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Professor Mingzhong Li

Job: Professor of Crystal Engineering & Drug Delivery

Faculty: Health and Life Sciences

School/department: Leicester School of Pharmacy

Address: De Montfort University, The Gateway, Leicester, LE1 9BH.

T: +44 (0)116 257 7132

E: mli@dmu.ac.uk

W: https://www.dmu.ac.uk/pharmacy

 

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Personal profile

Prof Li's research is focused on solving key challenges facing the pharmaceutical industry for improvements in production quality and reduction in manufacturing costs through utilising cutting edge analytical and modelling techniques to explore optimal formulations starting from a molecular level characterisation and up to bulk properties of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and excipients and application of real time process analysis and simulation techniques for process monitoring and control.

Prof Li's current research areas include using co-crystallisation approach to modification of APIs’ physical and chemical properties, multiscale modeling of drug product and manufacturing process design (i.e., molecular dynamics modeling, computational fluid dynamics, and population balance model), application of physiologically based pharmacokinetic/ pharmacodynamic (PBPK/PD) to evaluate in vivo performance of formulation, development of online particle sizing techniques for control of crystallisation processes and development of online process models for control of fluidised bed granulation processes.

Research group affiliations

Pharmaceutical technologies group.

Publications and outputs

  • Assessing Dose‑Exposure–Response Relationships of Miltefosine in Adults and Children using Physiologically‑Based Pharmacokinetic Modeling Approach
    dc.title: Assessing Dose‑Exposure–Response Relationships of Miltefosine in Adults and Children using Physiologically‑Based Pharmacokinetic Modeling Approach dc.contributor.author: Madu, Shadrack J.; Wang, Ke; Chirumamilla, Siri Kalyan; Turner, David B.; Steel, Patrick G.; Li, M. dc.description.abstract: Objectives: Miltefosine is the frst and only oral medication to be successfully utilized as an antileishmanial agent. However, the drug is associated with diferences in exposure patterns and cure rates among diferent population groups e.g. ethnicity and age (i.e., children v adults) in clinical trials. In this work, mechanistic population physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models have been developed to study the dose-exposure–response relationship of miltefosine in in silico clinical trials and evaluate the diferences in population groups, particularly children and adults. Methods: The Simcyp population pharmacokinetics platform was employed to predict miltefosine exposure in plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in a virtual population under diferent dosing regimens. The cure rate of a simulation was based on the percentage of number of the individual virtual subjects with AUCd0-28>535 µg⋅day/mL in the virtual population. Results: It is shown that both adult and paediatric PBPK models of miltefosine can be developed to predict the PK data of the clinical trials accurately. There was no signifcant diference in the predicted dose-exposure–response of the miltefosine treatment for diferent simulated ethnicities under the same dose regime and the dose-selection strategies determined the clinical outcome of the miltefosine treatment. A lower cure rate of the miltefosine treatment in paediatrics was predicted because a lower exposure of miltefosine was simulated in virtual paediatric in comparison with adult virtual populations when they received the same dose of the treatment. Conclusions: The mechanistic PBPK model suggested that the higher fraction of unbound miltefosine in plasma was responsible for a higher probability of failure in paediatrics because of the diference in the distribution of plasma proteins between adults and paediatrics. The developed PBPK models could be used to determine an optimal miltefosine dose regime in future clinical trials. dc.description: open access article
  • Optimisation of Pharmaceutical Cocrystal Dissolution Performance through a Synergistic Precipitation Inhibition
    dc.title: Optimisation of Pharmaceutical Cocrystal Dissolution Performance through a Synergistic Precipitation Inhibition dc.contributor.author: Shi, Kejing; Li, M. dc.description.abstract: Objectives: Polymeric excipients play an important role in a cocrystal formulation to act as precipitation inhibitors to maximize the potential. Otherwise, a stable form of the parent drug will be recrystallized on the dissolving cocrystal surface and/or in the bulk solution during the cocrystal dissolution process, negating the solubility advantage. The objectives of this work were to investigate the potential of using combined polymers to maximise the dissolution performance of surface precipitation pharmaceutical cocrystals. Methods: The dissolution performance of a highly soluble fufenamic acid and nicotinamide (FFA-NIC) cocrystal has been systematically studied with predissolved or powder mixed with a single polymer, including a surface precipitation inhibitor [i.e., copolymer of vinylpyrrolidone (60%) /vinyl acetate (40%) (PVP-VA)] and two bulk precipitation inhibitors [i.e., polyethylene glycol (PEG) and Soluplus (SLP)], or binary polymers combinations. Results: A single polymer of PVP-VA prevented the FFA surface precipitation for an enhanced dissolution performance of FFA-NIC cocrystal. Unfortunately, it cannot sustain the supersaturated FFA concentration in the bulk solution. A combination of two polymers of PVP-VA and SLP has shown a synergistic inhibition efect to enhance the dissolution advantage of FFA-NIC cocrystal. Conclusions: The dissolution of a cocrystal with surface precipitation of the parent drug can be described as: i) the cocrystal surface contacting the dissolution medium; ii) the cocrystal surface dissolving; iii) the parent drug precipitation on the dissolving surface; and iv) the parent drug particles redissolving. A combination of two types of polymers can be used to maximise the cocrystal performance in solution. dc.description: open access article
