Biography
Luis is an Associate Professor at the Department of Chemical Sciences at the University of Limerick (Ireland), Course Director in the BSc in Industrial Biochemistry programme and in the Professional Diploma in Regulatory Affairs in (Bio)Pharmaceuticals, and a Principle Investigator at the Bernal Institute. He is a Funded Investigator at SSPC (the SFI Research Centre for Pharmaceuticals) and has been awarded several grants as PI/Co-PI from various funding agencies (EU, Science Foundation Ireland, Enterprise Ireland).Luis studied Biochemistry at undergraduate level before obtaining his PhD in Chemical Engineering at the University of Lisbon (Portugal). Following his PhD, Luis worked in the pharmaceutical industry for almost 2 years (Hovione FarmaCiência, Portugal) before joining SSPC in UL as a postdoctoral researcher and as a senior research fellow later on.
Luis worked on different research projects in different institutions (academia and industry) and countries (Ireland, Portugal and Sweden) focusing his research on Particle Engineering Technologies, Continuous Nanocrystallization and (Bio)Pharmaceutical Processing. He has developed industrial expertise in Quality by Design, scale-up methods and particle engineering technologies for small and large molecule APIs with particular emphasis to spray drying of biopharmaceuticals. Luis has worked within the highest standards of quality (GLP, GMP) in the industry and participated in the development of several spray drying and nanosizing processes for oral and parenteral dosage forms.
Research Interests
IMS Health reports show the global pharmaceutical industry is a $1 trillion dollar sales business, representing more than 30 billion in exports for Ireland. Particularly, the Biopharmaceutical Industry has made in the last decade a capital investment of approximately $8 billion in new facilities in Ireland, presenting significant challenges and opportunities to advance bioprocess development.
Meanwhile drugs which are worth more than $65 billion are wasted every year due to poor solubility, poor bioavailability and the lack of efficient manufacturing and formulation approaches to consistently improve their bioavailability. The manufacture of drug nanoparticles with enhanced properties (e.g. solubility, stability, bioavailability, drug specificity) provides the opportunity to bring new medicines to market. However, pharmaceutical companies have been facing considerable challenges to successfully overcome engineering and manufacturing (e.g. scale-up) hurdles associated with nano-processes.
My research interests are primarily focused in the development of particle engineering technologies for small and large molecule APIs (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients), with a particular emphasis in (bio)pharmaceutical nanomanufacturing, which includes:
- Pharmaceutical processing for large molecule APIs (biopharmaceuticals):
- Isolation and stabilization of biopharmaceuticals using spray drying and freeze drying
- Engineering and manufacturing of biopharmaceutical nanoparticles
- Pharmaceutical processing for small molecule APIs (pharmaceuticals):
- Continuous crystallization and drying of drug nanoparticles
- Supercritical Co2 processing for polymorphic control
- (Co)Crystal engineering
Professional Activities
Award
- 2022 - Innovation of the Year
- 2022 - SFI Research Infrastructure
- 2021 - Bernal Mid-Career Researcher of the Year 2020
- 2021 - Laboratory Scientist of the Year
- 2020 - Laboratory Staff Member of the Year
- 2020 - SFI Frontiers for the Future project
- 2019 - H2020 Marie Curie Innovative Training Network (MSCA-ITN-2019) European Industrial Doctorate (EID)
- 2019 - Laboratory Staff Member of the Year
- 2018 - Continuous Manufacturing of drug Nano-particles (CM-NANO)
- 2017 - SFI/NSF I-Corps@SFI Entrepreneurial Programme - 'Continuous Manufacturing Method for the Production of Pharmaceutical Drug Nanoparticles'
- 2016 - US-Ireland R&D Partnership Programme Partnership in continuous manufacturing for nano-based drug products'
- 2008 - Design and Processing of Pharmaceutical Cocrystals using Supercritical Fluid Technology
Patent
- 2021 PCT/EP2021/054234 - Particle Coating Method
- 2021 PCT/EP2021/054235 - Particle Coating Method
- 2015 WO2015036799 A1 - Synthesis and particle engineering of cocrystals
- 2013 WO2013129953 A1 - Vaccine against strangles of the Equidae
- 2013 WO2013095169 A1 - Crystalline minocycline thermo-resistant obtained by recrystallization with carbon dioxide
Disclosure
- 2020 Continuous manufacturing and isolation of nanoparticles using multi-nozzle spray coater
- 2019 Method for isolation of nanoparticles using spray coating
Association
- 2018 Associated Member, IChemE
- 2018 Member, EUFEPS
Consultancy
- 2018 Pfizer Ireland Pharmaceuticals - Consultancy services in a API-DP interface event
Employment
- 2017 University of Limerick - Lecturer
- 2016 Synthesis and Solid State Pharmaceutical Centre (SSPC), University of Limerick - Senior Research Fellow
- 2014 Synthesis and Solid State Pharmaceutical Centre (SSPC), University of Limerick - Postdoctoral Researcher
- 2013 Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon - Research Fellow
- 2012 Hovione FarmaCiencia SA - Process Development Scientist
- 2006 Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa - Assistant Research Fellow
Education
- 2012 Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon - PhD
- 2006 Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon - BSc (Hons)
Outreach
- Judge in the National Crystal Growing Competition (January 30, 2018).
