News Archive
School of Pharmacy Seminar Series
Functionalised gold nanoparticles as sensitisers to radiation therapy
Dr. Jonathan Coulter BSc PhD (QUB)
Lecturer in Pharmacology
School of Pharmacy
Queen’s University Belfast
Friday 15th February 2013
12-1pm
Venue: LG52
Cavanagh Pharmacy Building
All are welcome
Dr Coulter obtained a BSc honours degree in Cell Biology and Pathology from the University of St-Andrews in 2002. In September 2003 he undertook his PhD within the School of Pharmacy at Queens University Belfast. His research focused on tumour specific, transcriptionally targeted gene therapy strategies focused on over expressing inducible nitric oxide synthase, with an aim to sensitise tumour cells to ionising radiation.
In October 2006 he was appointed as a research fellow within the Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology, QUB, and shortly after joined the multidisciplinary gold nanoparticle (GNP) research group. The primary focus of this research was to exploit the physical properties of gold (i.e. the high atomic number and the differential absorption coefficient between high Z materials and soft tissue) to sensitise cells to radiation treatment. He has a specific interest in the biological factors that influence the efficacy of these experimental therapies. These include factors such as the mode of GNP uptake, quantification of GNP uptake and intracellular localisation.
In June 2012, Dr Coulter was appointed as a Lecturer in the School of Pharmacy and is establishing his own research programme around physical and molecular approaches to radio-sensitisation.