  • Apigenin Cocrystals: From Computational Prescreening to Physicochemical Property Characterization
    dc.title: Apigenin Cocrystals: From Computational Prescreening to Physicochemical Property Characterization dc.contributor.author: Makadia, Jay; Seaton, Colin C.; Li, M. dc.description.abstract: Apigenin (4’,5,7-trihydroxyflavone, APG) has many potential therapeutic benefits, however, its poor aqueous solubility has limited its clinical applications. In this work, a large scale cocrystal screening has been conducted, aiming to discover potential APG cocrystals for enhancement of its solubility and dissolution rate. In order to reduce the number of the experimental screening tests, three computational pre-screening tools, i.e., molecular complementarity (MC), hydrogen bond propensity (HBP) and hydrogen bond energy (HBE), were used to provide an initial selection of 47 coformer candidates, leading to discovery of seven APG cocrystals. Among them, six APG cocrystal structures have been determined by successful growth of single crystals, i.e., apigenin-carbamazepine hydrate 1:1:1 cocrystal, apigenin-1,2-di(pyridin-4-yl)ethane hydrate 1:1:1 cocrystal, apigenin-valerolactam 1:2 cocrystal, apigenin-(DL) proline 1:2 cocrystal, apigenin-(D) proline/(L) proline 1:1 cocrystal. All of the APG cocrystals showed improved dissolution performances with potential to be formulated into drug products. dc.description: The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.
  • Integral Role of Water in the Solid-State Behavior of the Antileishmanial Drug Miltefosine
    dc.title: Integral Role of Water in the Solid-State Behavior of the Antileishmanial Drug Miltefosine dc.contributor.author: Hall, Amy V.; Gostick, Isobel E.F.; Yufit, Dmitry S.; Marchant, Gloria Y.; Kirubakaran, Preyanthiny; Madu, Shadrack J.; Li, M.; Steel, Patrick G.; Steed, Jonathan W. dc.description.abstract: Miltefosine is a repurposed anticancer drug and currently the only orally administered drug approved to treat the neglected tropical disease leishmaniasis. Miltefosine is hygroscopic and must be stored at sub-zero temperatures. In this work we report the X-ray structures of miltefosine monohydrate and methanol solvate, along with 12- and 14-carbon chain analogue hydrates and a solvate. The three hydrates are all isostructural and are conformational isomorphs with Z' = 2. The water bridges the gap between phosphocholine head groups caused by the interdigitated bilayer structure. The two methanol solvates are also mutually isostructural with the head groups adopting a more extended conformation. Again, the solvent bridges the gap between head groups in the bilayer. No anhydrous form of miltefosine or its analogues were isolated, with dehydration resulting in significantly reduced crystallinity. This arises as a result of the integral role that hydrogen bond donors (in the form of water or solvent molecules) play in the stability of the zwitterionic structures. dc.description: The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link. Open access article; open access article
  • Nucleation of Supersaturated Flufenamic Acid Cocrystal Solutions in the Presence of a Polymer
    dc.title: Nucleation of Supersaturated Flufenamic Acid Cocrystal Solutions in the Presence of a Polymer dc.contributor.author: Alinda, Peace; Shi, Kejing; Li, M. dc.description.abstract: The nucleation kinetics and thermodynamics of two flufenamic acid cocrystals solutions, i.e., flufenamic acid and theophylline (FFA-TP) and flufenamic acid and nicotinamide (FFA-NIC), in the absence and presence of a polymer of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) or copolymer of vinylpyrrolidone (60%)/vinyl acetate (40%) (PVP-VA) have been investigated and compared with the pure FFA solution. Induction times have been collected under five equal parent drug supersaturation levels at 27°C with at least 80 repetitive experiments in 1 mL solution for each supersaturation level. Nucleation rates, extracted from the induction time distributions by accounting for a nucleus growth time, have been used to determine the interfacial energy and the pre-exponential factor within the framework of the classical nucleation theory (CNT). It is shown that the cocrystal coformer played a significant role in inducing the precipitation of the cocrystal or the parent drug. Due to a lower solubility of FFA-TP cocrystal in comparison with the parent drug FFA, the FFA-TP complexes can be formed in the FFA-TP cocrystal solution, resulting in a delay in the solution nucleation of FFA-TP cocrystals. There was no significant difference in the nucleation of the FFA-NIC cocrystal and the pure compound FFA solutions, in which only FFA III crystals were precipitated with comparable nucleation induction times. Although PVP or PVP-VA is an effective surface precipitation inhibitor of the FFA cocrystals, its effectiveness in maintaining FFA in a supersaturated solution is rather limited. The influence of PVP or PVP-VA on the nucleation time of a supersaturated FFA cocrystal solution depends on both its concentration and constituent components in the solution. From a CNT perspective, it was revealed that the kinetic movement of the FFA-TP nucleus was altered by the polymer, leading to the promotion or hindrance of the nucleation. In contrast, NIC in the FFA-NIC solution system interacted with the polymer of PVP or PVP-VA so that a lesser amount of NIC was absorbed on the surfaces of the nuclei, resulting in increased interfacial energy to delay the nucleation. The study has indicated that a good surface precipitation inhibitor, such as PVP or PVP-VA, is not guaranteed to be an effective bulk solution precipitation inhibitor. Additionally, optimisation of both the type of polymer and its concentration is needed for the development of an effective cocrystal formulation. dc.description: The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.
