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Biography
Cameron Alexander is Professor of Polymer Therapeutics and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. Following BSc and PhD degrees in Chemistry at the University of Durham, UK, he was a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the Melville Laboratory for Polymer Synthesis, University of Cambridge. Cameron has held many external roles, including elected membership of the EPSRC Science Engineering and Technology Board (SETB) from 2019-2022, and as Chair of the EPSRC Strategic Advisory Team from 2016-2019.
Cameron was awarded the Royal Society of Chemistry /Society of the Chemical Industry Macro Group UK Prize and Medal in 2014 for contributions to polymer science. He is currently the recipient of the Royal Society of Chemistry Interdisciplinary Prize and Medal 2025 for research at the interface of chemistry, pharmaceutical science and medicine..
Expertise Summary
We aim to develop materials which can improve the delivery of small molecule drugs, genes and vaccine components to target sites in the body, to enhance therapeutic efficacy and reduce side-effects. The main focus is on polymer therapeutics, for which we are developing a range of synthetic, natural and hybrid materials to transport drugs, genes and cells safely and efficiently to disease locations. We are currently working on polymer formulations for cancer medicines, anti-infectives and RNA vaccines in collaboration with groups from all over the world. Alumni from the group hold faculty posts at University College London, Sheffield, East Anglia, King's College London, Federico II (Napoli), Paris Est, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University (China), University College Dublin and senior research posts in Abzema, Achilles Therapeutics, AstraZeneca, Baxter Pharmaceuticals (China), Catalent, Cytrx, Exactmer, GSK, Lonza DPS, Malvern Instruments, MIP Diagnostics, Quotient, Revolymer, Samsung, Sanofi, Sygnature, Synthomer, UCB Pharma and ViaNautis.
Teaching Summary
Teaching
MPharm. Medicines Pathway (Convenor) - Clinical Trials and Case Studies of Accelerated Trials (Year 2); Cancers module - Cancer Pharmaceutics (Year 3)
Pharmaceutical Sciences MSci. Pharmaceutical Biotechnology - Protein and Vaccine Formulations.(Year 2). Biologics - Viral and Non-viral gene delivery, Advanced Nucleic Acid Formulations (Year 3)
Applied Biomolecular Technology MSc - Contributor to drug delivery / pharmaceutics modules,
Research Summary
Key research foci include smart materials (Biomater. Sci. 2025, Biomater. Sci. 2023, Nanoscale 2021, Nature Mater 2014), drug and gene delivery (Br. J. Cancer 2024, J. Control Release 2023, Biomater.… read more
Selected Publications
ELSHERBENY, A., BAYRAKTUTAN, H., GUMUS, N., MCCRORIE, P., GARCIA-SAMPEDRO, A., PARMAR, S., RITCHIE, A. A., MEAKIN, M., OZ, U. C., RAHMAN, R., ASHWORTH, J. C., GRABOWSKA, A. M., MOLONEY, C. and ALEXANDER, C., 2025. Pentablock thermoresponsive hydrogels for chemotherapeutic delivery in a pancreatic cancer model: Biomaterials Science Biomaterials Science. 13(7), 1831-1848 BAYRAKTUTAN, H., SYMONDS, P., BRENTVILLE, V. A., MOLONEY, C., GALLEY, C., BENNETT, C. L., MATA, A., DURRANT, L., ALEXANDER, C. and GURNANI, P., 2024. Sparsely PEGylated poly(beta-amino ester) polyplexes enhance antigen specific T-cell response of a bivalent SARS-CoV-2 DNA vaccine: Biomaterials Biomaterials. 311, SERRA, R., SMITH, S. J., ROWLINSON, J., GORELICK, N., MOLONEY, C., MCCRORIE, P., VEAL, G. J., BERRY, P., CHALMERS, A. J., SUK, I., SHAKESHEFF, K. M., ALEXANDER, C., GRUNDY, R. G., BREM, H., TYLER, B. M. and RAHMAN, R., 2024. Neurosurgical application of olaparib from a thermo-responsive paste potentiates DNA damage to prolong survival in malignant glioma: British Journal of Cancer British Journal of Cancer. 131(11), 1858-1868 MOLONEY, C.; MEHRADNIA, F.; CAVANAGH, R. J.; IBRAHIM. A.; PEARCE, A. K.; RITCHIE, A. A.; CLARKE, P.; RAHMAN, R.; GRABOWSKA, A. M. AND ALEXANDER, C., 2023. Chain-extension in hyperbranched polymers alters tissue distribution and cytotoxicity profiles in orthotopic models of triple negative breast cancers Biomaterials Science. 11, 6545 - 6560
Current Research
Key research foci include smart materials (Biomater. Sci. 2025, Biomater. Sci. 2023, Nanoscale 2021, Nature Mater 2014), drug and gene delivery (Br. J. Cancer 2024, J. Control Release 2023, Biomater. Sci. 2023, ACS Nano 2020), nucleic acid vaccine formulations (Biomaterials 2024, Nanoscale Adv 2024, Polym. Chem 2020, Biomacromolecules 2020,) and synthetic biology (ACS Macro Lett. 2022, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2020, Nature Chem 2013).
This research has been generously supported by a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award Fellowship, InnovateUK, Wellcome LEAP, UKRI and industry research grants.
Past Research
Polymer synthesis, organic magnets, self-assembly of liquid crystalline polymers and molecular imprinting
Future Research
Advanced Biomaterials, Nucleic acid vaccines and therapeutics, Nanomedicines, Responsive polymers, Gene Delivery, Anti-Microbial Resistance, Synthetic Biology