Outputs (59)

Spatially resolved molecular analysis of host response to medical device implantation using the 3D OrbiSIMS highlights a critical role for lipids (2024)
Journal Article
Suvannapruk, W., Fisher, L. E., Luckett, J. C., Edney, M. K., Kotowska, A. M., Kim, D., …Alexander, M. R. (in press). Spatially resolved molecular analysis of host response to medical device implantation using the 3D OrbiSIMS highlights a critical role for lipids. Advanced Science, https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.08.18.553860

A key goal for implanted medical devices is that they do not elicit a detrimental immune response. Macrophages play critical roles in modulation of the host immune response and are the major cells responsible for persistent inflammatory reactions to... Read More about Spatially resolved molecular analysis of host response to medical device implantation using the 3D OrbiSIMS highlights a critical role for lipids.

Targeted intradermal delivery of alpha-arbutin-loaded dissolving polymeric microneedles visualized by three-dimensional Orbitrap secondary ion mass spectrometry (3D OrbiSIMS) (2024)
Journal Article
Li, Z., Marlow, M., Scurr, D., & Zhu, Z. (2024). Targeted intradermal delivery of alpha-arbutin-loaded dissolving polymeric microneedles visualized by three-dimensional Orbitrap secondary ion mass spectrometry (3D OrbiSIMS). European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, 196, Article 114181. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejpb.2024.114181

Hyperpigmentation, a prevalent dermatological condition characterized by melanin overproduction, poses treatment challenges due to the hydrophilicity of alpha-arbutin, a widely utilized tyrosinase inhibitor. This study investigates... Read More about Targeted intradermal delivery of alpha-arbutin-loaded dissolving polymeric microneedles visualized by three-dimensional Orbitrap secondary ion mass spectrometry (3D OrbiSIMS).

Toward Comprehensive Analysis of the 3D Chemistry of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms (2023)
Journal Article
Kotowska, A. M., Zhang, J., Carabelli, A., Watts, J., Aylott, J. W., Gilmore, I. S., …Alexander, M. R. (2023). Toward Comprehensive Analysis of the 3D Chemistry of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms. Analytical Chemistry, 95(49), 18287-18294. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.3c04443

Bacterial biofilms are structured communities consisting of cells enmeshed in a self-generated extracellular matrix usually attached to a surface. They contain diverse classes of molecules including polysaccharides, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids, a... Read More about Toward Comprehensive Analysis of the 3D Chemistry of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms.

Sustained Release of Dexamethasone from 3D-Printed Scaffolds Modulates Macrophage Activation and Enhances Osteogenic Differentiation (2023)
Journal Article
Majrashi, M., Yang, J., Ghaemmaghami, A., Kotowska, A., Hicks, J. M., & Scurr, D. (2023). Sustained Release of Dexamethasone from 3D-Printed Scaffolds Modulates Macrophage Activation and Enhances Osteogenic Differentiation. ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 15(49), 56623–56638. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.3c09774

Enhancing osteogenesis via modulating immune cells is emerging as a new approach to address current challenges in repairing bone defects and fractures. However, much remains unknown about the crosstalk between immune cells and osteolineage cells duri... Read More about Sustained Release of Dexamethasone from 3D-Printed Scaffolds Modulates Macrophage Activation and Enhances Osteogenic Differentiation.

Dissociative Host-Dopant Bonding Facilitates Molecular Doping in Halide Perovskites (2023)
Journal Article
Lanzetta, L., Gregori, L., Hernandez, L. H., Sharma, A., Kern, S., Kotowska, A. M., …Baran, D. (2023). Dissociative Host-Dopant Bonding Facilitates Molecular Doping in Halide Perovskites. ACS Energy Letters, 8, 2858-2867. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.3c00818

Molecular doping is a promising strategy to fine-tune the electronic properties of halide perovskites and accelerate their implementation as next-generation optoelectronics. However, a deeper understanding of the role of host-dopant interactions in t... Read More about Dissociative Host-Dopant Bonding Facilitates Molecular Doping in Halide Perovskites.

Development of biocide coated polymers and their antimicrobial efficacy (2023)
Journal Article
Watson, R., Maxwell, M., Dunn, S., Brooks, A., Jiang, L., Hill, H. J., …de Cogan, F. (2023). Development of biocide coated polymers and their antimicrobial efficacy. Nano Select, 4(7), 442-453. https://doi.org/10.1002/nano.202300005

Microbial contamination of plastic surfaces is a significant source of hospital‐acquired infections. To produce antimicrobial surfaces, chlorhexidine was attached to nitrided acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). The uniformity of chlorhexidine dist... Read More about Development of biocide coated polymers and their antimicrobial efficacy.

Untargeted Metabolomic Characterization of Glioblastoma Intra-Tumor Heterogeneity Using OrbiSIMS (2023)
Journal Article
He, W., Edney, M. K., Paine, S. M. L., Griffiths, R. L., Scurr, D. J., Rahman, R., & Kim, D. (2023). Untargeted Metabolomic Characterization of Glioblastoma Intra-Tumor Heterogeneity Using OrbiSIMS. Analytical Chemistry, 95(14), 5994-6001. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.2c05807

Glioblastoma (GBM) is an incurable brain cancer with a median survival of less than two years from diagnosis. The standard treatment of GBM is multimodality therapy comprising surgical resection, radiation, and chemotherapy. However, prognosis remain... Read More about Untargeted Metabolomic Characterization of Glioblastoma Intra-Tumor Heterogeneity Using OrbiSIMS.

Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Novel Hybrids Containing Dihydrochalcone as Tyrosinase Inhibitors to Treat Skin Hyperpigmentation (2023)
Journal Article
Xue, S., Li, Z., Ze, X., Wu, X., He, C., Shuai, W., …Xu, S. (2023). Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Novel Hybrids Containing Dihydrochalcone as Tyrosinase Inhibitors to Treat Skin Hyperpigmentation. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 66(7), 5099–5117. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c00012

Excessive melanin deposition may lead to a series of skin disorders. The production of melanin is carried out by melanocytes, in which the enzyme tyrosinase performs a key role. In this work, we identified a series of novel tyrosinase inhibitor hybri... Read More about Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Novel Hybrids Containing Dihydrochalcone as Tyrosinase Inhibitors to Treat Skin Hyperpigmentation.

Identifying new biomarkers of aggressive Group 3 and SHH medulloblastoma using 3D hydrogel models, single cell RNA sequencing and 3D OrbiSIMS imaging (2023)
Journal Article
Linke, F., Johnson, J. E. C., Kern, S., Bennett, C. D., Lourdusamy, A., Lea, D., …Coyle, B. (2023). Identifying new biomarkers of aggressive Group 3 and SHH medulloblastoma using 3D hydrogel models, single cell RNA sequencing and 3D OrbiSIMS imaging. Acta Neuropathologica Communications, 11(1), Article 6. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40478-022-01496-4

The most common malignant brain tumour in children, medulloblastoma (MB), is subdivided into four clinically relevant molecular subgroups, although targeted therapy options informed by understanding of different cellular features are lacking. Here, b... Read More about Identifying new biomarkers of aggressive Group 3 and SHH medulloblastoma using 3D hydrogel models, single cell RNA sequencing and 3D OrbiSIMS imaging.

Development of nanoparticle loaded microneedles for drug delivery to a brain tumour resection site (2022)
Journal Article
Muresan, P., McCrorie, P., Smith, F., Vasey, C., Taresco, V., Scurr, D. J., …Marlow, M. (2023). Development of nanoparticle loaded microneedles for drug delivery to a brain tumour resection site. European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, 182, 53-61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejpb.2022.11.016

Systemic drug delivery to the central nervous system (CNS) has been historically impeded by the presence of the blood brain barrier rendering many therapies inefficacious to any cancer cells residing within the brain. Therefore, local drug delivery s... Read More about Development of nanoparticle loaded microneedles for drug delivery to a brain tumour resection site.

Metabolic alterations in dairy cattle with lameness revealed by untargeted metabolomics of dried milk spots using direct infusion-tandem mass spectrometry and the triangulation of multiple machine learning models (2022)
Journal Article
He, W., Cardoso, A. S., Hyde, R. M., Green, M. J., Scurr, D. J., Griffiths, R., …Kim, D. (2022). Metabolic alterations in dairy cattle with lameness revealed by untargeted metabolomics of dried milk spots using direct infusion-tandem mass spectrometry and the triangulation of multiple machine learning models. Analyst, 147(23), 5537-5545. https://doi.org/10.1039/d2an01520j

Lameness is a major challenge in the dairy cattle industry in terms of animal welfare and economic implications. Better understanding of metabolic alteration associated with lameness could lead to early diagnosis and effective treatment{,} there-fore... Read More about Metabolic alterations in dairy cattle with lameness revealed by untargeted metabolomics of dried milk spots using direct infusion-tandem mass spectrometry and the triangulation of multiple machine learning models.

Single-Cell Metabolic Profiling of Macrophages Using 3D OrbiSIMS: Correlations with Phenotype (2022)
Journal Article
Suvannapruk, W., Edney, M. K., Kim, D., Scurr, D. J., Ghaemmaghami, A. M., & Alexander, M. R. (2022). Single-Cell Metabolic Profiling of Macrophages Using 3D OrbiSIMS: Correlations with Phenotype. Analytical Chemistry, 94(26), 9389–9398. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.2c01375

Macrophages are important immune cells that respond to environmental cues acquiring a range of activation statuses represented by pro-inflammatory (M1) and anti-inflammatory (M2) phenotypes at each end of their spectrum. Characterizing the metabolic... Read More about Single-Cell Metabolic Profiling of Macrophages Using 3D OrbiSIMS: Correlations with Phenotype.

Distribution of a highly lipophilic drug cannabidiol into different lymph nodes following oral administration in lipidic vehicle (2022)
Journal Article
Jewell, A., Brookes, A., Feng, W., Ashford, M., Gellert, P., Butler, J., …Gershkovich, P. (2022). Distribution of a highly lipophilic drug cannabidiol into different lymph nodes following oral administration in lipidic vehicle. European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, 174, 29-34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejpb.2022.03.014

Efficient delivery of highly lipophilic drugs or prodrugs to the mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) can be achieved following oral administration with lipids. However, it remains unclear which specific MLN can be targeted and to what extent. Moreover, the... Read More about Distribution of a highly lipophilic drug cannabidiol into different lymph nodes following oral administration in lipidic vehicle.

Elucidating the molecular landscape of the stratum corneum (2022)
Journal Article
Starr, N. J., Khan, M. H., Edney, M. K., Trindade, G. F., Kern, S., Pirkl, A., …Scurr, D. J. (2022). Elucidating the molecular landscape of the stratum corneum. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119(12), Article e2114380119. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2114380119

Characterization of the molecular structure of skin, especially the barrier layer, the stratum corneum, is a key research priority for generating understanding to improve diagnostics, aid pharmaceutical delivery, and prevent environmental damage. Our... Read More about Elucidating the molecular landscape of the stratum corneum.