  • “PFH/AGM-CBA/HSV-TK/LIPOSOME-Affibody”: Novel Targeted Nano Ultrasound Contrast Agents for Ultrasound Imaging and Inhibited the Growth of ErbB2-Overexpressing Gastric Cancer Cells
    dc.title: “PFH/AGM-CBA/HSV-TK/LIPOSOME-Affibody”: Novel Targeted Nano Ultrasound Contrast Agents for Ultrasound Imaging and Inhibited the Growth of ErbB2-Overexpressing Gastric Cancer Cells dc.contributor.author: Zhou, Houren; Liu, Hui; Zhang, Yue; Huang, Chi; Li, M.; Zhao, Xiaoyun; Ding, Pingtian; Liu, Zhijun; xin, Ying dc.description.abstract: Objective: Gastric cancer is one of the most lethal malignancies in the world. However, the current research on the diagnosis and treatment of nano-ultrasound contrast agents in the field of tumor is mostly focused on breast cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, liver cancer, etc. Due to the interference of gas in the stomach, there is no report on the treatment of gastric cancer. Herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase/ganciclovir (HSV-TK/GCV) therapy system is the most mature tumor suicide gene in cancer treatment. At the same time, in order to improve its safety and efficiency, we designed a gastric tumor targeted ultrasound-triggered phase-transition nano ultrasound contrast agent PFH/AGM-CBA/HSV-TK/Liposome (PAHL)-Affibody complex. Methods: In our study, guanidinylated SS-PAAs polymer poly(agmatine/N, N′-cystamine-bis-acrylamide) (AGM-CBA) was used as a nuclear localization vector of suicide gene to form a polyplex, perfluorohexane (PFH) was used as ultrasound contrast agent, liposomes were used to encapsulate perfluorohexane droplets and the polyplexes of AGM-CBA/HSV-TK, and affibody molecules were conjugated to the prepared PAHL in order to obtain a specific targeting affinity to human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 (ErbB2) at gastric cancer cells. With the aid of ultrasound targeted microbubble destruction technology and the nuclear localization effect of AGM-CBA vector, the transfection efficiency of the suicide gene in gastric cancer cells was significantly increased, leading to significant apoptosis of gastric cancer cells. Results: It was shown that PAHL-Affibody complex was nearly spherical with an average diameter of 560 ± 28.9 nm, having higher and specific affinity to ErbB2 (+) gastric cells. In vitro experiments further confirmed that PAHL could target gastric cancer cells expressing ErbB2. In a contrast-enhanced ultrasound scanning study, the prepared ultrasound-triggered phase-change nano-ultrasound contrast agent, PAHL, showed improved ultrasound enhancement effects. With the application of the low-frequency ultrasound, the gene transfection efficiency of PAHL was significantly improved, thereby inducing significant apoptosis in gastric cancer cells. Conclusion: This study constructs PFH/AGM-CBA/HSV-TK/Liposome-Affibody nano ultrasound contrast agent, which provides new ideas for the treatment strategy of ErbB2-positive gastric cancer and provides some preliminary experimental basis for its inhibitory effect. dc.description: open access article
  • Artemisinin-acetylenedicarboxylic acid cocrystal: screening, structure determination, and physicochemical property characterisation
    dc.title: Artemisinin-acetylenedicarboxylic acid cocrystal: screening, structure determination, and physicochemical property characterisation dc.contributor.author: Makadia, Jay; Madu, Shadrack J; Arroo, R. R. J.; Seaton, Colin Cormack; Li, M. dc.description.abstract: Artemisinin is used to treat malaria, even when caused by multi-drug resistant strains of the Plasmodium parasite; the compound also shows good promise as an anti-cancer drug. However, the usage of artemisinin is limited due to its low aqueous solubility. Herein a large scale of cocrystal screening of artemisinin was conducted using both computational and experimental approaches, resulting in a new 2:1 artemisinin and acetylenedicarboxylic acid (ART2-ACA) cocrystal. ART2-ACA crystallises in the P 212121 space group of an orthorhombic system with the cell parameters a = 10.5089 Å, b = 24.083 Å, c = 6.4952 Å. The asymmetric unit of the cocrystal contains two ART molecules and a single ACA molecule, assembled into discrete trimeric units held together by two supramolecular heterosynthons. It was shown that ART2-ACA cocrystals are of higher solubility and faster dissolution rate compared to the parent drug of artemisinin. dc.description: The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.
  • Artemisinin Cocrystals for Bioavailability Enhancement: Part 2. In-vivo Bioavailability and PBPK Modelling
