ALUMNI MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2017
Manchester Pharmacy School In this issue WELCOME
2
UNDERGRADUATE TEACHING HIGHLIGHTS
4
POSTGRADUATE HIGHLIGHTS
8
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
10
ALUMNI NEWS
12
EVENTS
16
REMEMBERING PROFESSOR PETER NOYCE CBE
19
Charter for women in science recognising commitment to advancing women’s careers in STEMM.
www.manchester.ac.uk/pharmacy
ALUMNI MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2017
Welcome
from the Head of Pharmacy and Optometry
It is with very great pleasure that I welcome you to the 2017 edition of the Manchester Pharmacy Alumni Magazine; it is my first as Head of Pharmacy and Optometry. The previous Head, Professor Kay Marshall has now moved on to become Head of the School of Health Sciences. Another change is that Pharmacy has joined with Optometry to form the Division of Pharmacy and Optometry within the Faculty of Health Sciences. This new structure has been in existence for a year and has already proven beneficial in a number of ways to both Pharmacy and Optometry, with our students particularly enjoying working together in their InterProfessional Education. It is worth reflecting here that pharmacists and optometrists working together is not a new concept. Indeed, at one time it was not uncommon for pharmacists to work also as opticians. In 1905, a Society of Chemist Opticians was founded and persisted up to about 1962. Although this Society was specifically aimed at dual practitioners and while it was possible to be a Chemist-Optician, it was never possible the other way around. Now, with optometrists gaining independent prescribing rights, it is likely that pharmacists and optometrists will be working closely together which could prove particularly beneficial in raising public awareness of eye health. At Manchester, we take great pride in our public engagement and social responsibility activities and this year our students and staff have taken part in a wide variety of such initiatives. For example, a third-year student, Memona Shahid, was chair of Access All Areas, which is a volunteering section of the Students’ Union which aims to tackle inequalities in education. As part of her role as chair, Memona set up the LIGHTSS: Longsight Study Support project to help local young people prepare for their GCSE and A-level exams. Memona’s excellent contribution to tackling inequalities in education was recognized in her receiving a 2017 University Making a Difference (MAD) Student Award for her Outstanding Contribution to Widening Participation. Other examples of student initiatives include the organisation of a coffee morning for Macmillan Nurses, and Christmas present and Easter egg collections
2
for the Wood Street Mission. Two of our staff, Professor Kaye Williams and Dr Sally Freeman were Highly Commended in the 2017 MAD Staff Awards for their Outstanding Contribution to Equality and Diversity. Their commendation was for a project called ‘We Get It in Pharmacy: A Student Ambassador Project’ which involved students recruiting Equality and Diversity Student Ambassadors to deliver events promoting Equality and Diversity. In May, several of our academic staff took part in The Pint of Science Festival which aims to deliver interesting and relevant talks on the latest science research in an accessible format to the public – mainly across bars and pubs, hence its name. You can learn more about these and other initiatives in the Division of Pharmacy and Optometry Blog at https://blogs.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/ pharmacy/2017/06/. Other noticeable events this year included three of our first-year students winning first place in the Lloyd’s Pharmacy Competition held as part of the British Pharmaceutical Students’ Association (BPSA) 75th Annual Conference at the University of Durham and our independent prescribing course gaining an unconditional accreditation from the GPhC. The year was also tinged with great sadness, however, when we learned of the death of one of the greats of Pharmacy, Professor Peter Noyce, who will no doubt have taught a number of you, and was Head of Pharmacy at Manchester over the years 1994-1998. Many of us will have our own personal memories of Peter, and my abiding memory is of his wicked sense of humour and the witty asides he made to me in a very important and serious meeting that we attended together. In conclusion, I am very much looking forward to my first year at Head of one of the UK’s leading health care departments, working alongside such committed and talented staff. I am excited to learn everything that 2017-2018 will bring. With best wishes,
from the Head of School of Health Sciences
Dear Alumni, It hardly seems a year since I wrote my introduction for the 2016 edition of our magazine and I am saddened to say that this was my last contribution as Head of Pharmacy as following a faculty merger and restructure I have now moved to be the Head of Health Sciences, in which pharmacy and all of the other allied healthcare professions sit. This new role is providing me with opportunities to strengthen research linkages and interprofessionalism, which I hope will enhance the education of our undergraduate population and ultimately the care they offer to their patients. The devolution of funds for health and social care (so-called Devo Manc) also means that we have a perhaps once in a generation chance to develop what we do and can do as healthcare professionals as we transform ourselves to meet the needs of our population. At this point, before talking of my successor, I must pause to mention an important predecessor. I am sure some of you have seen the many obituaries in the PJ about the death of Professor Peter Noyce, CBE. Peter was a huge part of the School and his impact extends way beyond Manchester. He may have gone but his pharmaceutical legacy lives on, not least in the shape of the many colleagues we now have who were brought on by Peter. We will be celebrating his achievements in a memorial lecture in autumn and details will appear on our website nearer the time. Pharmacy also continues to play an important role in supporting ‘Goal 3’ of the University, namely promoting social responsibility. Staff and students are doing some great work that goes above and beyond the day job. Antimicrobial resistance is a problem that we as pharmacists are well aware of but sadly this cannot be said of everyone. Dr David Alison continues to lead the charge on this one, most recently being part of a team that won a national award for their work – which I sincerely hope will continue until this vital battle is won.
In terms of research pharmacy has progressed this year, not least by making some key appointments such as Dr Sam Butterworth who joins us from Birmingham. Sam is a senior lecturer in medicinal chemistry and he is currently working on a project funded by Wellcome to develop molecules for the management of triple negative breast cancer. We have had a good year for research funding and our fantastic team of probationer staff are already punching above their weight, for example, Dr Lynda Harris has been funded to look at homing peptides that target the placenta with the aim of attenuating the problem of fetal growth restriction. We are continuing to strengthen our pharmaceutics team by the addition of my successor, Professor Jayne Lawrence, who joins us from Kings College. You may also have heard of Jayne through the RPS where she was the Chief Scientific Officer and as such starred or should that be sparred with one John Humphries on the Today programme on Radio 4 as she spoke out for pharmacy and pharmacists. I am sure you will join me in wishing Jayne well as she takes on the leadership of Pharmacy at Manchester. So it’s goodbye from me, although I can’t promise to keep away from pharmacy – to paraphrase the saying – you can take the woman out of pharmacy but you can’t take pharmacy out of the woman! With best wishes,
Professor Kay Marshall Head of the School of Health Sciences
Professor Jayne Lawrence Head of Pharmacy and Optometry
MANCHESTER PHARMACY SCHOOL | 3
ALUMNI MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2017
UNDERGRADUATE TEACHING HIGHLIGHTS The Manchester MPharm Programme continues to grow in order to prepare our students for their future roles. We continue with our placements in the community, general practice, hospital and industrial pharmacy settings. This year saw the full roll out of general practice placements to all our 4th year pharmacy students, which received extremely positive feedback from students. This coming academic year will see the complete roll out of community pharmacy placements into the 4th year, focussing on preparation for pre-registration practice. We continue with our interprofessional learning with healthcare professions from across the faculty, and in the workplace, in all four years of the pharmacy programme to provide an enriched programme of learning where students learn with, from and about each other to develop the skills for providing collaborative person-centred care.
