Our research

The main objective of drug delivery research is to safely and efficiently target drugs or bioactive compounds to their site of action through the process of pharmaceutical formulation, use of new technologies and systems.

Most drugs and new bio-active molecules or agents including probiotics, vaccines and pesticides are either insoluble or unstable, which minimises their effectiveness. It's often necessary to incorporate these agents into biocompatible formulations that can protect them from degradation as well as making the delivery approach target specific, localised and more efficient. Novel drug delivery approaches usually result in enhanced therapeutic efficiency as well as reduced side effects and cost.

The choice of drug delivery system depends on many factors including physicochemical properties of the drug or bio-actives, drug delivery environment, drug release timeline, scale-up costs and applications.

Our current research projects

3D printing of future medicines

The centrepiece of our research is 3D printing. We are using this fascinating manufacturing technique to create new drug dosage forms and delivery systems. 3D printing gives us the flexibility to design a complex system based on our clinical needs. A 3D sketch is prepared in CAD software and printed. The printing parameters need to be adjusted based on the design. In addition, choice of materials, physical properties of the print, the method of drug entrapment, drug release parameters and safety of the printed materials need to be studied in great details.

Bio-actives microencapsulation

Microencapsulation is a great tool for the delivery of bioactive agents including probiotics, drugs, nutrients and immunostimulants. This packaging technology can provide an excellent protection for bioactive agents against harsh environmental conditions during preparation, storage and delivery. We aim to generate a controlled release system of various bioactive ingredients including probiotics, drugs and other sensitive compounds using encapsulation technology. Our aim is to improve some of the manufacturing practices within food, aquaculture and pharmaceutical industries by designing a successful and cost-effective delivery systems of bioactive compounds.

Bio-actives extraction and drug discovery

We're screening for medicinal and non-medicinal compounds from marine resources. We also look for pigments and compounds with high antioxidant property for use in food and cosmetic formulations. This research programme involves the collection, processing, extraction, purification, separation and screening of samples obtained from various marine sources.

Development of medicinal cannabis products

We've established licensed laboratories to research and develop novel extraction techniques, dosage forms, and methods to characterise and validate products. We have strong industrial collaborations and aim to provide solutions to a wide range of scientific/technical problems to this newly developing industrial sector in New Zealand. The scope of our research includes social and legislative policies, patient-centred outcomes, extraction, drying, processing, analysis, quality assurance and novel dosage form design.

Marine and wildlife conservation

We have a great passion for nature conservation, and have the opportunity to work with some of New Zealand’s best conservationists and marine biologists. We use novel approaches for designing target-specific drug delivery systems for wildlife and aquatic species. These include our ballistic bio-bullet delivery system for drug and vaccine delivery to wildlife and our microcapsule-based systems for delivering nutrients to farmed abalone and other marine species.