    dc.title: Artemisinin Cocrystals for Bioavailability Enhancement: Part 2. In-vivo Bioavailability and PBPK Modelling dc.contributor.author: Kaur, Manreet; Yardley, Vanessa; Wang, Ke; Masania, Jinit; Arroo, R. R. J.; Turner, David B.; Li, M. dc.description.abstract: We report the evaluation and prediction of the pharmacokinetic (PK) performance of artemisinin (ART) cocrystal formulations, i.e., 1:1 Artemisinin-Orcinol (ART-ORC) and 2:1 Artemisinin-Resorcinol (ART2-RES), using in vivo murine animal and PBPK (physiological based pharmacokinetic) models. The efficacy of the ART cocrystal formulations along with the parent drug ART were tested in mice infected with Plasmodium berghei. When given at the same dose, the ART-cocrystal formulation showed a significant reduction in parasitaemia at day 4 post infection compared to ART alone. The PK parameters including Cmax (maximum plasma concentration), Tmax (time to Cmax), AUC (area under the curve) were obtained by determining drug concentrations in the plasma using LC-HRMS (Liquid Chromatography-High Resolution Mass Spectrometry), showing enhanced ART levels after dosage with the cocrystal formulations. The dose-response tests revealed that a significantly lower dose of the ART cocrystals in the formulation was required to achieve a similar therapeutic effect as ART alone. A PBPK model was developed using a PBPK mouse simulator to accurately predict the in vivo behaviour of the cocrystal formulations by combining in vitro dissolution profiles with the properties of the parent drug ART. The study illustrated that information from classical in vitro and in vivo experimental investigations of the parent drug of ART formulation can be coupled with PBPK modelling to predict the PK parameters of an ART cocrystal formulation in an efficient manner. Therefore, the proposed modelling strategy could be used to establish in vitro and in vivo correlations for different cocrystals intended to improve dissolution properties and to support clinical candidate selection, contributing to assessment of cocrystal developability and formulation development. dc.description: The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.
  • Artemisinin Cocrystals for Bioavailability Enhancement. Part 1: Formulation Design and Role of the Polymeric Excipient
    dc.title: Artemisinin Cocrystals for Bioavailability Enhancement. Part 1: Formulation Design and Role of the Polymeric Excipient dc.contributor.author: Kaur, Manreet; Yardley, Vanessa; Wang, Ke; Masania, Jinit; Botana, Adolfo; Arroo, R. R. J.; Li, M. dc.description.abstract: Artemisinin (ART) is a most promising antimalarial agent, which is both effective and well-tolerated in patients, though it has therapeutic limitations due to its low solubility, bioavailability and short half-life. The objective of this work was to explore the possibility of formulating ART cocrystals, i.e., artemisinin-orcinol (ART-ORC) and artemisinin-resorcinol (ART2-RES) as oral dosage forms to deliver ART molecules for bioavailability enhancement. This is the first part of the study, aiming to develop a simple and effective formulation which can then be tested on an appropriate animal model (i.e. mouse selected for in vivo study) to evaluate their preclinical pharmacokinetics for further development. In the current work, the physicochemical properties (i.e., solubility and dissolution rate) of ART cocrystals were measured to collect information necessary for the formulation development strategy. It was found that the ART solubility can be increased significantly by its cocrystals, i.e., 26-fold by ART-ORC and 21-fold by ART2-RES respectively. Screening a set of polymers widely used in pharmaceutical products, including Polyvinylpyrrolidone, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose and Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose Acetate Succinate, based on the powder dissolution performance parameter analysis, revealed that Polyvinylpyrrolidone/vinyl Acetate (PVP-VA) was the most effective crystallisation inhibitor. The optimal concentration of PVP-VA at 0.05 mg/mL for the formulation was then determined by a dissolution/permeability method which represented a simplified permeation model to simultaneously evaluate the effects of a crystallization inhibitor on the dissolution and permeation performance of ART cocrystals. Furthermore, experiments, including surface dissolution of single ART cocrystals monitored by Raman spectroscopy and SEM and diffusion properties of ART in solution measured by 1H and diffusion-ordered spectroscopy (DOSY) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, provided insight into how the excipient affects the ART cocrystal dissolution performance and bioavailability. dc.description: The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.
  • Cocrystallisation of Daidzein with pyridine-derived molecules: Screening, structure determination and characterisation
    dc.title: Cocrystallisation of Daidzein with pyridine-derived molecules: Screening, structure determination and characterisation dc.contributor.author: Bolus, Linzie; Wang, Ke; Pask, Christopher; Lai, Xiaojun; Li, M. dc.description.abstract: Daidzein (7,4' -dihydroxyisoflavone, DAI) is an isoflavone found in soybeans and Pueraria. DAI has potential therapeutic benefits on cancer and osteoporosis yet has quite low solubility, limiting its use. Herein a cocrystal screening of DAI with pyridine-derived molecules, i.e., nicotinamide, isonicotinamide, caffeine, d -Proline, l -Proline and 4,4' -Bipyridine was conducted. A new cocrystal of Daidzein and 4,4' -Bipyridine (DAI-BIP) was successfully generated via grinding and solvent methods. DAI-BIP showed an increased solubility and dissolution rate. In comparison to DAI, there was a 2.03-fold increase of the dissolution performance parameter for DAI-BIP where the concentration observed for DAI quickly reached the equi- librium solubility and continued to reach 1.49 times DAI solubility. A parachute effect was also observed during the dissolution of DAI-BIP, indicating that BIP might be able to maintain the supersaturated state of DAI in solution proving DAI’s ability to form cocrystals of higher solubility and enhanced dissolution properties through co-crystallisation dc.description: Daidzein has extremely poor water solubility affecting its bioavailability even with high doses. To achieve the therapeutic effects of Daidzein, the aim of this research project is to design multi-component crystal forms of Daidzein cocrystals with improved solubility and dissolution rate to maximize its therapeutic effect. The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.