- Press release in Limerick Post (January 30, 2018) - https://www.limerickpost.ie/2018/01/30/scientists-at-university-of-limerick-are-working-to-transform-the-pharmaceutical-market/
- Press release in Limerick Leader (February 1, 2018 ) - https://www.limerickleader.ie/news/home/294763/university-of-limerick-scientists-tackle-pharma-s-biggest-challenge.html
- Press release in Irish Examiner (January 30, 2018) - https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/business/ul-lectures-plan-to-tackle-solubility-of-some-medicines-in-500k-research-825617.html
- Press release in Eureka Alert (January 30, 2018) - https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-01/uol-irt013018.php
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Radio broadcast in Live 95 FM (January 31, 2018) - https://www.live95fm.ie/news/scientists-at-ul-take-part-in-project-that-could-t/
- Press release in News Medical Life Sciences (January 30, 2018) - https://www.news-medical.net/news/20180130/UL-scientists-and-EI-team-up-to-tackle-biggest-challenge-of-pharmaceutical-industry.aspx
- Press release in Pharmaceutical Technology (January 31, 2018) - https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/news/irish-researchers-say-new-technology-can-transform-pharma-market/
- Press release in Breaking News (January 31, 2018) - https://www.breakingnews.ie/business/ul-lectures-plan-to-tackle-solubility-of-some-medicines-in-500k-research-825617.html
- Press release in Pharma Business International (February 1, 2018) - https://www.pbiforum.net/mag/featured/ul-researchers-to-transform-the-pharma-market/
- Press release in The Niall Boylan Show (January 31, 2018) - http://www.theniallboylanshow.com/ul-lectures-plan-to-tackle-solubility-of-some-medicines-in-e500k-research/
- Press release in Science Magazine (February 1, 2018) - https://scienmag.com/irish-researchers-take-on-global-pharmas-biggest-challenge/
- Press release in Phys.org Science News (January 30, 2018) - https://phys.org/wire-news/278769840/researchers-take-on-global-pharmas-biggest-challenge.html
- Press release in Atlantic Bridge (February 2, 2018) - https://www.atlanticbridge.com/scientists-at-university-of-limerick-are-working-to-transform-the-pharmaceutical-market/
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· Interview (live) on Near FM radio station (February 6, 2018) - http://nearfm.ie/podcast/?p=25300
Other
- Speaker in a Masterclass in Process Development and Scale-Up at NUIG (April 26-27, 2018) Title of presentation: "Solid state properties of APIs"
- Invited speaker for a seminar to the NUIG Society of Chemistry (02 May 2018) Title of presentation: "Batch and continuous particle engineering processes for (bio)pharmaceuticals"
- Invited speaker at the 5th Annual Formulation & Drug Delivery Congress (London, UK) organized by Oxford Global (29-30 April 2019). Title of presentation: "Supercritical CO2-Assisted Spray Drying For The Generation Of Tailored API Nanoparticles "
- Webinar on QbD for Process Development & Nanoparticle CMC Considerations: https://www.oxfordglobal.co.uk/formulation-series/webinar-recordings/
Research Collaborators
- Gavin Andrews - Funding Award - Queen's University Belfast -Northern Ireland
- Miguel Rodrigues - Joint Publication - Instituto Superior Tecnico -Portugal
- Rohit Ramachandran - Funding Award - Rutgers State University -USA
- Hermínio Sousa - Joint Publication -Portugal -University of Coimbra