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Scientists at the Bernal Institute are teaming up with Enterprise Ireland (EI) to commercialise continuous nanomanufacturing technology which promises to transform the pharmaceutical market. The project, which launches this month, aims to tackle the biggest challenge facing the pharmaceutical industry today. While pharmaceutical companies are continually developing new drugs, seven out of ten of those drugs never reach the patient. This is not because they are ineffective at treating disease but because they are not soluble enough to be absorbed in the body. Dr Luis Padrela, lecturer in industrial biochemistry in UL’s Bernal Institute, aims to change that. The key, according to Padrela, lies in nanotechnology. EI’s Commercialisation Fund Programme has invested nearly half a million euro to enable Padrela and his team bring their solutions to market. Dr Padrela explained, “When poorly soluble drugs are produced at microscopic levels, or nanoparticles, they dissolve much more easily and can be targeted more effectively at disease. However, the manufacture of these nanotech drugs on a commercial scale remains a major challenge. That is the problem that we intend to solve.” Dr Padrela and his UL team are developing continuous scalable methods of drug manufacture at the nano-level. Their research has attracted both national and international attention. Success in this area would mark a significant advance in the treatment and prevention of global ill-health. The commercialisation project starts this month and will run for two years. The aim will be to establish a technology-based start-up/spin-out close to the end of the project. This new technology will meet the need of the next generation of (nano) medicines by generating faster-working drugs and leading to significant patient benefit. The global pharmaceutical industry is a $1 trillion sales business with about 35% of sales in US and 15% in Europe, representing more than €30 billion in exports within Ireland. Ireland is one of the leading locations for the pharmaceutical industry in Europe with nine of the top 10 global pharmaceutical companies with operations in Ireland. It will also have significant impact on revenues of pharmaceutical companies based in Ireland, increase Ireland’s competitiveness and enhance Ireland’s position as a location of choice for manufacturing.
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UL researchers take on global pharma’s biggest challengeTuesday, 30th January 2018 Scientists at University of Limerick (UL) are teaming up with Enterprise Ireland (EI) to commercialise continuous nanomanufacturing technology which promises to transform the pharmaceutical market. The project, which launches this month, aims to tackle the biggest challenge facing the pharmaceutical industry today. While pharmaceutical companies are continually developing new drugs, seven out of ten of those drugs never reach the patient. This is not because they are ineffective at treating disease but because they are not soluble enough to be absorbed in the body. Dr Luis Padrela, lecturer in industrial biochemistry in UL’s Bernal Institute, aims to change that. The key, according to Padrela, lies in nanotechnology. EI’s Commercialisation Fund Programme has invested nearly half a million euro to enable Padrela and his team bring their solutions to market. Dr Padrela explained, “When poorly soluble drugs are produced at microscopic levels, or nanoparticles, they dissolve much more easily and can be targeted more effectively at disease. However, the manufacture of these nanotech drugs on a commercial scale remains a major challenge. That is the problem that we intend to solve.” Dr Padrela and his UL team are developing continuous scalable methods of drug manufacture at the nano-level. Their research has attracted both national and international attention. Success