Molecular Formula Prediction for Chemical Filtering of 3D OrbiSIMS Datasets (2022)
Journal Article
Edney, M. K., Kotowska, A. M., Spanu, M., Trindade, G. F., Wilmot, E., Reid, J., …Scurr, D. J. (2022). Molecular Formula Prediction for Chemical Filtering of 3D OrbiSIMS Datasets. Analytical Chemistry, 94(11), 4703–4711. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.1c04898

Modern mass spectrometry techniques produce a wealth of spectral data, and although this is an advantage in terms of the richness of the information available, the volume and complexity of data can prevent a thorough interpretation to reach useful co... Read More about Molecular Formula Prediction for Chemical Filtering of 3D OrbiSIMS Datasets.

Efficacy of antimicrobial and anti-viral coated air filters to prevent the spread of airborne pathogens (2022)
Journal Article
Watson, R., Oldfield, M., Bryant, J. A., Riordan, L., Hill, H. J., Watts, J. A., …de Cogan, F. (2022). Efficacy of antimicrobial and anti-viral coated air filters to prevent the spread of airborne pathogens. Scientific Reports, 12(1), Article 2803. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-06579-9

The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the real need for mechanisms to control the spread of airborne respiratory pathogens. Thus, preventing the spread of disease from pathogens has come to the forefront of the public consciousness. This has brought... Read More about Efficacy of antimicrobial and anti-viral coated air filters to prevent the spread of airborne pathogens.

Detection of Label-Free Drugs within Brain Tissue Using Orbitrap Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry as a Complement to Neuro-Oncological Drug Delivery (2022)
Journal Article
McCrorie, P., Rowlinson, J., Scurr, D. J., Marlow, M., & Rahman, R. (2022). Detection of Label-Free Drugs within Brain Tissue Using Orbitrap Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry as a Complement to Neuro-Oncological Drug Delivery. Pharmaceutics, 14(3), Article 571. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics14030571

Historically, pre-clinical neuro-oncological drug delivery studies have exhaustively relied upon overall animal survival as an exclusive measure of efficacy. However, with no adopted methodology to both image and quantitate brain parenchyma penetrati... Read More about Detection of Label-Free Drugs within Brain Tissue Using Orbitrap Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry as a Complement to Neuro-Oncological Drug Delivery.

Quantifiable correlation of ToF-SIMS and XPS data from polymer surfaces with controlled amino acid and peptide content (2022)
Journal Article
Taylor, M., Simoes, F., Smith, J., Genapathy, S., Canning, A., Lledos, M., …Zelzer, M. (2022). Quantifiable correlation of ToF-SIMS and XPS data from polymer surfaces with controlled amino acid and peptide content. Surface and Interface Analysis, 54(4), 417-432. https://doi.org/10.1002/sia.7052

Peptide-coated surfaces are widely employed in biomaterial design, but quantifiable correlation between surface composition and biological response is challenging due to, for example, instrumental limitations, a lack of suitable model surfaces or lim... Read More about Quantifiable correlation of ToF-SIMS and XPS data from polymer surfaces with controlled amino acid and peptide content.

Imaging mass spectrometry of fingermarks on brass bullet casings using sample rotation (2021)
Journal Article
Lee, C. J., Scurr, D. J., Jiang, L., Kenton, A., Beebe, S. R. T., & Sharp, J. S. (2021). Imaging mass spectrometry of fingermarks on brass bullet casings using sample rotation. Analyst, 146(24), 7563-7572. https://doi.org/10.1039/d1an01768c

A rotation stage was developed to allow the surface of bullet casings to be imaged under ultra-high vacuum (UHV) conditions using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). Experiments were performed over a period of seven months to d... Read More about Imaging mass spectrometry of fingermarks on brass bullet casings using sample rotation.

A new particle mounting method for surface analysis (2021)
Journal Article
Dundas, A. A., Kern, S., Cuzzucoli Crucitti, V., Scurr, D. J., Wildman, R., Irvine, D. J., & Alexander, M. R. (2022). A new particle mounting method for surface analysis. Surface and Interface Analysis, 54(4), 374-380. https://doi.org/10.1002/sia.7010

The chemical analysis of microparticles is challenging due to the need to mount the particles on a substrate for analysis; double-sided adhesive tape is often used (sometimes conductive), however that is usually coated with poly (dimethyl siloxane) (... Read More about A new particle mounting method for surface analysis.

Assessing lymphatic uptake of lipids using magnetic resonance imaging: A feasibility study in healthy human volunteers with potential application for tracking lymph node delivery of drugs and formulation excipients (2021)
Journal Article
Jewell, A., Williams, H., Hoad, C. L., Gellert, P. R., Ashford, M. B., Butler, J., …Gershkovich, P. (2021). Assessing lymphatic uptake of lipids using magnetic resonance imaging: A feasibility study in healthy human volunteers with potential application for tracking lymph node delivery of drugs and formulation excipients. Pharmaceutics, 13(9), Article 1343. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics13091343

Dietary lipids and some pharmaceutical lipid excipients can facilitate the targeted delivery of drugs to the intestinal lymphatics. Here, the feasibility of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for imaging lipid uptake into the intestinal lymphatics was... Read More about Assessing lymphatic uptake of lipids using magnetic resonance imaging: A feasibility study in healthy human volunteers with potential application for tracking lymph node delivery of drugs and formulation excipients.

Effect of Excipients on Salt Disproportionation during Dissolution: A Novel Application of In Situ Raman Imaging (2021)
Journal Article
Abouselo, A., Rance, G. A., Tres, F., Taylor, L. S., Kwokal, A., Renou, L., …Aylott, J. W. (2021). Effect of Excipients on Salt Disproportionation during Dissolution: A Novel Application of In Situ Raman Imaging. Molecular Pharmaceutics, 18(9), 3247-3259. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.1c00119

We have employed a bespoke setup combining confocal Raman microscopy and an ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy flow cell to investigate the effect of excipients on the disproportionation kinetics of Pioglitazone HCl (PioHCl) in tablets during... Read More about Effect of Excipients on Salt Disproportionation during Dissolution: A Novel Application of In Situ Raman Imaging.

