Dr Anthony Curtis
Anthony's 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 for the treatment of pancreatic and ovarian cancer. A current focus is on nanopharmaceutics, especially the development of calix[4]resorcinarenes as nano-scale ‘smart’ delivery systems for hydrophobic drugs with poor aqueous solubility. These drug solubilising agents assemble into nano-carrier structures which act as chaperones for the drug molecules, potentially releasing the drug in a 'smart' response to an external stimulus.