Anthony Curtis

Biography

I began my career at Keele University in 1993 in the Department of Chemistry, now part of the School of Chemical and Physical Sciences.  I then joined the Department of Medicines Management in 2005 as Director of Studies (Pharmaceutical Science) and played a major role, alongside others, in the development of the School of Pharmacy and Keele MPharm programme.  My academic position is currently Senior Lecturer in Organic and Medicinal Chemistry and I hold administrative roles within the School and the University.  I was awarded the Keele University Excellence in Learning and Teaching award in 2008 and I was awarded the Institute of Science and Technology in Medicine Research Fellowship for 2015-2016.  I have been External Examiner for MPharm programmes elsewhere, and I have examined students for higher degrees within Organic and Medicinal Chemistry.  My research is directed towards synthetic chemistry, drug discovery and delivery, and formulation science on the nanoscale.  I am a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and a Chartered Chemist (FRSC CChem) and a member of a number of other learned societies.

Research and scholarship

My research interests lie at the interface between the physical and life sciences, with a focus on the synthesis of molecules with biological or medicinal significance. This includes the design and synthesis of novel chemotherapeutic agents and prodrugs, and of solubilising agents for drug delivery and formulation science. I collaborate with researchers within Keele University and elsewhere on projects related to drug discovery and medicinal chemistry, more specifically on the discovery and synthesis of novel agents for the treatment of cancers.

Ongoing collaborative projects focus on developing small-molecule modulators of the autophagic pathway within cells. Most recently, with Dr Alan Richardson and Dr Johannes Reynisson at Keele University, we have investigated drugs which inhibit the Atg5–Atg16 complexation process in autophagosome formation. These inhibitors are of particular interest, since many cancers rely on autophagy to survive under chemotherapeutic stress. The aim is to enhance the efficacy of existing cancer treatments by disrupting this mechanism,

Another area of research has been the development of calix[n]arenes and calix[4]resorcinarenes to make novel, supramolecular delivery systems for hydrophobic drugs which may otherwise be discarded from the drug development process due to their poor solubility in water. Our calix[4]resorcinarenes have potential as drug solubilising agents which act as chaperones for the drug molecules, potentially releasing the drug as a 'smart' response to some external stimulus. This may carry the drug past the body's defence systems and avoid any premature drug degradation or metabolism. The calix[4]resorcinarenes themselves are simple and cheap to make, and they can be easily tailored for many applications, by incorporation of specific functional groups which can confer additional properties for drug targeting or tracking.

PhD Studentships

I welcome applications from students who wish to undertake postgraduate studies in my research group. All of our research is highly multidisciplinary and is driven by a desire to create useful technologies applicable to the treatment of a wide variety of different diseases. Interested students can contact me directly by email at a.d.m.curtis@keele.ac.uk to discuss potential projects as well as the application process.