. 9 November 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  2. ^ "Ijeoma Uchegbu - Google Scholar Citations". scholar.google.co.uk. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Role models | Women's Engineering Society". wes.org.uk. Archived from the original on 1 March 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  4. ^ a b UCL (12 July 2018). "Deans pledge to further race equality at UCL". UCL Human Resources. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  5. ^ Greenbank, Kevin (9 December 2023). "Wolfson College Announces its Next President". Wolfson College, Cambridge.
  6. ^ "International Women's Day 2015: What inspired some of UCL's leading women to become academics?". ucl.ac.uk. 5 March 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  7. ^ "The Talent Pool". Biopharm International. BioPharm International-12-02-2006. 2006 (7). 2 December 2006. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  8. ^ a b Watton, Isla (24 May 2017). "Barriers are there to be broken: Meet Ijeoma F. Uchegbu". SoapboxScience. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  9. ^ Prasad, Aarathi (10 April 2021). "'Not built for minorities to succeed': black scientists on academia's race problem". The Guardian.
  10. ^ McVean, Ada (2 August 2024). "In situ with Ijeoma Uchegbu". Chemistry World. Royal Society of Chemistry. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  11. ^ reports, Agency (17 December 2023). "Tinubu congratulates Nigerian, Ijeoma Uchegbu, elected Cambridge varsity college president". Tribune Online. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  12. ^ a b "Ijeoma Uchegbu | Nanomerics". nanomerics.com. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  13. ^ Wang, Wei; McConaghy, Anne Marie; Tetley, Laurence; Uchegbu, Ijeoma F. (February 2001). "Controls on Polymer Molecular Weight May Be Used To Control the Size of Palmitoyl Glycol Chitosan Polymeric Vesicles". Langmuir. 17 (3): 631–636. doi:10.1021/la001078w. ISSN 0743-7463.
  14. ^ UCLGlobalHealth (12 September 2013), The Latest Developments in Pharmaceutical Nanoscience - Ijeoma Uchegbu, retrieved 21 October 2018
  15. ^ UCL SLMS (15 May 2018), Meet the Researchers and Educators | Ijeoma Uchegbu, retrieved 21 October 2018
  16. ^ a b c UCL (25 April 2018). "Professor Ijeoma Uchegbu". UCL School of Pharmacy. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  17. ^ Godfrey, Lisa; Iannitelli, Antonio; Garrett, Natalie L.; Moger, Julian; Imbert, Ian; King, Tamara; Porreca, Frank; Soundararajan, Ramesh; Lalatsa, Aikaterini; Schätzlein, Andreas G.; Uchegbu, Ijeoma F. (28 January 2018). "Nanoparticulate peptide delivery exclusively to the brain produces tolerance free analgesia". Journal of Controlled Release. 270: 135–144. doi:10.1016/j.jconrel.2017.11.041. hdl:10871/34693. ISSN 0168-3659. PMID 29191784.
  18. ^ "US Patent Application for Delivery of Drugs Patent Application (Application #20160279189 issued September 29, 2016) - Justia Patents Search". patents.justia.com. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  19. ^ "US Patent for Delivery of hydrophilic drugs Patent (Patent # 8,920,819 issued December 30, 2014) - Justia Patents Search". patents.justia.com. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  20. ^ "US Patent Application for Delivery of Hydrophilic Peptides Patent Application (Application #20130203647 issued August 8, 2013) - Justia Patents Search". patents.justia.com. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  21. ^ "US Patent Application for Delivery of Hydrophilic Drugs Patent Application (Application #20130034590 issued February 7, 2013) - Justia Patents Search". patents.justia.com. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  22. ^ "US Patent for Delivery of hydrophilic drugs Patent (Patent # 8,278,277 issued October 2, 2012) - Justia Patents Search". patents.justia.com. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  23. ^ "US Patent Application for DELIVERY OF HYDROPHILIC DRUGS Patent Application (Application #20100222281 issued September 2, 2010) - Justia Patents Search". patents.justia.com. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  24. ^ "US Patent Application for Drug delivery Patent Application (Application #20060148982 issued July 6, 2006) - Justia Patents Search". patents.justia.com. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  25. ^ "US Patent Application for Dendrimers for use in targeted delivery Patent Application (Application #20050019923 issued January 27, 2005) - Justia Patents Search". patents.justia.com. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  26. ^ "US Patent for Solubilising polysaccharides substituted with dydrophilic and hydrophobic groups Patent (Patent # 7,741,474 issued June 22, 2010) - Justia Patents Search". patents.justia.com. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  27. ^ "US Patent Application for Bioactive Polymers Patent Application (Application #20080267903 issued October 30, 2008) - Justia Patents Search". patents.justia.com. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  28. ^ "US Patent Application for Solubilising polysaccharides substituted with dydrophilic and hydrophobic groups Patent Application (Application #20060167116 issued July 27, 2006) - Justia Patents Search". patents.justia.com. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  29. ^ "Iris View Profile". iris.ucl.ac.uk. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  30. ^ Fisusi, Funmilola A; Schätzlein, Andreas G; Uchegbu, Ijeoma F (March 2018). "Nanomedicines in the treatment of brain tumors". Nanomedicine. 13 (6): 579–583. doi:10.2217/nnm-2017-0378. ISSN 1743-5889. PMID 29376468.