Click here for a full listing of Mingzhong Li's publications and outputs.

Research interests/expertise

  • Pharmaceutical co-crystal screening
  • Pre-formation development: in vitro dissolution and stability tests 
  • Multiscale modeling of drug product and manufacturing process design (i.e., molecular dynamics modeling, computational fluid dynamics, and population balance model)
  • Application of physiologically based pharmacokinetic/ pharmacodynamic (PBPK/PD) to evaluate formation performance in vivo
  • Patient centric oral medicines for Neglected Tropical Diseases
  • Crystallisation/Co-crystallisation mechnisms (i.e., nucleation and crystal growth)
  • Particle sizing, process modelling, control and optimisation (i.e., granulation processes and crystallisation)

Areas of teaching

  • Formulation science and drug delivery
  • Analytical techniques and chemometrics
  • Crystallisation/co-crystallisation.

Qualifications

  • PhD
  • MSc
  • BSc.

Courses taught

  • Pharmaceutical and Cosmetic Science
  • MSc Pharmaceutical Quality by Design.

Membership of external committees

  • UKRI Talent Panel College 
  • EPSRC Peer Review College  
  • Committee member, British Association for Crystal Growth
  • Particle technology subject group in Institution of Chemical Engineers

Membership of professional associations and societies

  • British Association for Crystal Growth
  • Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Great Britain

Forthcoming events

  • A member of Conference Committee of “The 47th British Association for Crystal Growth annual conference”, 27-29 June 2016, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
  • A member of Conference Committee of “The 46th British Association for Crystal Growth annual conference”, 21-23 June 2015, Queen Mary, London UK
  • Chair on “Surface Dissolution Imaging Symposium”, De Montfort University, 12-13 June, 2012.

