Sarah Hudson

Biography

I studied Chemistry in Trinity College Dublin which led to a research masters on the synthesis of a family of Re (I) metal complexes and a study of their photophysical properties. Following a sabbatical from academia spent working as a raft guide and safety kayaker on 3 continents, I completed my PhD in 2006 on the immobilization of enzymes onto novel mesoporous supports and their catalytic properties in the University of Limerick. I then secured a Marie Curie Fellowship with Prof Robert Langer in MIT, USA where I worked on the development of in situ crosslinkable hydrogel systems for cartilage regeneration and drug delivery. The biocompatibility (in vivo and in vitro) of micro- and nano- mesoporous silica particles was also studied. After this fellowship, I worked in Waterford Institute of Technology on the identification of the mechanisms and causes of tablet splitting within the Genzyme Ireland Ltd. facility. I was also responsible for the installation and use of a solid state NMR system. In November 2011, I took up my current academic position as a lecturer in chemistry in UL and continue my research in biocatalysis and drug formulation and delivery. My major research interest is to design strategies to ensure that new drugs with good activity against modern diseases get from the science lab where they are discovered to the patient. Often when new molecules are made into medicines and administered to the patient, they do not act as expected. This is because the drug does not get to where it is needed in the body or when it gets there it is no longer in an active form. Such drugs need to get absorbed into the body at a rate that results in an appropriate drug dose over time with minimal side effects and must avoid being metabolised. In my current work, I am focusing on antimicrobial molecules active against multi-drug resistant infections.

Research Interest

My research is divided into two main strands: 1) Drug formulation and delivery and 2) Biocatalysis.