Roy, Ipsita - University of Westminster - Department of Life Sciences

个人简介

My expertise is in microbial biotechnology, natural biomaterials and their biomedical applications. My undergraduate degree is in Chemistry (St. Stephen's College, Delhi University, India) and MSc degree is in Biotechnology (Jawaharlal Nehru University, India). In both institutions I was ranked first in the University. I was awarded the prestigious Inlaks Scholarship and the Overseas Research Students Award to study for my Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge. During my time at Cambridge I was awarded the Churchill College Scholarship, the Lundgren Scholarship, Leche Trust Scholarship and the Cambridge University Philosophical Society Fellowship Award. I obtained my Ph.D. at the Department of Biochemistry, where I studied a B12-dependent enzyme, methylmalonyl-CoA mutase under the supervision of Professor Peter Leadlay FRS. My postdoctoral work was at the University of Minnesota, USA, at the Bioprocess Technology Institute, where I worked on fatty acid biosynthesis. I taught at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, India, for four years as an Assistant Professor at the Department of Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology. During this time I worked actively on the production of biodegradable polymers from Streptomyces. I have been at the University of Westminster since 2000 and lead the Applied Biotechnology Research Group. I have published over 100 papers in high impact factor journals such as Biomaterials, Biomacromolecules, Journal of Royal Society Interface and presented my work at numerous international conferences. My group is currently focussed on the production of novel polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), a group of FDA-approved natural polymers and their characterisation. We have pioneered the production of PHAs from Gram positive bacteria which lack immunogenic properties and hence are excellent materials for medical applications. In addition, my group is involved in the application of PHAs in the area of hard tissue engineering (bone), soft tissue engineering (cardiac, nerve), wound healing and drug delivery. I am an editor of the Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology (JCTB), International Journal of Tissue Engineering and was the special editor of an In Focus Issue of JCTB on Biodegradable polymers. I am on the BBSRC, NSERC, Canada, FWF, Austria and NSFC, China, ESF, MUIR grant-reviewing panels and am the Vice Chair, Biotechnology section, SCI, London, UK. My work has been funded by the EPSRC (EP/C515617) EU (SOPHIED, QUORUM), DuPont and WESTFOCUS, London. I am a member of the BHF Cardiovascular Regenerative Medicine Centre led by Imperial College London that recently received £2.5 million funding.

研究领域

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My group is currently focussed on the production of natural polymers of bacterial origin including polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), bacterial cellulose and -Polyglutamic acid, with a particular emphasis on PHAs. Polyhydroxyalkanoates are a group of FDA-approved natural polymers that are biodegradable and biocompatible. These can be used for both bulk applications and medical applications. In my group we have investigated the medical applications of these polymers. We have pioneered the production of PHAs from Gram positive bacteria which lack immunogenic properties and hence are excellent materials for medical applications. There are two types of PHAs, SCL-PHAs (monomer length C4-C5), generally brittle in nature and MCL-PHAs (monomer length C6-C16), elastomeric in nature. The two main organisms that we produce for the production of these polymers are, Bacillus cereus SPV (for SCL-PHAs) and Pseudomonas mendocina (for MCL-PHAs). We are currently investigating the application of PHAs in the area of bone tissue engineering, cardiac and nerve tissue engineering, wound healing and controlled drug delivery. In the area of bone tissue engineering we have developed Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate, P(3HB) composites with Bioglass®, carbon nanotubes, bacterial cellulose and magnetic nanoparticles. These have been characterised extensively for their material properties, degradability and biocompatibility. For cardiac tissue engineering applications we have developed Poly(3-hydroxyoctanoate), P(3HO) patches with added growth factors, i.e., Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) and peptides (RGD peptides). In addition, these patches have been coated with P(3HO) fibres, leading to essential surface topography, enhancing biocompatibility. I am now part of a BHF Cardiovascular Regenerative Medicine Centre led by Professor Sian Harding at Imperial College London, where P(3HO) and other PHAs will be explored for the development of cardiac patches to support stem cell growth and differentiation in to cardiac muscle. For wound healing applications two types of patches have been created, compressed films containing P(3HB) microspheres with encapsulated tetracycline; P(3HO) films with nanoBioglass. The former exhibited excelled controlled delivery of tetracycline and biocompatibility and the latter has potential haemostatic properties. Finally, in the area of controlled delivery we have explored the use of P(3HB) microspheres for the delivery of small molecules such as gentamycin and proteins including bovine serum albumin. In both cases highly controlled long term delivery has been achieved. Another major application for PHAs being investigated in my group are drug eluting biodegradable stents. We have explored the use of P(3HO)/bacterial cellulose composites and P(3HB)/P(3HO) blends for the development of such stents. Preliminary stent prototypes have been produced using P(3HB)/P(HO) blends. I collaborate with a large number of groups including those led by Professor Aldo Boccaccini (University of Erlangen, Germany); Professor Sian Harding (Imperial College London); Professor Jonathan Knowles (University College London); Professor Mohan Edirisinghe (University College London); Dr. Sanjukta Deb (King College London); Professor Ruth Cameron (University of Cambridge); Professor Serena Best (University of Cambridge); Dr. Iban Quintana (Tekniker, Spain). Within the University of Westminster I collaborate with Professor Tajalli Keshavarz; Dr. Ian Locke; Dr. Mike Gordge and Dr. Caroline Smith.