Class of 2017 Felicia Yew, Jared Loo and Justin Lee In April our 1st Year pharmacy students Felicia Yew, Jared Loo and Justin Lee attended the British Pharmaceutical Students’ Association 75th Annual Conference and were awarded
Eleanor Gillespe (Year 3 MPharm) receiving her Gold award. Eleanor has been a dispensing assistant in a community pharmacy, a member of The University of Manchester Women’s football team and President of HEAL (Healthcare Alliance) which provides student-led Inter-Professional Education opportunities (IPE) for all healthcare students in the Faculty. This year saw the first Platinum award to Sanjida Faiza (Year 4 MPharm) who for her activities visited the School of Pharmacy at the University of Kentucky, was a Sporticipate Taekwondo Instructor and supported UCAS visit days.
Professor Kay Marshall and Eleanor Gillespe
4
first prize in the Lloyds Pharmacy Competition for their idea about a public health campaign to raise awareness of dementia. They based their novel approach on the integration of
science and practice, incorporating learning about Alzheimer’s disease and considering the patient at the centre of care.
PASS interns Carys Williams and Martha Tomlinson. This year, a new PASS scheme was lauched for Year 2 MPharm, to support the students to complete the Buttercups Counter Assistants Course and also calculations skills. This new scheme was developed and coordinated by 3rd year MPharm students Humza Ansari and Kristina Stewart, with support from academic coordinators Victoria Silkstone and Jenny Hughes, and Peer Support
intern Alana McNulty. The Peer Support Celebration Evening in May 2017 was held at the Renaissance Manchester City Centre Hotel, and the awards were presented by the University of Manchester Chancellor Lemn Sissay MBE. Amena, Humza and Kristina were given outstanding achievement Awards for their contribution to Peer Support. Optometry also received a nomination for the best PASS scheme.
Amena Girgirah and Lemn Sissay MBE Further success was also seen on our Studentled Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) schemes, which have been in place for 1st year students in both Pharmacy and Optometry for a number of years. Both schemes ran extremely well in 2016-17, attributed to dedicated teams of PASS leaders directed by the PASS coordinators Amena Girgirah and Ka Lau (Tony) for Pharmacy and Xue Ng and Huijun Ang for Optometry, supported by the University
MANCHESTER PHARMACY SCHOOL | 5
ALUMNI MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2017
UNDERGRADUATE TEACHING HIGHLIGHTS
Graduation Awards 2017 Widening Participation and Social Responsibility Award Awarded to the final year student who has contributed to widening participation/ social responsibility Hebe Nicholls (MPharm) Professor Peter Gilbert Award Awarded to the best overall microbiology student in final year of the MPharm programme Steven Pugh (MPharm)
Daniel Ellis and Dr Rashid Khushal We continue our collaboration with AstraZeneca with the North West Centre for Advanced Drug Delivery (NoWCADD). This collaboration aims to develop the next generation of pharmaceutical scientists by engaging, inspiring and stimulating the interest of pharmacy students in the pharmaceutical industry. One of these collaborative projects was undertaken by Daniel Ellis (Year 4 MPharm) and supervised by Dr Gavin Humphreys from The University of Manchester and Dr Rashid Khushal, a senior microbiologist at AstraZeneca
involving the isolation of novel microorganisms from environmental samples with potential antimicrobial activity against clinical pathogens. Daniel visited the Pharmaceutical Technology and Development (PT&D) Microbiology and Manufacturing departments at the Macclesfield AstraZeneca site and was able to apply his knowledge of science into the industrial pharmaceutical setting. In addition we were very pleased to be able to award three of our third year students, Pei Fen Zhou, Jie Cong Cao, Saad Abdel Karim with the NoWCADD
Future Industrial Pharmacist Prize. Through this collaboration we were pleased to sponsor ten undergraduate pharmacy students to go to the APS Industrial Insights conference. One of our students, Pei Fen Zhou commented that ‘The APS conference not only provided a detailed insight into the different working opportunities which are available for pharmacists within the pharmaceutical industry but also how much they actually welcome and appreciate having a pharmacist within their team; it was a really encouraging experience.’
Stephen Freeborn Clinical Pharmacy Award Awarded to final year MPharm student for their skills in Clinical Pharmacy – Fatima Arosi (MPharm)
Sam Wilson Memorial Award Awarded to the final year MPharm student who has contributed significantly to sport in the Division, School or University Sanjida Faiza (MPharm) Professor Peter Noyce Award Awarded to the final year MPharm student with the highest mark in pharmacy practice Jennifer Clough (MPharm) Royal Pharmaceutical Society Prize Final year MPharm student ranking first Fatima Arosi (MPharm)
Rosemount Prize Awarded to the final year MPharm student achieving the highest mark in PHAR40100 Medicines into Practice – Rebecca Howman (MPharm) Each year the Division Executive seeks nominations from staff and students for the Pharmacy Teacher of the Year (TOTY) and Pharmacy Student of the Year (SOTY). We recognise that are so many excellent students and staff who make the Division a success. SOTY was awarded to Charlotte Buckley (Year 3 MPharm) for her charity work with Manchester Marrow (the student branch of the Anthony Nolan Trust), which included raising £1,400 sponsorship from running the Manchester Marathon. TOTY was awarded to Dr Andrew Gridley for his role as academic PASS coordinator and for developing an innovative app to help students practise their
clinical refraction skills. This year the Division of Pharmacy and Optometry hosted the third annual PLEDGE (Pharmacy, Life Experience, Development, Graduate Employability) presentation evening with 46 students receiving awards. There are Bronze, Silver and Gold PLEDGE awards, as studentsprogress through their degree. The PLEDGE awards recognize extra-curricular activities that enhance student employability by developing transferrable skills.
Charlotte Buckley
Ju Yee Cassandra Low
We are very proud of our student successes, and will continue to take teaching and learning forward to reflect the evolving role of the pharmacist underpinned by the integration of science and practice.