Conference attendance

  • The 47th British Association for Crystal Growth annual conference, 27-29 June 2016, University of Leeds, Leeds UK
  • The 46th British Association for Crystal Growth annual conference, 21-23 June 2015, Queen Mary, London UK

Consultancy work

  • Co-crystallisation
  • Pre-formulation/formulation
  • In vitro dissolution
  • Pharmaceutical process modelling and control
  • QbD.

Current research students

  • Mr. Jay Makadia,3rd-year PhD student, 1st supervisor
  • Mr. Morteza Haghshenas, 3rd-year PhD student, 1st supervisor
  • Mr. Chufan Liang, 2nd-year PhD student, 1st supervisor
  • Mr. Mayowa Adeyemi, 2nd-year PhD studnet, 1st supervisor
  • Mr. Shadrack Madu, 1st-year PhD student, 1st supervisor
  • Miss Peach Alinda, 1st-year PhD student, 1st supervisor

Externally funded research grants information

  • In-process particle sizing by refractive index measurement, EPSRC, 01/09/2008-31/08/2010, £196072, PI.
  • Network Travel Grant, EPSRC Directed Assembly Network, £600, 2013, PI
  • Building the International Leading Pharmaceutical Research Capacity for the Pharmaceutical Technologies Group at De Montfort University, Higher Education Innovation fund, £8000, 2013-2014, PI
  • European Pharmaceutical Cocrystal Collaboration Network for EU Grant Applications, Higher Education Innovation fund, £2900, 2015, PI
  • Equipment Capital, Higher Education Innovation fund, £72,878, 2016, PI.
  • Developing Patient Centric Oral Medicines for Neglected Tropical Disease, EPSRC, EP/R021198/1, £71,217, 1/4/2018-31/3/2019, PI.
  • Development of Patentable Novel Antimalarial Medicines, Funded by HEIF (Higher Education Innovation fund), £14,924, 1/01/2018 -31/07/2018, PI.
  • Patient-centric supramolecular formulations of new anti-leishmanial drugs for Indian Communities, EPSRC, EP/T020490/1, £906,253, 1/4/2020-31/3 /2022, PI at De Montfort Univeristy (Durham University is the leading partner of the project consortium). 
  • Multiple-reactor Crystallisation System – Polar Bear Plus Crystal, HEIF, £19,938, 2020, Principal investigator
  • Mechanistic Multiscale Co-crystal Dissolution Modelling, EPSRC, EP/V047329/1, £202,422, 01/02/2021-31/01/2023, PI
  • Patient-centric Supramolecular Formulations of Novel Antimalarial Drugs from Nigerian Plants, Royal Society, IES\R2\222004, £12,000, 02/11/2022-01/11/2024, PI
  • Exploring a novel X-ray technique to monitor co-crystal dissolution in situ for the design of medicine, Daiwa Foundation, 4179/15016, £9000, 01/01/2023-31/12/2023, PI

Internally funded research project information

  • Pharmaceutical technologies group network, RIF, 1/01/2010-31/07/2010, £5000, PI.
  • Equipment Capital, HEIF4, 2010, £67,850, PI

  • Graduate School High Flyers PhD Scholarships 2017-18, DMU, £59,100, PI.

  • Graduate School High Flyers PhD Scholarships 2016-17, DMU, £59,100, Co-I. 

  • Graduate School PhD Scholarships 2020-2023, DMU, £59,100, PI.

  •  Patient-Centric Cocyrstal Formulations of Praziquantel for Paediatric Use, QR GCRF, DMU, £24,940, 2020, PI

Published patents

PCT/GB2009/002599, Determining the particle size distribution of a suspension, UK.

Former PhD students

  • Dr. Ning Qiao, PhD, 2014, 1st supervisor

PhD thesis: Investigation of Carbamazepine-Nicotinamide cocrystal solubility and dissolution by the UV imaging system

  • Dr. Huolong Liu, PhD, 2014, 1st supervisor

PhD thesis: Modeling and control of batch pulsed top-spray fluidized bed granulation

  • Dr. Shi Qiu, PhD, 2015, 1st supervisor

PhD thesis: Effect of polymers on Carbamazepine cocrystals phase transformation and release profiles

  • Dr. Minshan Guo, PhD, 2018, 1st supervisor

PhD thesis: Investigating the Dissolution and Permeation Properties of Flufenamica Acid Cocrystals

  • Dr. Preyanthiny Kirubakaran, PhD, 2021, 1st supervisor

PhD thesis: Mechanistic Understanding of Co-crystal solubility and dissolution by using a combination of Experimental and Molecular Modelling Techniques

  • Dr. Manreet Kaur, PhD, 2021, 1st supervisor

PhD thesis: Artimisinin Bioavailability Improvement

  • Dr. Linzie Bolus, PhD, 2021, 1st supervisor

PhD thesis: Developing multi-component crystalforms of Daidzein and Luteolin forBioavailability improvement