Residual polymer stabiliser causes anisotropic electrical conductivity during inkjet printing of metal nanoparticles (2021)
Journal Article
Trindade, G. F., Wang, F., Im, J., He, Y., Balogh, A., Scurr, D., …Roberts, C. J. (2021). Residual polymer stabiliser causes anisotropic electrical conductivity during inkjet printing of metal nanoparticles. Communications Materials, 2(1), Article 47. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43246-021-00151-0

Inkjet printing of metal nanoparticles allows for design flexibility, rapid processing and enables the 3D printing of functional electronic devices through co-deposition of multiple materials. However, the performance of printed devices, especially t... Read More about Residual polymer stabiliser causes anisotropic electrical conductivity during inkjet printing of metal nanoparticles.

Sequential Orbitrap Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry and Liquid Extraction Surface Analysis-Tandem Mass Spectrometry-Based Metabolomics for Prediction of Brain Tumor Relapse from Sample-Limited Primary Tissue Archives (2021)
Journal Article
Meurs, J., Scurr, D. J., Lourdusamy, A., Storer, L. C., Grundy, R. G., Alexander, M. R., …Kim, D. (2021). Sequential Orbitrap Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry and Liquid Extraction Surface Analysis-Tandem Mass Spectrometry-Based Metabolomics for Prediction of Brain Tumor Relapse from Sample-Limited Primary Tissue Archives. Analytical Chemistry, 93(18), 6947-6954. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.0c05087

We present here a novel surface mass spectrometry strategy to perform untargeted metabolite profiling of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded pediatric ependymoma archives. Sequential Orbitrap secondary ion mass spectrometry (3D OrbiSIMS) and liquid extr... Read More about Sequential Orbitrap Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry and Liquid Extraction Surface Analysis-Tandem Mass Spectrometry-Based Metabolomics for Prediction of Brain Tumor Relapse from Sample-Limited Primary Tissue Archives.

Protein identification by 3D OrbiSIMS to facilitate in situ imaging and depth profiling (2020)
Journal Article
Kotowska, A. M., Trindade, G. F., Mendes, P. M., Williams, P. M., Aylott, J. W., Shard, A. G., …Scurr, D. J. (2020). Protein identification by 3D OrbiSIMS to facilitate in situ imaging and depth profiling. Nature Communications, 11(1), Article 5832. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-19445-x

Label-free protein characterization at surfaces is commonly achieved using digestion and/or matrix application prior to mass spectrometry. We report the assignment of undigested proteins at surfaces in situ using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS... Read More about Protein identification by 3D OrbiSIMS to facilitate in situ imaging and depth profiling.

Spatially Resolved Molecular Compositions of Insoluble Multilayer Deposits Responsible for Increased Pollution from Internal Combustion Engines (2020)
Journal Article
Edney, M. K., Lamb, J. S., Spanu, M., Smith, E. F., Steer, E., Wilmot, E., …Scurr, D. J. (2020). Spatially Resolved Molecular Compositions of Insoluble Multilayer Deposits Responsible for Increased Pollution from Internal Combustion Engines. ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 12(45), 51026-51035. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.0c14532

Internal combustion engines are used heavily in diverse applications worldwide. Achieving the most efficient operation is key to improving air quality as society moves to a decarbonized energy system. Insoluble deposits that form within internal comb... Read More about Spatially Resolved Molecular Compositions of Insoluble Multilayer Deposits Responsible for Increased Pollution from Internal Combustion Engines.

Intradermal delivery of imiquimod using polymeric microneedles for basal cell carcinoma (2020)
Journal Article
Sabri, A. H., Cater, Z., Gurnani, P., Ogilvie, J., Segal, J., Scurr, D. J., & Marlow, M. (2020). Intradermal delivery of imiquimod using polymeric microneedles for basal cell carcinoma. International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 589, Article 119808. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2020.119808

Despite being one of the most efficacious drugs used in the treatment of basal cell carcinoma (BCC), imiquimod has limited cutaneous permeation. The current work presents the development of polyvinylpyrrolidone-co-vinyl acetate (PVPVA) microneedles l... Read More about Intradermal delivery of imiquimod using polymeric microneedles for basal cell carcinoma.

Intradermal Delivery of an Immunomodulator for Basal Cell Carcinoma; Expanding the Mechanistic Insight into Solid Microneedle-Enhanced Delivery of Hydrophobic Molecules (2020)
Journal Article
Sabri, A., Ogilvie, J., McKenna, J., Segal, J., Scurr, D., & Marlow, M. (2020). Intradermal Delivery of an Immunomodulator for Basal Cell Carcinoma; Expanding the Mechanistic Insight into Solid Microneedle-Enhanced Delivery of Hydrophobic Molecules. Molecular Pharmaceutics, 17(8), 2925–2937. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.0c00347

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common cutaneous malignancy in humans. One of the most efficacious drugs used in the management of BCC is the immunomodulator, imiquimod. However, imiquimod has physiochemical properties that limit its permeatio... Read More about Intradermal Delivery of an Immunomodulator for Basal Cell Carcinoma; Expanding the Mechanistic Insight into Solid Microneedle-Enhanced Delivery of Hydrophobic Molecules.

Characterisation of mechanical insertion of commercial microneedles (2020)
Journal Article
Sabri, A. H., Cater, Z., Ogilvie, J., Scurr, D. J., Marlow, M., & Segal, J. (2020). Characterisation of mechanical insertion of commercial microneedles. Journal of Drug Delivery Science and Technology, 58, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jddst.2020.101766

The protection provided by the human skin is mostly attributed to the stratum corneum. However, this barrier also limits the range of molecules that can be delivered into and across the skin. One of the methods to overcome this physiological barrier... Read More about Characterisation of mechanical insertion of commercial microneedles.