6
AstraZeneca Prize Awarded for the best ‘science’ research project MPharm – Ju Yee Cassandra Low and Rebecca Wishart (MPharm)
MANCHESTER PHARMACY SCHOOL | 7
ALUMNI MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2017
POSTGRADUATE HIGHLIGHTS
Postgraduate research highlights Dr Douglas Steinke, Senior Lecturer and Senior Division PGR Tutor In August of 2016, the University went through a restructure of Faculties and Schools forming new alliances and organisations within the University. One of these new alliances combined the School of Pharmacy and the School of Optometry into one Division under the School of Health Sciences. We have worked together with our new colleagues and found many areas of mutual interest in research and teaching. At the restructure, Dr Jeff Penny was appointed the School of Health Sciences Director of Postgraduate Research leaving an opening to his prior post as Senior Tutor. Within the newly formed Division of Pharmacy and Optometry, Dr Douglas Steinke took over the role of Senior Division Postgraduate (PGR) Tutor. Dr Steinke has a wealth of experience in research in pharmacy practice, pharmacoepidemiology and the supervision of PhD students. After the restructure, there were a lot of changes made to the PGR application process and the reporting structure within the School. Much of the role of the Senior PGR tutor is to ensure the student experience is the best possible and PGR students are supported through their PhD programmes at the Division. There are four PGR tutors that help with student support and PhD candidate applications. They are from pharmacy Dr Elena Bichenkova, Dr Alain Pluen, Dr Costas Demonacos and Dr Amit Jinabhai from optometry. They are vital to ensure the large number of PhD students (approximately 130) in the Division of Pharmacy and
Optometry have the intellectual freedom to identify novel research ideas and are supported by their talented supervisors appropriately. The Division is also well represented at national and international conferences with 7 poster presentations and 17 oral presentations. Many of the oral presentations were invited speakers because of the quality of their research to the subject area. Best of all, our PGR students are well published before they graduate with their PhDs from The University of Manchester. In the last year there were 22 known publications to peer-reviewed journals by our students; well done.
Postgraduate teaching highlights There are exciting new project proposals being developed within the Division that will bring new students, new research ideas and colleagues to the University. Research collaborations with Italy, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and China are being developed and show that our research expertise is being recognised by the wider international research community. With the efforts of our exceptionally talented students, committee supervisors and professional support staff, Postgraduate Research in the Division of Pharmacy and Optometry continues to go from strength to strength.
Major achievements have been gained by the PGR students in Pharmacy and Optometry in the last year including: • Kathyrn McGurk (PhD candidate) who participated in an exchange programme at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. • Prof Tirelli’s research group who are Biotech YES finalists for their work on Salmon vaccinations. • Maryam Shah (PhD candidate) who secured funding for a Biotech conference through BioProNet/ BBSRB and she Chaired the conference with “brilliant feedback”.
Kathyrn McGurk
Maryam Shah
Dr Ellen Schafheutle, Senior Lecturer and Director of Postgraduate Teaching and Learning In 2016, Dr Ellen Schafheutle took over from Professor Chris Cutts as Director of Postgraduate Teaching and Learning in the newly formed Division of Pharmacy and Optometry. A Senior Lecturer in Law and Professionalism in Pharmacy, Ellen brings a wealth of undergraduate teaching experience to this role. Ellen is the Director of the Centre for Pharmacy Workforce Studies (CPWS) and has an established track record in pharmacy practice, policy, regulation, and education research. This gives her an excellent understanding of ongoing changes to pharmacy practice, the current and future needs of the pharmacy profession, including pharmacists as well as pharmacy technicians and support staff, as well as the wider healthcare context. She is therefore delighted to oversee the wide range of postgraduate taught programmes on offer, with an overview provided below: Our Clinical Pharmacy programme (Programme Director Dr Jennifer Silverthorne) supports the development of clinical, leadership and research skills of pharmacists working in hospital, community pharmacy or primary care/GP practice roles. The programme is offered part-time as distance and blended learning options, with mix and match course units, access to public health and independent prescribing pathways, plus CPD options that allow each pharmacist to tailor learning to suit their own career goals. The blended learning option is additionally accredited by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society as a Foundation School. To support pharmacists in more advanced roles and indeed the drive to have more clinical pharmacists working in patient facing roles in all sectors, and particularly general practice, we offer a 4 month short course in independent prescribing, which is led by Dianne Bell. Pharmacists and nurses benefit greatly from learning together on this course, which places particular emphasis on reflective practice to support autonomous clinical decision making.
8
We also offer an Advanced Clinical Skills (ACS) course, overseen by Sandra Martin, which – together with the above independent prescribing course – makes up our Advanced Specialist Training in Emergency Medicine (ASTEM) 12-month course. ASTEM was commissioned by Health Education North West in 2015, to provide specialist training for pharmacists in the Emergency Department and Acute Medicine setting, thus supporting the policy drive to a 24/7 NHS and the wider urgent care agenda. Funding is available for pharmacists working in hospitals in the North West, although pharmacists working outside the North West Region can also apply. For pharmacists who do not wish to take the full ACS course but want to top up their knowledge of advanced practice skills in history taking, physical examination or emergency medicine, ‘Advanced Clinical Assessment’ and ‘Emergency Medicine’ can be taken as standalone CPD units. Aimed at those already working in technical services within the NHS and the private sector, such as aseptics, radiopharmacy, quality control and manufacturing, we offer an MSc Pharmaceutical Technology and Quality Assurance (PTQA). Furthermore, we also offer a Scientist Training Programme (MSc) which is part of the Health Education England funded Clinical Pharmaceutical Science programme. The Programme Director of both is Ruth Barnes. We aim to give pharmacists, scientists and pharmacy technicians the breadth of knowledge required to deliver safe bespoke medicines to patients. It also gives a great foundation of knowledge to those wishing to pursue a career as a Qualified Person. Designed for scientists and managers working in the pharmaceutical industry and NHS in the fields of product development, manufacturing and quality assurance, and developed in partnership with the pharmaceutical industry, we offer an MSc in Pharmaceutical Industrial Advanced Training (PIAT) with four pathway options. These are Clinical Trials; Pharmaceutical Microbiology (working with PharMIG); Pharmaceutical Business Development and Licensing, delivered in partnership with the Pharmaceutical Licensing Group (PLG); and Industrial Pharmacy (from formulation through to QA and QC, and regulatory affairs). Matthew Shaw is the Programme Director, and all of the units are also offered as standalone CPD courses, which can be used to build up credits for a Postgraduate Certificate, Diploma or MSc, thus offering maximum flexibility.