Former MSc project students

2022: Miss Solin Sam, Miss Anju Thomas, Miss Anu Sunny, Miss elizabeth Joy

2021: Mr Orvil Pereira, Mr Kassim Abukassim, Miss Amina Sheta 

2020: Miss Peace Alinda, Miss , Miss natasha Buchanan, Miss Priyanka Ahmed

2019: Mr Atif Qayyun, Miss Emma Holden, Miss natasha Buchanan, Miss Priyanka Ahmed

2018: Mr Chufan Liang, Mr. Chuhong Cheng, Mr. Weilin Tan, Mr. Mohammed Patel

2017: Miss Yasmine Alyassin; Mr. Saeed Gugu; Mr. Abdulrahman Nuhu; Mr. Aaron Gill; Mr. Rahman Ahmed

2016: Miss Jialu Situ; Miss Manreet Kaur; Miss Preyanthiny Kirubakaran; Mr. Jay Makadia

2015: Miss Junmin Lai; Mr. Balraj Rai; Miss Samya Khaled

2014: Miss Minshan Guo; Mr. Dillan Pattni; Mr. Xuechao Hou; Mr. Simron Rai

2012: Miss Fatma Ali; Miss  Ayobami Temitope Ajibola; Mr. Junaid Razaq; Mr. Rukhsar Tariq