  31. ^ "EPSRC grant to revolutionise detection and treatment of life-threatening illnesses". restless.org.uk. 16 February 2018. Archived from the original on 21 October 2018. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  32. ^ Hobson, Nicholas J.; Weng, Xian; Ashford, Marianne; Thanh, Nguyen T. K.; Schätzlein, Andreas G.; Uchegbu, Ijeoma F. (5 June 2019). "Facile aqueous, room temperature preparation of high transverse relaxivity clustered iron oxide nanoparticles". Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects. 570: 165–171. doi:10.1016/j.colsurfa.2019.03.023. ISSN 0927-7757. S2CID 96426043.
  33. ^ Hobson, Nicholas J; Weng, Xian; Siow, Bernard; Veiga, Catarina; Ashford, Marianne; Thanh, Nguyen TK; Schätzlein, Andreas G; Uchegbu, Ijeoma F (1 May 2019). "Clustering superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles produces organ-targeted high-contrast magnetic resonance images". Nanomedicine. 14 (9): 1135–1152. doi:10.2217/nnm-2018-0370. ISSN 1743-5889. PMID 31050589.
  34. ^ "Studying small things can lead to big opportunities says UCL Chair in Pharmaceutical Nanoscience | etrust". etrust.org.uk. Archived from the original on 9 April 2019. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  35. ^ "UCL spin-out aims to smuggle antibodies across the blood-brain barrier". biopharma-reporter.com. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  36. ^ a b c "IACTA Pharmaceuticals Licenses NM133 from Nanomerics for Treatment of Dry Eye". Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  37. ^ Iwasiewicz-Wabnig, Agnieszka (5 October 2017). "Innovation Seminar Series - Prof. Ijeoma Uchegbu, Nanomerics". maxwell.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  38. ^ Elsevier. "I. Uchegbu - Editorial board - Journal of Controlled Release - ISSN 0168-3659". elsevier.com. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  39. ^ "Acknowledgements to Reviewers". eurekaselect.com. Archived from the original on 21 October 2018. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  40. ^ "Professor Ijeoma Uchegbu". ucl.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 15 July 2018. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  41. ^ Pearson, James (12 March 2007). "Women of Outstanding Achievement". electricalreview.co.uk. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  42. ^ UCL (30 October 2015). "Ijeoma Uchegbu Appointed UCL's Pro-Vice Provost for Africa and The Middle East". UCL School of Pharmacy. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  43. ^ UCL (29 June 2017). "Pro-Vice-Provosts (Regional)". UCL Global. Retrieved 21 October 2018.[permanent dead link‍]
  44. ^ "Spotlight on Professor Ijeoma F. Uchegbu, Pro-Vice-Provost for Africa and the Middle East". ucl.ac.uk. 14 January 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  45. ^ "27/09/2010, Woman's Hour - BBC Radio 4". BBC. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  46. ^ UCL (11 July 2018). "Deans pledge to further race equality at UCL". UCL Human Resources. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  47. ^ Letters (1 November 2016). "University College London is determined to tackle racism | Letters". the Guardian. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  48. ^ Solanke, Iyiola (28 February 2019). "Black Female Professors in the UK (February 2017)" (PDF). Equality Policy Unit. University of Leeds. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 March 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  49. ^ "Ijeoma Uchegbu – Black Female Professors Forum". blackfemaleprofessorsforum.org. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  50. ^ Uchegbu, L. F. (1 February 2000). Synthetic Surfactant Vesicles: Niosomes and Other Non-Phospholipid Vesicular Systems (1st ed.). Amsterdam: CRC Press. ISBN 9789058230119.
  51. ^ Uchegbu, Ijeoma F.; Schatzlein, Andreas G., eds. (19 May 2006). Polymers in Drug Delivery (1st ed.). Boca Raton, Fla.: CRC Press. ISBN 9780849325335.
  52. ^ Uchegbu, Ijeoma F.; Schatzlein, Andreas; Cheng, Woei Ping, eds. (9 December 2013). Fundamentals of Pharmaceutical Nanoscience (2013 ed.). New York; Heidelberg: Springer. ISBN 9781461491637.
  53. ^ "2012 RPS award winners announced". Pharmaceutical Journal. Retrieved 21 October 2018.[permanent dead link‍]
  54. ^ "Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences Eminent Fellows". APSGB. Archived from the original on 21 October 2018. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  55. ^ "College of Fellows Award Recipients". controlledreleasesociety.org. Archived from the original on 22 October 2018. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  56. ^ UCL (9 November 2016). "Professor Ijeoma Uchegbu wins Innovative Science Award". UCL School of Pharmacy. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  57. ^ "Honorary Fellows at the Royal Society of Chemistry". Royal Society of Chemistry.
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