Ijeoma Uchegbu on using nanoparticles to transform medicines
Sep 3, 2024
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Ijeoma Uchegbu, a Professor of Pharmaceutical Nanoscience at University College London, discusses the groundbreaking potential of nanoparticles in medicine. She explains how these tiny carriers can deliver drugs to hard-to-reach areas, aiming to revolutionize treatments for conditions like blindness and pain management. Ijeoma shares her inspiring journey from a foster child in rural Kent to an innovative scientist, highlighting her creative approaches, including stand-up comedy, to communicate complex scientific ideas and engage others.
Ijeoma Uchegbu's innovative work with nanoparticles aims to revolutionize medicine by precisely targeting difficult areas in the body, improving treatment efficacy.
Her personal journey emphasizes resilience in overcoming challenges as a single mother, highlighting the importance of support and representation in science.
Deep dives
Innovative Drug Delivery through Nanoparticles
Nanoparticles, which are incredibly small particles used in drug delivery, have the potential to revolutionize medical treatments by targeting specific areas in the body, minimizing side effects. The guest's research focuses on creating nanoparticles that can carry medicines directly to hard-to-reach regions, such as the eyes and brain. This approach aims to address significant medical challenges, including treating blindness with eye drops and providing effective pain relief through nasal delivery systems. Controlled delivery of drugs through these nanoparticles promises to enhance treatment efficacy while reducing side effects typically associated with traditional methods.
Overcoming Personal and Professional Challenges
The guest's journey into science is marked by resilience and determination, overcoming significant personal challenges as a single mother of three while pursuing a PhD. Despite facing hardships, such as living in a homeless shelter, she prioritized her education and maintained a strong commitment to her research on drug delivery systems. Her experience reveals the importance of support networks, exemplified by a supervisor who offered assistance once he learned about her situation. This narrative highlights the intersection between personal circumstances and professional aspirations in the science community.
Cultural Influences and Role Models
Growing up in Nigeria and later moving to the UK profoundly shaped the guest's worldview, influencing her ambitions and aspirations in the sciences. In Nigeria, seeing individuals in positions of authority who looked like her sparked a newfound ambition that she hadn't experienced in the UK. This cultural shift emphasized the necessity of representation and having role models, particularly in academia and science, to inspire future generations. The guest's own achievements now serve as an empowering example for others from similar backgrounds.
Advancing Race Equality in Academia
In her role as UCL Provost's Envoy for Race Equality, the guest took significant strides to address systemic inequities within the institution. The program she oversaw aimed at increasing promotions and representation for ethnic minority staff and students, highlighting the disparities in advancement opportunities based on race and gender. By instituting initiatives like mentorship programs and diversifying teaching materials, she worked to create an inclusive environment that fosters success for all students. This proactive approach demonstrates the broader societal benefits of diversity and equality in educational settings.
Imagine a nanoparticle, less that a thousandth of the width of a human hair, that is so precise that it can carry a medicine to just where it’s needed in the body, improving the drug’s impact and reducing side effects.
Ijeoma Uchegbu, Professor of Pharmaceutical Nanoscience at University College London, has spent her career with this goal in mind. She creates nanoparticles to carry medicines to regions of the body that are notoriously hard to reach, such as the back of the eye and the brain. With clinical trials in the pipeline, she hopes to treat blindness with eyedrops, transform pain relief and tackle the opioid crisis.
Ijeoma took an unconventional route into science. Growing up in the UK and in Nigeria, she tells Professor Jim Al-Khalili her remarkable life story, from being fostered by a white family in rural Kent, while her Nigerian parents finished their studies, to struggling to pay the bills through her PhD as a single mum with young children.
So passionate is Ijeoma to spread her love of science, she’s even turned to stand-up comedy to help get her message across!
Presented by JIm Al-Khalili
Produced by Beth Eastwood
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