We are also pleased to offer our redesigned MSc in Model-based Drug Development, which covers the scientific and regulatory aspects of evaluating a drug, with emphasis on the use of modelling and simulation methods. The course has been developed with an emphasis on mechanistic approaches to assessing and predicting pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (PKPD), such as physiologically-based pharmacokinetics (PBPK). Dr David Berk is Programme Director and we now offer a full-time as well as a part-time option. While part-time students tend to already work in the pharmaceutical industry and can thus take advantage of a flexible, distance learning mode, full-time students benefit from immersion in the varied biomedical research environment at The University of Manchester, including interaction with research staff at the renowned Centre for Applied Pharmacokinetic Research. Finally, due to last year’s restructure within The University of Manchester, Pharmacy and Optometry are now close colleagues, so the MSc in Investigative Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, overseen jointly by Drs Chantal Hillarby and Tariq Aslam is now also part of this Division. It is aimed at ophthalmologists, optometrists, orthoptists, vision scientists or nurses who want to expand their professional knowledge of the field, or those who want to enter a related research or academic career. The course is full-time and brings together the research expertise of the University and the clinical expertise of Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, one of the largest specialist eye hospitals in the UK. Specifically, the course has six taught units (macular degeneration; retinal vascular disease; corneal physiology; contact lenses; paediatric ophthalmology and glaucoma) along with a clinical or laboratory based research project. Some of these units are also offered as CPD, and we are seeking Royal College accreditation for these, which is led by Dr Catherine Porter. So the Division of Pharmacy and Optometry offers a very wide range of postgraduate qualifications, aimed at foundation as well as more advanced level pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and other healthcare professionals, as well as a wide range of healthcare scientists working in the NHS, private healthcare and the pharmaceutical industry. So if you are considering further study, think The University of Manchester!
MANCHESTER PHARMACY SCHOOL | 9
ALUMNI MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2017
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
Focus on drug delivery Most of us take medicines. We may use them transiently or we may have long-term conditions requiring prolonged drug use. In both cases, effective treatment is reliant on the drug we are taking being able to effectively, and safely, reach its site of action within the body. There are many conditions and disease states where effective drug targeting poses a real challenge. Researchers within The Division of Pharmacy and Optometry at Manchester are focused on overcoming the barriers to effective drug delivery using state-of-the-art technologies that enable specific targeting of drugs to where they are needed, whilst minimising the potential for side-effects. A particular focus has been on the development of controlled drug delivery systems whereby drugs are transported to their target in nano-carriers and only released where they are needed. Drs Harmesh Aojula, Lynda Harris, Zahraa Al-ahmady and Professor Kostas Kostarelos share some of their exciting research below. Dr Harmesh Aojula uses a “stand and deliver” approach to precision in drug therapy. Recognising that pre-eminent drug therapy requires precision not only in targeting the nano drug-carrier to its site of action but also in making the drug available in line with demand, Harmesh has developed nano “missiles” that land in the right place and stand armed until a trigger is received. “To enable nano drug-carriers to selectively reach their target, we make them able to recognise and bind to signals (“ligands”) that are specific to the disease condition we aim to treat (for example, cancer and intracellular infections such as Tuberculosis). We use ligand targeting to guide drug-filled carriers, followed by activating drug release by sensing subtle changes in the diseased target. We achieve this by embedding hidden “triggers” into the drugcarrier that enable drug release when a specific condition is encountered in the diseased tissue
Precision Medicine, Precision Dosing and the Role of Future Pharmacists
(“bioresponsive release”). This can be due to alteration of pH, enzyme activity, redox potential and certain biomarkers. In an alternative approach, rather than using an internal “trigger” to activate drug release, Dr Zahraa Al-ahmady and Professor Kostas Kostarelos use thermosensitive targeted drug carriers which release drug when heat is applied. Again they use a ligand-based targeted approach that enables them to deliver drug carriers specifically to cancer cells. However here, rather than the drug carrier having a bioresponsive trigger, they are temperaturesensitive so that they release their therapeutic drug content upon mild heating. In preclinical systems, this approach has been shown to increase drug delivery tumours and enhance response.
Professor Amin Rostami-Hochaghan, Professor of Systems Pharmacology Our targeted drug delivery is not all focused on cancer. Dr Lynda Harris’s work is dedicated to finding ways to enable drug delivery specifically to the placenta of pregnant women to overcome complications faced during pregnancy. As Lynda says “The majority of pregnancy complications are caused by poor placental function, but there are currently no licenced drugs available to treat them. This is largely due to the worry of causing harmful side effects in mother and baby. To address this, we have created nanoparticles capable of delivering drugs specifically to the placenta. We have identified small molecules that only bind to the placental surface and used them to coat tiny hollow packages called liposomes. When the drugs are hidden inside, they cannot act until the liposomes bind to the placenta and the drugs are released. We have used our nanoparticles to deliver a vasodilator to the placenta, increasing placental blood flow and fetal growth in a mouse model”.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-34667804 www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/health/news/ article4601048.ece www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3297582/ The-cancer-grenade-tiny-bubbles-carryingdrugs-blood-blast-tumours.html
North West Centre for Advanced Drug Delivery Translating promising drug delivery science into treatments for serious and life threatening conditions It is perhaps not surprising that when looking to establish an academic collaboration, AstraZeneca’s department of Pharmaceutical Technology & Development alongside colleagues from the Pharmaceutical Sciences group partnered with The Division of Pharmacy and Optometry to develop NoWCADD, the North West Centre for Advanced Drug Delivery. NoWCADD offers state-of-the-art facilities and access to staff experienced in the design, development and commercialisation of innovative medicines. In addition to a focus on developing new technologies to better
10
deliver emerging therapies, NoWCADD has an educational perspective with a programme of training activities aimed at enabling Manchester undergraduate MPharm students to become the next generation Pharmaceutical Scientists. This is achieved through industrial perspectives being embedded within MPharm programme, students having opportunities of site visit days to the AstraZeneca site at Macclesfield and the potential to undertake final year projects within the industrial setting. research.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/nowcadd
Right-dose medication could save NHS save millions and improve patient care, say experts Many of you undoubtedly heard on the news about the large investment that the UK government is announcing in relation to full genomic analysis of cancer patients to identify the right drug for each patient, knowing that the cause of a seemingly (phenotypically) similar disease condition could be very different, hence requiring different treatments. (May 2017) Whilst the area of ‘Precision Medicine’ has received huge interest from the public, following the mention by former US President Obama over a year ago in one of his speeches, it has not been clarified that ‘Precision Medicine’ requires ‘Precision Dosing’. What makes a treatment work optimally (with minimal side effects and maximal therapeutic effects) is not just the selection of the ‘Right Medicine’ but also defining the ‘Right Dose’. For years the policy and practice of developing new drugs has revolved around the idea of ‘one-size fits all’. This is like making a new design of shirt that is only available in a unisex, unisize, unicolour style and claiming that it does do the job for all. One may ask whether its function is just to cover or to be comfortable (not too tight and too lose), or look good and fit with other attributes etc. You can see that although the policy served our previous level of expectations (that the drug does something beneficial that outweighs its potential harms), the expectations are now much higher and people realise that for a true ‘Precision Medicine’ we have to have complementary ‘Precision Dosing’ tools. In May 2016, a gathering of world experts in the area of Model-Informed Precision Dosing (MIPD) at The University of Manchester discussed the hurdles to the ‘implementation’
of well-established and scientific approaches to MIPD. The conclusions from the meeting were recently published in the May issue of the Clinical Pharmacology Therapeutics and highlighted the roadmap for wider implementation of the MIPD. Twenty one of the world’s leading pharmacologists who signed up for this roadmap, urged drug companies and governments to help change the way the medication is dosed. The ‘roadmap for change’ is led by Professor Amin Rostami from The University of Manchester. Professor Rostami indicated in the meeting that the NHS is slipping behind other healthcare systems in terms of dosing medicines according to individual needs. The recent move regarding the ‘Precision Medicine’ and selection of the right treatment are steps in the right direction. These will however fall short of their targets if they are not matched by efforts to individualise the dose and make sure that everyone gets not too much (that may cause unwanted effects) or too little (which leaves them under-treated) but just the right dose. Yes you guessed it right, the latter reminds us of the story of ‘Goldilocks’ and in fact one of the participating groups (Children’s Mercy Hospital at Kansas City) have now received an NIH grant under the grant named ‘GOLDILOKs’ that involves getting the dose of drugs in paediatric patients individualised. Dr Adam Darwich, Certara Lecturer in ModelBased Precision Dosing at Manchester, and Professor Rostami, are both part of this NIH research effort. There is adequate evidence to suggest that Adverse Drug Reactions (ADR’s) costs the NHS millions of pounds. There is also evidence that treatment outcome in areas as diverse as oncology, paediatrics, heart failure and renal failure can improve significantly by more individualised dosing. So one may ask the question, why is this not happening?