Immune Modulation by Design: Using Topography to Control Human Monocyte Attachment and Macrophage Differentiation (2020)
Journal Article
Vassey, M. J., Figueredo, G. P., Scurr, D. J., Vasilevich, A. S., Vermeulen, S., Carlier, A., …Alexander, M. R. (2020). Immune Modulation by Design: Using Topography to Control Human Monocyte Attachment and Macrophage Differentiation. Advanced Science, 7(11), https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.201903392

© 2020 The Authors. Published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim Macrophages play a central role in orchestrating immune responses to foreign materials, which are often responsible for the failure of implanted medical devices. Material t... Read More about Immune Modulation by Design: Using Topography to Control Human Monocyte Attachment and Macrophage Differentiation.

Protein Encapsulation of Experimental Anticancer Agents 5F 203 and Phortress: Towards Precision Drug Delivery (2019)
Journal Article
Breen, A. F., Scurr, D., Cassioli, M. L., Wells, G., Thomas, N. R., Zhang, J., …Bradshaw, T. D. (2019). Protein Encapsulation of Experimental Anticancer Agents 5F 203 and Phortress: Towards Precision Drug Delivery. International Journal of Nanomedicine, 14, 9525-9534. https://doi.org/10.2147/IJN.S226293

Introduction: Advancment of novel anticancer drugs into clinic is frequently halted by their lack of solubility, reduced stability under physiological conditions, and non-specific uptake by normal tissues, causing systemic toxicity. Their progress to... Read More about Protein Encapsulation of Experimental Anticancer Agents 5F 203 and Phortress: Towards Precision Drug Delivery.

Enhanced vitamin C skin permeation from supramolecular hydrogels, illustrated using in situ ToF-SIMS 3D chemical profiling (2019)
Journal Article
Starr, N. J., Hamid, K. A., Wibawa, J., Marlow, I., Bell, M., Pérez-García, L., …Scurr, D. J. (2019). Enhanced vitamin C skin permeation from supramolecular hydrogels, illustrated using in situ ToF-SIMS 3D chemical profiling. International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 563, 21-29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2019.03.028

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is a naturally occurring, powerful anti-oxidant with the potential to deliver numerous benefits to the skin when applied topically. However, topical use of this compound is currently restricted by an instability in tradition... Read More about Enhanced vitamin C skin permeation from supramolecular hydrogels, illustrated using in situ ToF-SIMS 3D chemical profiling.

Insight into imiquimod skin permeation and increased delivery using microneedle pre-treatment (2019)
Journal Article
Al-Mayahy, M. H., Sabri, A. H., Rutland, C. S., Holmes, A., McKenna, J., Marlow, M., & Scurr, D. J. (2019). Insight into imiquimod skin permeation and increased delivery using microneedle pre-treatment. European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, 139, 33-43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejpb.2019.02.006

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common skin cancer in humans. Topical treatment with imiquimod provides a non-invasive, self-administered treatment with relatively low treatment cost. Despite displaying excellent efficacy, imiquimod is only li... Read More about Insight into imiquimod skin permeation and increased delivery using microneedle pre-treatment.

Reversible, High-Affinity Surface Capturing of Proteins Directed by Supramolecular Assembly (2019)
Journal Article
Di Palma, G., Kotowska, A. M., Hart, L. R., Scurr, D. J., Rawson, F. J., Tommasone, S., & Mendes, P. M. (2019). Reversible, High-Affinity Surface Capturing of Proteins Directed by Supramolecular Assembly. ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 11(9), 8937-8944. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.9b00927

The ability to design surfaces with reversible, high-affinity protein binding sites represents a significant step forward in the advancement of analytical methods for diverse biochemical and biomedical applications. Herein, we report a dynamic supram... Read More about Reversible, High-Affinity Surface Capturing of Proteins Directed by Supramolecular Assembly.

The physicochemical fingerprint of Necator americanus (2017)
Journal Article
Chauhan, V. M., Scurr, D. J., Christie, T., Telford, G., Aylott, J. W., & Pritchard, D. (in press). The physicochemical fingerprint of Necator americanus. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 11(12), Article e0005971. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0005971

Necator americanus, a haematophagous hookworm parasite, infects ~10% of the world’s population and is considered to be a significant public health risk. Its lifecycle has distinct stages, permitting its successful transit from the skin via the lungs... Read More about The physicochemical fingerprint of Necator americanus.

On the suitability of high vacuum electrospray deposition for the fabrication of molecular electronic devices (2017)
Journal Article
Temperton, R. H., O'Shea, J. N., & Scurr, D. J. (2017). On the suitability of high vacuum electrospray deposition for the fabrication of molecular electronic devices. Chemical Physics Letters, 682, 15-19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cplett.2017.05.068

© 2017 We present a series of three studies investigating the potential application of high vacuum electrospray deposition to construct molecular electronic devices. Through the use of time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry we explore the use... Read More about On the suitability of high vacuum electrospray deposition for the fabrication of molecular electronic devices.

Rapid nano-gram scale screening method of micro-arrays to evaluate drug-polymer blends using high-throughput printing technology (2017)
Journal Article
Taresco, V., Louzao, I., Scurr, D. J., Turpin, E. R., Laughton, C. A., Alexander, C., …Garnett, M. (in press). Rapid nano-gram scale screening method of micro-arrays to evaluate drug-polymer blends using high-throughput printing technology. Molecular Pharmaceutics, 14(6), https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.7b00182

A miniaturized, high-throughput assay was optimized to screen polymer-drug solid dispersions using a 2-D Ink-jet printer. By simply printing nanoliter amounts of polymer and drug solutions onto an inert surface, drug:polymer micro-dots of tunable com... Read More about Rapid nano-gram scale screening method of micro-arrays to evaluate drug-polymer blends using high-throughput printing technology.