in this area would mark a significant advance in the treatment and prevention of global ill-health. The commercialisation project starts this month and will run for two years. The aim will be to establish a technology-based start-up/spin-out close to the end of the project. This new technology will meet the need of the next generation of (nano) medicines by generating faster-working drugs and leading to significant patient benefit. The global pharmaceutical industry is a $1 trillion sales business with about 35% of sales in US and 15% in Europe, representing more than €30 billion in exports within Ireland. Ireland is one of the leading locations for the pharmaceutical industry in Europe with nine of the top 10 global pharmaceutical companies with operations in Ireland. It will also have significant impact on revenues of pharmaceutical companies based in Ireland, increase Ireland’s competitiveness and enhance Ireland’s position as a location of choice for manufacturing. Dúshlán domhanda cógaisíochta glactha ag taighdeoirí OL Tá sé mar aidhm infheistíocht ó Chlár Ciste Tráchtálaíochta Fhiontraíocht Éireann a úsáid chun an chéad ghlúin eile nanaileighis a fhorbairt in Éirinn Tá eolaithe in Ollscoil Luimnigh (OL) ag obair le Fiontraíocht Éireann (FÉ) chun tráchtálú a dhéanamh ar theicneolaíocht nanaidhéantúsaíochta leanúnaí a bhfuil sé mar aidhm aige an margadh cógaisíochta a athrú ó bhonn. Seolfar an tionscadal an mhí seo agus tá sé mar aidhm aige tabhairt faoin dúshlán is mó atá os comhair thionscal na cógaisíochta inniu. Cé go mbíonn cuideachtaí cógaisíochta de shíor ag forbairt drugaí nua, ní thagann seacht as chuile deich gcinn de na drugaí sin chomh fada leis an othar. Ní mí-éifeacht na ndrugaí ag cur cóir leighis ar ghalair is cúis leis seo ach nach bhfuil na drugaí sách intuaslagtha le bheith ionsúite sa cholainn. Tá an Dr Luis Padrela, léachtóir le bithcheimic thionsclaíoch in Institiúid Bernal OL, ag iarraidh é seo a athrú. Baineann an réiteach le nanaitheicneolaíocht, dar leis an Dr Padrela. Tá beagnach leathmhilliún euro infheistithe ag Clár Ciste Tráchtálaíochta FÉ chun a chur ar chumas an Dr Padrela agus a fhoireann réitigh a fhorbairt don mhargadh. Mhínigh an Dr Padrela, “Nuair a tháirgtear drugaí intuaslagtha ag leibhéil mhicreascópacha, nó nanacháithníní, bíonn sé i bhfad níos éasca iad a thuaslagann agus is féidir iad a dhíriú ar bhealach níos éifeachtaí ar ghalar. Ach baineann dúshlán mór go fóill leis na drugaí nanaitheicniúla a dhéanamh ar scála tráchtála. Tá súil againn an fhadhb sin a réiteach.” Tá an Dr Padrela agus a fhoireann in OL ag forbairt modhanna inscálaithe leanúnacha chun drugaí a tháirgeadh ag an nanaileibhéal. Tá aird náisiúnta agus idirnáisiúnta faighte ag a gcuid taighde. Dá n-éireodh leis an taighde seo léireodh sé dul chun cinn suntasach maidir le cosc agus cóir leighis le haghaidh drochshláinte ar fud an domhain. Cuirfear tús leis an tionscadal tráchtálaíochta an mhí seo agus leanfaidh sé ar aghaidh ar feadh dhá bhliain. Beidh sé mar aidhm aige seachchuideachta theicneolaíocht-bhunaithe a bhunú gar do dheireadh an tionscadail. Déanfaidh an teicneolaíocht nua seo freastal ar an gcéad ghlúin eile de (nanai)leighis trí dhrugaí a oibríonn níos tapúla a tháirgeadh, rud a rachaidh chun sochair othar go mór. Is fiú $1 trilliún i ngnó díolacháin an tionscal cógaisíochta domhanda agus thart ar 35% de na díolacháin i Stáit Aontaithe Mheiriceá agus 15% san Eoraip, is é sin sa bhreis ar €30 billiún in easpórtálacha laistigh d’Éirinn. Tá Éire ar cheann de na príomhionaid do thionscal na cógaisíochta san Eoraip agus oibríochtaí ag naoi gcinn de na deich gcuideachta cógaisíochta domhanda is fearr lonnaithe anseo in Éirinn. Beidh tionchar suntasach aige chomh maith ar theacht isteach cuideachtaí cógaisíochta atá lonnaithe in Éirinn, méadóidh sé iomaíochas na hÉireann agus feabhsóidh sé seasamh na hÉireann mar shuíomh roghnach do dhéantúsaíocht.