The roadmap indicated investment and infrastructure that needs to be in place before MIPD can take place. Most of the physicians will know that each patient requires an individual dosing, according to their individual genotype, phenotype, body chemistry, weight, social circumstances, time of day, diet and other personalised factors. However, physicians are already stretched with short visit times dedicated to diagnosis of the illness and there is not enough time for them to deal with additional layer involving adjustment of the dose (beyond the trial and error that happens in subsequent visits). This is not efficient and there is certainly a role for clinical pharmacists who can help in the process as long as they are trained in MIPD and have access to decision support tools that integrate MIPD principles. One may envisage that drugs will in the future, not be dispensed in standardised units and the 3D printing or doses based on mini-pills counted and packed in individualised capsules may enable the necessary flexibility in dosing that is currently only available for liquid formulations. References blogs.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/ blog/2017/05/05/right-dose-medicationcould-save-nhs-millions-and-improvepatient-care Darwich, A.S., Ogungbenro, K., Vinks, A.A., Powell, J.R, Reny, J-L., Marsousi, N., Daali, Y., Fairman, D., Cook, J., Lesko, L.J., McCune, J.S., Knibbe, C.A.J., de Wildt, S.N., Leeder, J.S., Neely, M., Zuppa, A.F., Vicini, P., Aarons, L., Johnson, T.N., Boiani, J. & Rostami-Hodjegan, A. Why has model-informed precision dosing not yet become common clinical reality? Lessons from the past and a roadmap for the future. Clin Pharmacol Ther, 101, 646-656 (2017).
Award winning scientists Our scientists continue to present their work at national and international meetings and to gain accolades for their research achievements. A highlight this year has been the announcement that Dr Sam Butterworth and colleagues have been awarded the Malcolm Campbell Memorial Prize for 2017 by The Royal Society of Chemistry: Biological and Medicinal Chemistry
Sector. The prize was awarded for contributions to the discovery of TAGRISSO(TM) (osimertinib, AZD9291) whilst Sam was an employee of AstraZeneca. Osimertinib is an FDA/EMA approved targeted kinase inhibitor for use in late stage lung cancer.
Awards are not restricted to our academic staff. Our postgraduate and post-doctoral researchers are frequent recipients of prizes for their research presentations, with recent awardees including Brahim Achour, Laura Francis, Alexandra Kendall, Hager Kowash, Maria Likhatcheva and Kathryn McGurk and Harry Potter.
MANCHESTER PHARMACY SCHOOL | 11
ALUMNI MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2017
ALUMNI NEWS
Jack Lacey and Rebecca Heaton Rebecca Heaton graduated with a first class MPharm degree from Manchester in 2011. Rebecca is enjoying her current role as a Rheumatology Specialist Pharmacist at Stepping Hill Hospital, where she is involved in clinics. Rebecca visited the Stopford Building as her grandfather-in-law, alumnus Jack (John Owen) Lacey, aged 93, kindly donated some antiquities to the Division of Pharmacy & Optometry. Jack completed his first year in the Harris Institute in Preston, moving to Manchester for the second year of his pharmacy training, at a time when Harry Brindle and Ivy Roberts ran the Pharmacy Department. Jack graduated in 1944 and proudly still displays his certificates.
Jack worked as a hospital pharmacist for 38 years, retiring from the Royal Albert Hospital in Lancaster as chief pharmacist.
Stephen Makin
Jack kindly donated eleven very small weights, the largest being 2 drachms, which he started using as a student and then in hospital until the introduction of the metric system. Jack also donated a Denby infusion jug and can remember making Quassia bark broth. It was traditionally delivered by an enema to kill intestinal parasites. These antiquities are now displayed in a cabinet in the Pharmacy Board room (first floor). Thank you Jack and Rebecca. Dr Sally Freeman
After completing a BSc in Pharmacy at The University of Manchester, I qualified as a pharmacist in 1990. I knew that my interests lay in research, and so at the end of my prereg I started my PhD, again at Manchester. To supplement my PhD scholarship, I worked as a community pharmacist every Saturday and Thursday evening all through my PhD in an attempt to keep my ‘head above water’ (I became a dad nine months into my PhD!). I was awarded a PhD in Pharmaceutical Microbiology and then undertook a PostDoctoral Fellowship in Canada, exploring the role of Pseudomonas aeruginosa cell surface chemistry in the pathogenesis of cystic fibrosis infections.
Daniel Greenwood, PhD student When I graduated from the Manchester MPharm in 2014, I was keen for my future career to include research in some capacity. My interest in research cultured throughout projects in my third and fourth years, and eventually led me to pharmaceutical company Merck Sharp and Dohme for pre-registration training. From these experiences, I got to grips with the research process, from study design to data analysis, and enjoyed producing conclusions which could change and possibly improve practice. For me, this was the main draw of research – the opportunity to improve the health service in a multitude of different ways, and as a result, the care provided to patients. Further, a career in research would enable me to choose which subjects to pursue. The prospect of building a career based on my own interests was attractive. I also knew that to build this career successfully, I needed an institution that would provide a strong foundation. In September 2015, I began a four year PhD programme at Manchester. I am investigating the role of Emergency Department Pharmacist Practitioners with the aim being to define and evaluate the impact of this novel role.