Tailoring the electrochemical properties of carbon nanotube modified indium tin oxide via in situ grafting of aryl diazonium (2017)
Journal Article
Wong, Z. Y., Scurr, D. J., Silman, N., Jackson, S. K., Mendes, P. M., Aylott, J. W., …Hicks, J. (2017). Tailoring the electrochemical properties of carbon nanotube modified indium tin oxide via in situ grafting of aryl diazonium. Langmuir, 33(20), 4924-4933. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.7b00494

Our ability to tailor the electronic properties of surfaces by nanomodification is paramount for various applications, including development of sensing, fuel cell, and solar technologies. Moreover, in order to improve the rational design of conductin... Read More about Tailoring the electrochemical properties of carbon nanotube modified indium tin oxide via in situ grafting of aryl diazonium.

Dendrimer pre-treatment enhances the skin permeation of chlorhexidine digluconate: characterisation by in vitro percutaneous absorption studies and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (2017)
Journal Article
Holmes, A. M., Scurr, D. J., Heylings, J. R., Wan, K., & Moss, G. P. (2017). Dendrimer pre-treatment enhances the skin permeation of chlorhexidine digluconate: characterisation by in vitro percutaneous absorption studies and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry. European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 104, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejps.2017.03.034

Skin penetration and localisation of chlorhexidine digluconate (CHG) within the skin have been investigated in order to better understand and optimise the delivery using a nano polymeric delivery system of this topically-applied antimicrobial drug. F... Read More about Dendrimer pre-treatment enhances the skin permeation of chlorhexidine digluconate: characterisation by in vitro percutaneous absorption studies and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry.

Controlling the release of indomethacin from glass solutions layered with a rate controlling membrane using fluid-bed processing. Part 1: Surface and cross-sectional chemical analysis (2017)
Journal Article
Dereymaker, A., Scurr, D. J., Steer, E. D., Roberts, C. J., & Van den Mooter, G. (2017). Controlling the release of indomethacin from glass solutions layered with a rate controlling membrane using fluid-bed processing. Part 1: Surface and cross-sectional chemical analysis. Molecular Pharmaceutics, 14(4), 959-973. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.6b01023

Fluid bed coating has been shown to be a suitable manufacturing technique to formulate poorly soluble drugs in glass solutions. Layering inert carriers with a drug–polymer mixture enables these beads to be immediately filled into capsules, thus avoid... Read More about Controlling the release of indomethacin from glass solutions layered with a rate controlling membrane using fluid-bed processing. Part 1: Surface and cross-sectional chemical analysis.

Quantification and qualitative effects of different PEGylations on Poly(butyl cyanoacrylate) nanoparticles (2017)
Journal Article
Aslund, A. K., Sulheim, E., Snipstad, S., von Haartman, E., Baghirov, H., Starr, N. J., …Ýrr, M. (in press). Quantification and qualitative effects of different PEGylations on Poly(butyl cyanoacrylate) nanoparticles. Molecular Pharmaceutics, 14(8), https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.6b01085

Protein adsorption on nanoparticles (NPs) used in nanomedicine leads to opsonization and activation of the complement system in blood, which substantially reduces the blood circulation time of NPs. The most commonly used method to avoid protein adsor... Read More about Quantification and qualitative effects of different PEGylations on Poly(butyl cyanoacrylate) nanoparticles.

Surface modification of PdlLGA microspheres with gelatine methacrylate: evaluation of adsorption, entrapment, and oxygen plasma treatment approaches (2017)
Journal Article
Baki, A., Rahman, C. V., White, L. J., Scurr, D. J., Qutachi, O., & Shakesheff, K. M. (2017). Surface modification of PdlLGA microspheres with gelatine methacrylate: evaluation of adsorption, entrapment, and oxygen plasma treatment approaches. Acta Biomaterialia, 53, 450-459. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2017.01.042

Injectable poly (dl-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PdlLGA) microspheres are promising candidates as biodegradable controlled release carriers for drug and cell delivery applications; however, they have limited functional groups on the surface to enable de... Read More about Surface modification of PdlLGA microspheres with gelatine methacrylate: evaluation of adsorption, entrapment, and oxygen plasma treatment approaches.

Controlling the physical dimensions of peptide nanotubes by supramolecular polymer coassembly (2016)
Journal Article
Adler-Abramovich, L., Marco, P., Arnon, Z. A., Creasey, R. C., Michaels, T. C., Levin, A., …Gazit, E. (2016). Controlling the physical dimensions of peptide nanotubes by supramolecular polymer coassembly. ACS Nano, 10(8), 7436-7442. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.6b01587

Molecular self-assembly of peptides into ordered nanotubes is highly important for various technological applications. Very short peptide building blocks, as short as dipeptides, can form assemblies with unique mechanical, optical, piezoelectric, and... Read More about Controlling the physical dimensions of peptide nanotubes by supramolecular polymer coassembly.

Age-related changes to human stratum corneum lipids detected using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry following in vivo sampling (2016)
Journal Article
Starr, N. J., Johnson, D. J., Wibawa, J., Marlow, I., Bell, M., Barrett, D. A., & Scurr, D. J. (2016). Age-related changes to human stratum corneum lipids detected using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry following in vivo sampling. Analytical Chemistry, 88(8), 4400-4408. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.5b04872

This work demonstrates the ability to detect changes in both quantity and spatial distribution of human stratum corneum (SC) lipids from samples collected in vivo. The SC functions as the predominant barrier to the body, protecting against the penetr... Read More about Age-related changes to human stratum corneum lipids detected using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry following in vivo sampling.

