News
Early-Career Researcher Receives Award to Improve Surgical Outcomes for Cancer Patients
Dr Ayse Kont, School of Pharmacy, has received €63,659 for her project entitled ‘Quality by Design Approach to Medical Device Polymer Bead Process Optimisation.’
Based at Boston Scientific’s Cork Facility, under the mentorship of Dr Gareth Bell, Dr Kont’s project is focused on improving the understanding of polymer bead manufacturing. The local delivery of cancerogenic drugs with polymer beads have revolutionised cancer treatment of advanced cancers, helping to circumvent complicated surgery. Boston Scientific has developed these polymer beads that can block blood flow to organs affected by cancer avoiding surgery. Such multifunctional beads enable precise control of embolization and drug delivery to the cancerous treatment site. Bead size distribution is a critical attribute that influences in-vivo performance and drug loading efficiency. Employing a quality by design approach, this project aims to develop clearer insights into manufacturing factors that influence bead size distribution. The research will build on Boston Scientific’s excellence in medical device manufacture and the School of Pharmacy’s expertise in pharmaceutical product development.
Dr Kont, a postdoctoral fellow under the supervision of Professor Abina Crean at the School of Pharmacy in UCC, said:
This fellowship provides me with an invaluable opportunity to conduct high-quality and impactful research that will benefit public healthcare and improve patient outcomes. I am excited to be part of this industry-academic, interdisciplinary project (engineers, chemists, and pharmacists). For me, the project development has demonstrated how flexibility, adaptability, and knowledge acquirement in research areas outside of my comfort zone are required to address complex challenges.
The Research Ireland IRDIF Programme supports the temporary placement of academic researchers in companies, to conduct research across a variety of areas and address industry-informed challenges.
This is an excerpt from a story originally published on University College Cork's website. Read the full article here.