So, why did I choose Manchester? First, reputation. The University of Manchester has been at the forefront of national and international research for over a century. From the time of its founding financier John Owens through to the 50,000+ community that it is today, the breakthroughs made in the laboratories, lecture theatres and libraries that line Oxford Road are countless. The structure of the atom, the world’s first stored programme
12
computer, and most recently graphene; the prospect of joining a research community capable of these world-changing discoveries was exciting. Few other universities in the UK have such a glowing reputation. That’s why I chose Manchester. The research achievements throughout the 134-year history of the school of pharmacy are no less impressive. Some notable examples of practice research include the ‘Care@ TheChemist’ trial which concluded in 2002 and led to the introduction of Minor Ailments Schemes across thousands of community pharmacies in England and Scotland. Later in the same decade, a team of academics in the pharmacy school published the EQUIP study - the largest ever study to investigate the prevalence and causes of prescribing errors in hospital settings. As a young researcher deciding where to study for my Doctor of Philosophy degree, these impressive research outcomes made me realise that anything would be achievable here. That’s why I chose Manchester.
priority, the University have not sprinted for the honey-pot of a greater undergraduate intake at the expense of research prowess. There are dozens of free research training courses available to postgraduates, access to most online literature databases and journals – the envy of those at other institutions, and many supported opportunities to disseminate research both locally and globally. The University recognise that good research leads to good teaching; after all, who is better placed to teach the biology of cancer than those developing new treatment options? That’s why I chose Manchester.
Second, the people. This institution is home to some of the greatest thinkers, both young and old, who together work towards the common goal of improving people’s lives through research and teaching. I am supervised by and work alongside these intellectuals. To become the best you can be, you must surround yourself with the best. That’s why I chose Manchester.
Finally, the ethos. Our University is a progressive institution at the heart of a progressive city. All are welcome here, regardless of birthplace, race, sexual orientation, disability… I could go on. I find working here so enjoyable because it is accepted that these characteristics are irrelevant and instead what matters is getting on with the job of discovery and innovation.
Third, resources and facilities. At Manchester, because research is top of the agenda, resources to further your work are in no short supply. While education is of course also a
That’s why I chose Manchester.
After two years in Canada, I came across an open position in industry with Unilever, a large multinational with a number of household brands (Persil™, Comfort™, Flora™, Lynx™, Sure™, and Dove™). It had never been my intention to enter industry, and certainly not a company outside of the pharmaceutical industry. However, the role sounded interesting so I applied and was successful. I found myself working in skin microbiology as it applied to deodorants. There were certainly times when I thought ‘how did I end up working in deodorants?’, but the science was really stimulating. I led a team which developed a new technology for Lynx deodorant which was patented, published in a peer-reviewed journal, and launched. I even ended up writing a chapter in a book entitled ‘Antiperspirants and Deodorants’. My wife described it as ‘one of those books that when you put it down, is very hard to pick up again!’.
After six years at Unilever, I decided it was time for a change and so I joined GSK, one of the world’s largest drug companies. I started off in New Product Development in oral healthcare, where I stayed for about seven years before being appointed Vice President in charge of the Sensodyne™ brand – GSK’s largest consumer brand with sales in excess of £1 billion. After leading Sensodyne for three years (including featuring in a Sensodyne™ commercial which is still airing worldwide!), I was asked to lead the Skin Health group and, for the first time in my career, was responsible for the development of drug products (Lamisil™, Zovirax™ etc). After two years in this role, I was asked to lead one of the largest categories in the company, Pain Relief, based in Switzerland. I relocated 18 months ago, and am now Vice President responsible for research and development on such brands as Panadol™ and Voltarol™ (also known as Voltaren™). My career certainly hasn’t followed a ‘traditional’ route. Despite thinking I would spend my career in academia, I’ve spent the majority of my career in industry, working in personal products, cosmetics, and monographed medicines. Far from being ‘light on science’, the science behind these products is extremely interesting, with some very elegant technologies. It’s great to be able to develop products for these brands and make the consumer or patient’s life that little better.
In contrast to prescription pharmaceuticals, it’s also quite likely that you’ll get to see products you’ve worked on make it to market in a relatively short space of time. There’s nothing quite like seeing one of your products on the pharmacy shelf. In addition to my industrial career, I’ve also been able to develop in a number of other areas. I am still on the pharmaceutical register (and, until a few years ago, still undertook locums in the community), I’m a member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, and was recently awarded Fellowship of the Royal Society for Chemistry. Finally, I was really happy to be appointed a Visiting Professor in the Pharmacy Department of King’s College London. This means I’m able to keep ‘one foot’ in academia, and lecture to some of the pharmacists of tomorrow.
MANCHESTER PHARMACY SCHOOL | 13
ALUMNI MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2017
ALUMNI NEWS
Welcome to Pharmacy Dr Li-Chia Chen,
Dr Katie Finegan,
Senior Lecturer in Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics
Lecturer in Cancer Biology and therapy
I am both an alumna and previous employee of the Division of Pharmacy and Optometry at The University of Manchester. When I re-joined the Division in January of this year after 10 years as a faculty member at another institution, I was delighted to see the award for the best PhD presenter, which has my name on it, still displayed in the Division’s Office. Prior to starting my PhD studies (sponsored by the Taiwan Ministry of Education) I considered myself to be a well-trained, clinical pharmacist with substantial experience in pharmacy management. However, while a PhD student at Manchester (2001-5), I realised that there was still so much to learn. During my studies I acquired experience of performing systematic reviews, meta-analyses, economic modelling and qualitative research. I also was able to work as a demonstrator and gain experience in the pastoral care of students working as a university hall tutor with international students. I enjoyed Manchester so much that I stayed on to undertake post-doctoral research (20052007). This was when I became interested in using big data to better understand medicine use, effectiveness and patient safety related questions, questions that inspired my subsequent research in Taiwan where I worked for 2.5 years as an assistant professor. Whilst teaching in Taiwan, I was involved in curriculum development and taught on both masters and undergraduate pharmacy programmes where I initiated the use of the objective structured clinical examination (or OSCE as it is commonly known). This initiative resulted in a significant change in Taiwan’s pharmacist registration examination. At this stage, my research used mixed methods in a variety of disease areas to explore policy, drug utilisation and patient safety related issues. I also regularly use national data in Taiwan to study drug utilisation, treatment outcomes and policy impact.