Imaging of Crystalline and Amorphous Surface Regions Using Time-of-Flight Secondary-Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS): Application to Pharmaceutical Materials (2016)
Journal Article
Iuraş, A., Scurr, D. J., Boissier, C., Nicholas, M. L., Roberts, C. J., & Alexander, M. R. (2016). Imaging of Crystalline and Amorphous Surface Regions Using Time-of-Flight Secondary-Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS): Application to Pharmaceutical Materials. Analytical Chemistry, 88(7), 3481-3487. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.5b02621

The structure of a material, in particular the extremes of crystalline and amorphous forms, significantly impacts material performance in numerous sectors such as semiconductors, energy storage, and pharmaceutical products, which are investigated in... Read More about Imaging of Crystalline and Amorphous Surface Regions Using Time-of-Flight Secondary-Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS): Application to Pharmaceutical Materials.

Multivariate analysis of 3D ToF-SIMS images: method validation and application to cultured neuronal networks (2015)
Journal Article
Van Nuffel, S., Parmenter, C. D., Scurr, D. J., Russell, N. A., & Zelzer, M. (in press). Multivariate analysis of 3D ToF-SIMS images: method validation and application to cultured neuronal networks. Analyst, 141(1), https://doi.org/10.1039/c5an01743b

Advanced data analysis tools are crucial for the application of ToF-SIMS analysis to biological samples. Here, we demonstrate that by using a training set approach principal components analysis (PCA) can be performed on large 3D ToF-SIMS images of ne... Read More about Multivariate analysis of 3D ToF-SIMS images: method validation and application to cultured neuronal networks.

3D chemical characterization of frozen hydrated hydrogels using ToF-SIMS with argon cluster sputter depth profiling (2015)
Journal Article
Taylor, M., Scurr, D., Lutolf, M., Buttery, L. D., Zelzer, M., & Alexander, M. R. (2015). 3D chemical characterization of frozen hydrated hydrogels using ToF-SIMS with argon cluster sputter depth profiling. Biointerphases, 11(2), Article 02A301. https://doi.org/10.1116/1.4928209

Hydrogels have been used extensively in bioengineering as artificial cell culture supports. Investigation of the interrelationship between cellular response to the hydrogel and its chemistry ideally requires methods that allow characterization withou... Read More about 3D chemical characterization of frozen hydrated hydrogels using ToF-SIMS with argon cluster sputter depth profiling.

Multivariate ToF-SIMS image analysis of polymer microarrays and protein adsorption (2015)
Journal Article
Hook, A. L., Williams, P. M., Alexander, M. R., & Scurr, D. J. (2015). Multivariate ToF-SIMS image analysis of polymer microarrays and protein adsorption. Biointerphases, 10, Article 019005. https://doi.org/10.1116/1.4906484

The complexity of hyperspectral time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) datasets makes their subsequent analysis and interpretation challenging, and is often an impasse to the identification of trends and differences within large sa... Read More about Multivariate ToF-SIMS image analysis of polymer microarrays and protein adsorption.

The Influence of Spray-Drying Parameters on Phase Behavior, Drug Distribution, and In Vitro Release of Injectable Microspheres for Sustained Release (2015)
Journal Article
Roberts, C., Meeus, J., Lenaerts, M., Scurr, D. J., Amssoms, K., Davies, M. C., & Van den mooter, G. (2015). The Influence of Spray-Drying Parameters on Phase Behavior, Drug Distribution, and In Vitro Release of Injectable Microspheres for Sustained Release. Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 104(4), 1451-1460. doi:10.1002/jps.24361

Biomaterial modification of urinary catheters with antimicrobials to give long-term broadspectrum antibiofilm activity (2015)
Journal Article
Fisher, L. E., Hook, A. L., Ashraf, W., Yousef, A., Barrett, D. A., Scurr, D. J., …Bayston, R. (2015). Biomaterial modification of urinary catheters with antimicrobials to give long-term broadspectrum antibiofilm activity. Journal of Controlled Release, 202, 57-64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconrel.2015.01.037

© 2015 Published by Elsevier B.V. Catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) is the commonest hospital-acquired infection, accounting for over 100,000 hospital admissions within the USA annually. Biomaterials and processes intended to reduce... Read More about Biomaterial modification of urinary catheters with antimicrobials to give long-term broadspectrum antibiofilm activity.

3D ToF-SIMS Imaging of Polymer Multilayer Films Using Argon Cluster Sputter Depth Profiling (2015)
Journal Article
Bailey, J., Havelund, R., Shard, A. G., Gilmore, I. S., Alexander, M. R., Sharp, J. S., & Scurr, D. J. (2015). 3D ToF-SIMS Imaging of Polymer Multilayer Films Using Argon Cluster Sputter Depth Profiling. ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 7(4), 2654-2659. https://doi.org/10.1021/am507663v

ToF-SIMS imaging with argon cluster sputter depth profiling has provided detailed insight into the three-dimensional (3D) chemical composition of a series of polymer multilayer structures. Depths of more than 15 μm were profiled in these samples whil... Read More about 3D ToF-SIMS Imaging of Polymer Multilayer Films Using Argon Cluster Sputter Depth Profiling.

In vivo evaluation of different formulation strategies for sustained release injectables of a poorly soluble HIV protease inhibitor (2014)
Journal Article
Wuyts, K., Meeus, J., Muees, J., Scurr, D. J., Amssoms, K., Annaert, P., …Van den Mooter, G. (2015). In vivo evaluation of different formulation strategies for sustained release injectables of a poorly soluble HIV protease inhibitor. Journal of Controlled Release, 199, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconrel.2014.11.020

At present no scientific rationale exists for selecting a particular enabling strategy to formulate a poorly water-soluble drug, although this is crucial as it will influence the in vivo performance of the resulting formulation. This study provides a... Read More about In vivo evaluation of different formulation strategies for sustained release injectables of a poorly soluble HIV protease inhibitor.