Group news

  • Oct 2023: Congratulations to Shadrack for publishing a paper entitled" Assessing Dose-Exposure-Response Relationships of Miltefosine in Adults and Children using Physiologically-Based Pharmacokinetic Modeling Approach " in Pharmaceutical Research, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11095-023-03610-0  
  • May 2023: Congratulations to Kejing for publishing a paper entitled "Optimisation of Pharmaceutical Cocrystal Dissolution Performance through a Synergistic Precipitation Inhibition" in Pharmaceutical Research, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11095-023-03532-x  
  • April 2023: Congratulations to Jay for publishing a paper entitled " Aprigenin cocrystals: from computational prescreening to physicochemical property characterization" in Crystal Growth & Design, https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.cgd.3c00030  
  • November 2022: Congratulations to the Group to be awarded a Daiwa Foundation Award for supporting reciprocal visits between the group with the Fukuoka/Gunma Universities to stimulate collaborations.
  • October 2022: Congratulations to the Group to be awarded a Royal Society International Exchanges award for overseas travel between collaborators in the UK and Nigeria.
  • August 2022: Congratulations go to Dr. Manreet Kaur,  who has been awarded "Doctoral Thesis Prize" for the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences in the Doctoral Thesis Prize competition. Her thesis entitled: Artimisinin Bioavailability Improvement. 
  • August 2022: Congratulations to Peace for publishing a paper entitled “Nucleation of Supersaturated Flufenamic Acid Cocrystal Solutions in the Presence of a Polymer” in Crystal Growth & Design.  https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.cgd.2c00323
  • July 2022: Prof. Li has been awarded a Vice‑Chancellor's Distinguished Teaching Award (VCDTA).  https://demontfortuniversity.sharepoint.com/sites/DMUHome/staff_news/Pages/July2022/Awards-to-Recognise-Teaching-Excellence.aspx 
  • Dec. 2021: Congratulations to Jay for publishing a paper entitled " Artemisinin-acetylenedicarboxylic acid cocrystal: screening, structure determination, and physicochemical property characterisation" in CrystEngComm, https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2022/ce/d1ce01400e/unauth   
  • Dec. 2021:  Congratulations to Linzie to pass her Viva with minor corrections.
  • Nov. 2021: Congratulations to Manreet for publishing two papers entitled " Artemisinin Cocrystals for Bioavailability Enhancement. Part 1: Formulation Design and Role of the Polymeric Excipient" in Molecular Pharmaceutics, https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.1c00384 and "Artemisinin Cocrystals for Bioavailability Enhancement. Part 2: In Vivo Bioavailability and Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Modeling" in Molecular  Pharmaceutics,   https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.1c00385
  • July 2021: Welcome Dr. Kejing Shi as a PDRF to join the group.
  • Jun. 2021: Congratulations to Manreet to pass her Viva with minor corrections.
  • Feb. 2021: Welcome Dr. Preyanthiny Kirubakaran as a PDRF to join the group. 
  • Feb. 2021: Congratulations to Preya to pass her Viva with minor corrections.
  • Jan. 2021: Congratulations to Peace Alinda to be offered a PhD studentship to study in the group.
  • Dec 2020: Congratulations to Group to be awarded an EPSRC grant.
  • Dec 2020: Congratulations to Group to be awarded funds for Crystal16.
  • Dec 2020: Congratulations to Group to be awarded funds for BIOVIA Materials Studio AcademicResearch Suite.
  • July 2020: Congratulations to Mr Shadrack Madu to be offered a PhD studentship to study in the group.
  • July 2020: Congratulations to Linzie for publishing a paper entitled "Cocrystallisation of Daidzein with pyridine-derived molecules: Screening, structure determination and characterisation" in Journal of Molecular Structure, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022286020312187?dgcid=author;
  • February 2020: Congratulations to the group to be awarded funds for Polar Bear Plus Crystal.
  • February 2020: Congratulations to the group as part of  UK-India collaborative consortium to be awarded an EPSRC project. The project is a multidisciplinary, multicentre Anglo-Indian collaboration between Prof Patrick Steel (lead), Profs Jon Steed and Andrew Russell at Durham, De Montfort University, Keele University (Profs Helen Price and Lisa Dikomitis), University of Hyderabad (Prof Ashwini Nangia), IICB Kolkata (Prof Nahid Ali) and BHU (Prof Shyam Sundar). In this UK-India collaborative project, that brings together chemistry, pharmaceutics, formulation science, parasitology and medical anthropology, we aim build on these to develop novel antileishmanial compounds with better modes of administration.
  • January 2020: Welcome Mr Mayowa Adeyemi to join the group for PhD study
  • December 2019: Congratulations to Preya for publishing a paper entitled "Understanding the effects of a polymer on the surface dissolution of pharmaceutical cocrystals using combined experimental and molecular dynamics simulation approaches" in Molecular Pharmaceutics, https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.9b00955
  • November 2019: Congratulations to Manreet to be awarded a travel bursary to attend the GCRF NTD network Workshop in Techniques and Technologies in Drug Discovery to be held in Mendoza, Argentina  1-4 November 2019. https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6597573123493638144/
  • July 2019: Congratulations go to our post graduate research student, Miss  Manreet Kaur, 3rd year PhD student from the Pharmaceutical Technologies Group, who has been awarded the poster competitions  at the 50th annual meeting of the British Association of Crystal Growth (BACG) in London. https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6556926232737398784/
  • Story of Dr. Minshan Guo: https://www.dmu.ac.uk/about-dmu/news/2019/may/minshan-lands-lectureship-at-one-of-chinas-leading-universities.aspx
  • April 2019: Welcome Mr Chufan Liang to join the group for PhD study.
  • March 2019: Congratulations go to Linzie to win 2nd Prize of Research Degree Students' Poster Competition
  • September 2018: Welcome Mr Morteza Haghshenas to join the group for PhD study.
  • August 2018: Congratulations to Minshan to pass her Viva with minor corrections.
  • August 2018: Congratulations to Minshan for publishing a paper entitled "Investigating Permeation Behaviour of Flufenamic Acid Cocrystals using A Dissolution and Permeation System" in Molecular Pharmaceutics: http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.8b00670 
  • July 2018: Welcome Mr Jay Makadia to join the group for PhD study.
  • April 2018: Congratulation to Linzie for winning Research Degree Students' Poster Competition 3rd Prize.
  • March 2018: Congratulation to the group to be awarded an EPSRC project.
  • January 2018: Welcome Dr. Ke Wang to join the group as a Research Assistant.
  • November 2017: Dr. Li is Guest Editor for Special Issue "Pharmaceutical Crystallisation Science and Engineering" in Pharmaceutics.
  • October 2017: Congratulations to Minshan for publishing a paper entitled "Insight into Flufenamic Acid Cocrystal Dissolution in the Presence of a Polymer in Solution: from Single Crystal to Powder Dissolution" in Molecular Pharmaceutics: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.7b00712.
  • July 2017: Congratulations go to our post graduate research student, Miss  Preya Kirubakaran,1st year PhD student from the Pharmaceutical Technologies Group, who has been awarded the 1st place of the poster competitions  at the 48th annual meeting of the British Association of Crystal Growth (BACG) in Manchester, from 27th to 30th of June, with more 150 delegates from 14 countries
  • February 2017: Congratulations on Linzie Bolus's success on the award of a high flyer scholarship. 
  • June 2016: Congratulations go to Dr. Shi Qiu, who has been awarded "Doctoral Thesis Prize" for the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences in the Doctoral Thesis Prize competition. Her thesis entitled: Effects of Polymers on Carbamazepine cocrystals phase transformation and release profiles.

Opportunity to work and/or study PhD in the group

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