After Taiwan, I joined the School of Pharmacy at the University of Nottingham in 2010 where I taught in both the Postgradate programme in Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy and Undergraduate Masters of Pharmacy (MPharm), providing teaching including evidence based medicine, critical appraisal, randomised control trials design, statistics, and epidemiology study design. Amongst other things, I developed collaborations in pharmacy education and research with Chinese universities, including the Peking University, Capital Medical University and Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. My current research at Manchester focuses on the quality of patient-centred health care and explores issues of medicine use and outcomes from the patient perspective, payers and health care providers. Two main themes emerged in my recent research in the use of opioids for chronic noncancer pain management and the long-term breast cancer therapeutics. The use of secondary databases in my research has proved fundamental and has led to the development of my research in digital health, longitudinal adherence, clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of treatment strategies. As an alumna and a former employee, I am proud of the training that I received at Manchester. With good connections and good friends in the Division, I am very happy working here. The mentorship, networking and research resources available will definitely help me progress and I am enjoying the latest chapter of my career at The University of Manchester.
Katie started her career as a Pharmacist after successfully completing the BPharm sandwich programme at the University of Bradford in 2000. During her studies she was taught by our very own Kay Marshall (Endocrinology and Clinical Medicine). Shortly after, she passed her professional exams to become a qualified Pharmacist, returning to the site of her preregistration training at St James Hospital to become a Specialist Psychiatric Pharmacist in the Leeds Mental Health Trust. However, her passion always lay with research and having paid off her student debt, she returned to study for a Masters in Molecular Pharmacology at The University of Manchester in 2002. Subsequently, she undertook doctoral studies in the lab of Dr Cathy Tournier in 2003, investigating signalling mechanisms underpinning neuronal survival. Moving on from this, she undertook post-doctoral studies in MAPK-mediated signalling in tumourigenesis. Katie was appointed Lecturer in Cancer Biology and Therapy in October 2016, where she continues to focus on inflammatory signalling in cancer. Specifically, the Finegan
“Securing a lectureship at Manchester was a perfect scenario for me. I already had a great collaborative research network in place and we are very fortunate in Manchester to have access to world-class research facilities. Manchester also offers a truly bench-tobedside co-operative in my research field via the Manchester Cancer Research Centre (MCRC). Working within the Division of Pharmacy and Optometry is the perfect environment to conduct my research, enabling me to marry my Pharmacy and basic research expertise putting me in the ideal position to execute projects with translational impact.”
Dr Sam Butterworth, Senior Lecturer in Medicinal Chemistry Sam joined The University of Manchester as a Senior Lecturer in Medicinal Chemistry in November 2016. Prior to this he worked at the University of Birmingham from 2013 and at AstraZeneca from 2005-2013. His work at AstraZeneca led to the development of a targeted anti-cancer agent AZD9291, that was approved by the FDA in November 2015 and is now used internationally under the name osimertinib/Tagrisso. This achievement was recognised through the receipt of the 2017 RSC Malcolm Campbell Memorial Award. The Butterworth Group work on applying synthetic and biological chemistry to study and solve biological problems of relevance to human health. One key theme of this work is the utilisation of the cell’s biological machinery
14
lab investigates the mechanisms by which mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) regulate cancer biology and therapeutic response. Using a combination of established pharmacological inhibitors, novel and exclusive pre-clinical mouse models, human samples and in vivo techniques, the group’s central aim is to translate findings at the molecular level into valid therapeutic avenues and/or biomarkers of cancer progression and therapy response.
to selectively activate molecules to kill cancer cells with specific mutations, or to selectively reprogram the activity of key immune cells. “Moving to Manchester feels a bit like coming home after studying here as an undergraduate and collaborating with staff here on research and teaching whilst at AstraZeneca. I chose to move back to Manchester as most of my research is working towards new cancer treatments and Manchester is the ideal place to do this. Within the Division alone we have experts on all phases of the life cycle of a cancer drug discovery project, which alongside the excellent research groups in other parts of the university (for example Chemistry, MIB, MCRC/Christie hospital site) means I have access to collaborators with the ideas and expertise I need to develop projects that can really make a difference to the lives of patients”.
MANCHESTER PHARMACY SCHOOL | 15
ALUMNI MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2017
EVENTS
Division of Pharmacy and Optometry at the MAD Awards for Social Responsibility 2017 The University Making a Difference Awards for Social Responsibility was a very entertaining and inspiring evening event in the Whitworth Hall. The Awards were presented by the Chancellor of The University of Manchester, Lemn Sissay MBE. Memona Shahid (3 MPharm) was nominated and won the Student Award for Outstanding Contribution to Widening Participation for her role as chair of Access All Areas1 which is a volunteering division of the Students’ Union. Funded by the central Widening Participation Team, the group supports student-led projects and events that tackle inequalities to education. Through this platform, Memona set up the LIGHTSS: Longsight Study Support project in her first year, helping local young people prepare for their GCSE and A-level exams. The Access All Areas committee, including Aisha Ahmed (3 MPharm) also delivered their first national conference2 in 2017 with representatives from 46 different organisations taking part in this debut event. The conference aimed to encourage more higher education institutions to work in partnership with their Students’ Union to develop and deliver student-led widening participation outreach programmes.
2
16
The Division of Pharmacy & Optometry had 3 nominations for student volunteer of the year, Jennifer Jackson, Carla Nasrah and Ammara Syed.
• Ammara was nominated for her work with the annual Imam Hussain blood donation campaign to inspire people from different communities to donate blood.
Memona Shahid
• Jennifer received a Highly Commended award for her volunteering with Incredible Edible. A quote from Jenny ‘I’m now a Student Action project lead for Incredible Edible and I’m part of a team that manages two plots in Fallowfield and a greenhouse in Platt Fields Park. Incredible Edible gives communities the opportunity to grow their own sustainable fruit and vegetables and promote biodiversity. We encourage students to get involved by organising gardening events and make the produce available for the community which can be a useful source of food.’
In the staff category, Michelle Inwood was nominated and received third place for her volunteer activities nurturing and developing University gardens (eg Michael Smith Michelle Inwood Quad garden, Chinese garden at The Confucius Institute) and community spaces/projects (Gatley Carrs, Hulme Community Garden Centre, A Tale of Two Cities). Michelle encourages students and staff people to participate in these activities, which not only improves the area in which they live and work, but can improve their health and wellbeing. Michelle is also a walk leader for the Lunchtime Strollers’ walking group at the University, enriched by knowledge of routes through the best gardens and parks around the University campus. In the alumni category, former international student Christine Mwangi (MPharm, 2013) was nominated and received a Highly Commended award. Christine is the Founder and President of the charity Be A Rose (website or Facebook). Rose is Christine’s paternal grandmother who always encouraged her, including when she was in Manchester. Be a Rose is an organisation that was founded to serve marginalised women in Grand Rapids, Michigan (USA). The mission
of the organization is to address the gap of knowledge in women’s health (by utilising a curriculum that educates on the female reproductive system, puberty, menstruation Christine Mwangi and menopause) and partner with community organizations such as homeless shelters, group homes, food pantries, inner city schools and churches to ensure the consistent access to feminine hygiene items by underserved women. Since its launch in June 2016, Be a Rose has served over 350 women, raised over $40,000 and secured 22 community and corporate partnerships. Christine said “I am so grateful for this award and I hope it can serve as inspiration to other students of the many ways they can use their clinical work background and education to make an impact on global health matters”. Dr David Allison (Director for Social Responsibility, School of Health Sciences), Dr Sally Freeman (Lead for Social Responsibility, Division of Pharmacy & Optometry), together with family and friends of the nominees attended the excellent event which highlighted the strong commitment of The University of Manchester to Social Responsibility.