Combination of (M)DSC and Surface Analysis to Study the Phase Behaviour and Drug Distribution of Ternary Solid Dispersions (2014)
Journal Article
Meeus, J., Scurr, D. J., Chen, X., Amssoms, K., Davies, M. C., Roberts, C. J., & Mooter, G. V. D. (2015). Combination of (M)DSC and Surface Analysis to Study the Phase Behaviour and Drug Distribution of Ternary Solid Dispersions. Pharmaceutical Research, 32(4), 1407-1416. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11095-014-1543-8

Purpose: Miscibility of the different compounds that make up a solid dispersion based formulation play a crucial role in the drug release profile and physical stability of the solid dispersion as it defines the phase behaviour of the dispersion. The... Read More about Combination of (M)DSC and Surface Analysis to Study the Phase Behaviour and Drug Distribution of Ternary Solid Dispersions.

Spectroscopic Studies of Internal Injector Deposits (IDID) Resulting from the Use of Non-Commercial Low Molecular Weight Polyisobutylenesuccinimide (PIBSI) (2014)
Journal Article
Barker, J., Reid, J., Snape, C., Scurr, D., & Meredith, W. (2014). Spectroscopic Studies of Internal Injector Deposits (IDID) Resulting from the Use of Non-Commercial Low Molecular Weight Polyisobutylenesuccinimide (PIBSI). SAE International Journal of Fuels and Lubricants, 7(3), 762-770. https://doi.org/10.4271/2014-01-2720

Copyright © 2014 SAE International. Since 2009, there has been a rise in deposits of various types found in diesel fuel injection systems. They have been identified in the filter, the injector tip and recently inside the injector. The latter internal... Read More about Spectroscopic Studies of Internal Injector Deposits (IDID) Resulting from the Use of Non-Commercial Low Molecular Weight Polyisobutylenesuccinimide (PIBSI).

Injectable and porous PLGA microspheres that form highly porous scaffolds at body temperature (2014)
Journal Article
Qutachi, O., Vetch, J. R., Gill, D., Cox, H., Scurr, D. J., Hofmann, S., …Rahman, C. V. (2014). Injectable and porous PLGA microspheres that form highly porous scaffolds at body temperature. Acta Biomaterialia, 10(12), 5090-5098. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2014.08.015

Injectable scaffolds are of interest in the field of regenerative medicine because of their minimally invasive mode of delivery. For tissue repair applications, it is essential that such scaffolds have the mechanical properties, porosity and pore dia... Read More about Injectable and porous PLGA microspheres that form highly porous scaffolds at body temperature.

High throughput screening for biomaterials discovery (2014)
Journal Article
Algahtani, M. S., Alexander, M., Scurr, D. J., Hook, A. L., Anderson, D. G., Langer, R. S., …Davies, M. C. (2014). High throughput screening for biomaterials discovery. Journal of Controlled Release, 190, 115-126. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconrel.2014.06.045

Using microarray technologies thousands of biomedical materials can be screened in a rapid, parallel and cost effective fashion to identify the optimum candidate that fulfils a specific biomedical application. High throughput surface characterization... Read More about High throughput screening for biomaterials discovery.

Thermally Switchable Polymers Achieve Controlled Escherichia coli Detachment (2014)
Journal Article
Hook, A. L., Chang, C., Scurr, D. J., Langer, R., Anderson, D. G., Williams, P., …Alexander, M. R. (2014). Thermally Switchable Polymers Achieve Controlled Escherichia coli Detachment. Advanced Healthcare Materials, 3(7), 1020-1025. https://doi.org/10.1002/adhm.201300518

The thermally triggered release of up to 96% of attached uropathogenic E. coli is achieved on two polymers with opposite changes in surface wettability upon reduction in temperature. This demonstrates that the bacterial attachment to a surface cannot... Read More about Thermally Switchable Polymers Achieve Controlled Escherichia coli Detachment.

Ambient DESI and LESA-MS analysis of proteins adsorbed to a biomaterial surface using in-situ surface tryptic digestion (2013)
Journal Article
Rao, W., Celiz, A. D., Scurr, D. J., Alexander, M. R., & Barrett, D. A. (2013). Ambient DESI and LESA-MS analysis of proteins adsorbed to a biomaterial surface using in-situ surface tryptic digestion. Journal of The American Society for Mass Spectrometry, 24(12), https://doi.org/10.1007/s13361-013-0737-3

The detection and identification of proteins adsorbed onto biomaterial surfaces under ambient conditions has significant experimental advantages but has proven to be difficult to achieve with conventional measuring technologies. In this study, we pre... Read More about Ambient DESI and LESA-MS analysis of proteins adsorbed to a biomaterial surface using in-situ surface tryptic digestion.

Strategies for MCR image analysis of large hyperspectral data-sets (2012)
Journal Article
Scurr, D. J., Hook, A. L., Burley, J., Williams, P. M., Anderson, D. G., Langer, R., …Alexander, M. R. (2012). Strategies for MCR image analysis of large hyperspectral data-sets. Surface and Interface Analysis, 45(1), https://doi.org/10.1002/sia.5040

Polymer microarrays are a key enabling technology for high throughput materials discovery. In this study, multivariate image analysis, specifically multivariate curve resolution (MCR), is applied to the hyperspectral time of flight secondary ion mass... Read More about Strategies for MCR image analysis of large hyperspectral data-sets.