Professor Kaye Williams and Dr Sally Freeman with Lemn Sissay MBE
manchesterstudentsunion.com/groups/access-all-areas www.socialresponsibility.manchester.ac.uk/news/march-2017/access-all-areas-conference
1
A lavish event (11/5/17) was held in a packed Whitworth Hall to celebrate the extraordinary volunteering achievements of students, staff and alumni. The awards were presented by the President and Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell.
• Carla was Jennifer Jackson nominated for her role as a coordinator of peer mentoring in pharmacy and for her work with the student staff liaison committee.
Professor Kaye Williams and Dr Sally Freeman were nominated and received Highly Commended in the staff section of the Outstanding Contribution to Equality & Diversity, for their project titled ‘We Get It in Pharmacy: A Student Ambassador Project’. Kaye and Sally received the award from Lemn Sissay (photo) on behalf of the five 4th year MPharm students (Magdalene Cofie, Nelsha Dossa, Faizaan Khan, William Marlow, Sefakor Tesegah) and Cath Prescott (University’s Equality & Diversity Office). The students recruited E & D student ambassadors from all academic years who delivered events promoting E & D and supported the University’s ‘We Get It Campaign’.
The evening finished with a very energetic performance by Lemn Sissay of a poem commissioned for the event titled ‘Making a Difference’.
The University of Manchester Volunteer of the Year Awards 2017
Staff and students continue to support the tremendous work of charities such as Pharmacist Support, Macmillian and the Movember foundation through a number of activities throughout the year.
MANCHESTER PHARMACY SCHOOL | 17
ALUMNI MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2017
EVENTS
Remembering Professor Peter Noyce CBE
Community Festival June 2017 The University of Manchester hosted a public engagement event attended by ~1000 visitors on a very hot Saturday. The Division of Pharmacy & Optometry were based in the very hot and humid Kanaris lecture theatre of the museum with an interactive stall focusing on the treatment of eye disorders, from drug design to dispensing.
Dr Lynda Harris
Through interactive 3D computational modelling, the participants explored how the glaucoma drug dorzolamide was a perfect fit for its drug target carbonic anhydrase, by blocking the approach of carbonate to the zinc in the active site. The public also had the opportunity to build chemical structure models of dorzolamide and chloramphenicol (used in eye drops to treat bacterial infections), or for the younger visitor to build carbon dioxide, oxygen, water and methane. Some rather interesting, alternative molecules were also built which sparked some interest in the chemists!
It is with great sadness that we learnt about the untimely death of Professor Peter Noyce in June this year. Already with a hugely successful career in hospital pharmacy and at the Department of Health behind him, Peter arrived at Manchester in 1991 as one of the first professors in pharmacy practice in the UK, establishing the Drug Usage and Pharmacy Practice Group (DUPPG) at The University of Manchester. He was head of this group throughout his career at Manchester (1991–2011), and he was Head of the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences for a fouryear spell. He was integral to setting up the Pharmacy Practice Research Resource Centre (PPRRC) and the Centre of Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE), chairing the CPPE Executive Board for over 20 years; he was a member of the pharmacy panel for the national Higher Education Funding Council’s (HEFCE) Research Assessment Exercises in 2001 and 2008, and he stayed on part-time after his retirement to help guide the school through the first Research Excellence Framework exercise. In a recent tribute from the UK Chief Pharmaceutical Officers, they described Peter as “the most effective pharmacist of his generation” who had a major impact on the NHS as well as education and the evidence base for pharmacy practice. Peter held numerous governmental advisory roles during his academic career including professional advisor the Pharmacy Regulation and Leadership Oversight Group (2007-2010), which was responsible for the establishment of the General Pharmaceutical Council, and as a medicines commissioner for the Commission on Human Medicines, which oversees the licensing and safety of all medicines in the UK (2002-2005).
The importance of producing medicines in the right formulation was demonstrated through the fun but rather sticky interactive using giant syringes filled with honey at different dilutions, getting visitors to see how much effort was required to expel the ‘medicine’ from the syringe. This illustrated the need for eye drops to have an appropriate viscosity… not too thin or thick! The participants then had experience of being a pharmacist, complete with starched white lab coats, with the dispensing of dorzolamide, chloramphenicol and loratidine (for hayfever) to famous pop stars, with appropriate advice! Included in this aspect was promotion of the campaign “#my name is” whereby healthcare professionals are being encouraged to introduce themselves by name to all patients and customers.
He was awarded the Charter Gold Medal of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (2002), and, in 2008, he was appointed a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for services to healthcare in the UK; in 2009, he received an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science (Hon DSc) in recognition of outstanding achievement in pharmacy.
The public and the helpers all had an enjoyable time. This was an excellent team effort from undergraduate and postgraduate students, research and academic staff, technicians and alumni: Thanks go to Raghad Al Sous, Richard Bryce, Kepa Burusco-Goni, Sara Evans, Elinore Gillespie, Leonidas Gkionis, Lynda Harris, Sama Khalid, Marta Koszyczarek, Diane Matthew, Karen Purcell, Yi Ker Sow, Joan Wong and Chen Zhao.
Within the DUPP group, his colleagues highlighted that “Peter helped shape the careers of countless people during his time at Manchester and he leaves behind a very meaningful and long lasting legacy in the students, professionals, researchers and teachers he mentored in his 25 year career as an academic. He was an outstanding leader, a true visionary, and he made going to work every day challenging, rewarding, and fun. He was generous with his time, and his advice, but he was also a great listener and offered quiet acts of true kindness. He had high standards and high expectations of those around him; he rarely failed to see the best in people, he inspired and took great pleasure in the achievements of others, and he was always the first to celebrate the successes of those around him’. As a lasting legacy to the major contribution that Peter made to the life and success of Manchester Pharmacy School, we have introduced a new award to our highest performing student in pharmacy practice in the final year of our MPharm Programme. Alongside this, we have created the “Peter Noyce Clinical Skills Suite” in lasting memory of a truly influential pharmacist that helped to shape Manchester Pharmacy School in so many ways. Images: Sally Freeman and David Allison
18
MANCHESTER PHARMACY SCHOOL | 19
Manchester Pharmacy School The University of Manchester Stopford Building Oxford Road Manchester M13 9PT United Kingdom www.manchester.ac.uk/pharmacy
DW3277.11.17 | The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL Royal Charter Number RC000797