Staff Profile

I am a qualified pharmacist registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council. I have teaching and research expertise in the areas of pharmaceutics and pharmacy practice. I am currently the MPharm Programme Director for the Newcastle School of Pharmacy. I am also the Programme Lead for the MRes Drug Delivery and Nanomedicine postgraduate programme.

Qualifications

• MPharm, King's College London.
• PhD in Drug Delivery, Cardiff University
• PGCert in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, University of Reading

Professional Experience

• Senior Lecturer in Pharmaceutics, Newcastle University, 2017-present.
• Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice, University of Reading, 2009-2017.
• Lecturer in Analytical Science, Coventry University, 2008-2009

Medicines and drug delivery design and evaluation: This research work focuses on the design of sophisticated drugs and delivery systems to enhance drug delivery. To devise strategies to overcome absorption and penetration barriers (including the skin, mucous membranes and microbial biofilms), this includes pro-drugs, co-drugs, co-formulations, microneedles, nanotechnology, bioresponsive drug release systems, and site-specific drug targeting systems.

Drug toxicity testing: Our work focuses on the impact of the drug system at the cellular level using a range of tissue culture and molecular biology techniques including immunocytochemistry, flow cytometry and Western Blot analysis. The ultimate aim is to improve drug formulation, bioavailability, safety and patient acceptability.

Wound healing: In this work, we study the cellular effects of different wound healing treatments (including hyperbaric oxygen therapy) using monolayer cell cultures and to understand the cellular mechanisms underpinning the wound healing process.

I am the MPharm Programme Director and MRes Drug Delivery and Nanomedicine Programme Lead carrying overall responsibility for the day-to-day management of the teaching and learning provision for the undergraduate and postgraduate cohort.

• M Ways TM, Filippov SK, Maji S, Glassner M, Ceglowski M, Hoogenboom R, King S, Lau WM, Khutoryanskiy V. Mucus-penetrating nanoparticles based on chitosan grafted with various non-ionic polymers: Synthesis, structural characterisation and diffusion studies. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science 2022, 626, 251-264.
• Rathbone AP, Richardson CL, Mundell A, Lau WM, Nazar H. Exploring the role of pharmacy students using entrusbable professional activities to complete medication histories and deliver patient counselling services in secondary care. Exploratory Research in Clinical and Social Pharmacy 2021, 4, 100079.
• Dixon RV, Skaria E, Lau WM, Manning P, Birch-Machin MA, Moghimi SM, Ng KW. Microneedle-based devices for point-of-care infectious disease diagnostics. Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2021, 11(8), 2344-2361.
• Shah SI, Williams AC, Lau WM, Khutoryanskiy VV. Planarian toxicity fluorescent assay: a rapid and cheap pre-screening tool for potential skin irritants. Toxicology in Vitro 2020, 69, 105004.
• M Ways TM, Ng KW, Lau WM, Khutoryanskiy VV. Silica Nanoparticles in Transmucosal Drug Delivery. Pharmaceutics 2020, 12(8), 751.
• Dixon RV, Lau WM, Moghimi SM, Ng KW. The diagnostic potential of microneedles in infectious diseases. Precision Nanomedicine 2020, 3(4), 629-640.
• Kolawole OM, Lau WM, Khutoryanskiy VV. Chitosan / β-glycerophosphate in situ gelling mucoadhesive systems for intravesical delivery of mitomycin-C. International Journal of Pharmaceutics: X 2019, 1, 100007.
• Ng KW, Obeid KA, Williams AC, Lau WM. Decoupling the effects of hyperbaric pressure and hyperoxygenation on human keratinocyte behaviour. In: 10th APS International PharmSci Conference. 2019, University of Greenwich, London, UK: Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences.
• Sivaharan AJ, Lau WM, Ng KW. Gel-based, 3D visual and colorimetric detection of a skin cancer biomarker using immunodiagnostic microneedles. In: 10th APS International PharmSci Conference. 2019, University of Greenwich, London, UK: Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences.
• Karampatakis GD, Ryan K, Patel N, Lau WM, Stretch G. How do pharmacists in English general practices identify their impact? An exploratory qualitative study of measurement problems. BMC Health Services Research 2019, 19, 34.
• Kolawole OM, Lau WM, Khutoryanskiy VV. Synthesis and evaluation of boronated chitosan as a mucoadhesive polymer for intravesical drug delivery. Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 2019, 108(9), 3046-3053.
• Williams AC, Obeid KA, Ng KW, Lau WM. The influence of oxygen and pressure on keratinocytes. British Journal of Pharmacy 2019, 4(1), S6-S7.
• Hill-Tout J, Covill D, Lau WM, Ng KW. Thermoreversible hydrogel-coated microneedles for dermal drug delivery. In: 10th APS International PharmSci Conference. 2019, University of Greenwich, London, UK: Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences.
• M.Ways TM, Lau WM, Khutoryanskiy VV. Chitosan and Its Derivatives for Application in Mucoadhesive Drug Delivery Systems. Polymers 2018, 10(3), 267.
• Kolawole OM, Lau WM, Khutoryanskiy VV. Methacrylated chitosan as a polymer with enhanced mucoadhesive properties for transmucosal drug delivery. International Journal of Pharmaceutics 2018, 550(1-2), 123-129.
• Ryan K, Patel N, Lau WM, Abu-Elmagd H, Stretch G, Pinney H. Pharmacists in general practice: a qualitative interview case study of stakeholders’ experiences in a West London GP federation. BMC Health Services Research 2018, 18, 234.
• MWays TM, Lau WM, Ng KW, Khutoryanskiy VV. Synthesis of thiolated, PEGylated and POZylated silica nanoparticles and evaluation of their retention on rat intestinal mucosa in vitro. European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 2018, 122, 230-238.
• Kolawole OM, Lau WM, Mostafid H, Khutoryanskiy VV. Advances in intravesical drug delivery systems to treat bladder cancer. International Journal of Pharmaceutics 2017, 532(1), 105-117.
• Lau WM, Ng KW. Finite and infinite dosing. In: Dragicevic, N; Maibach, HI, ed. Percutaneous Penetration Enhancers Drug Penetration Into/Through the Skin. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer, 2017, pp.35-44.
• Lau WM, Donyai P. Knowledge, Attitude and Advice-Giving Behaviour of Community Pharmacists Regarding Topical Corticosteroids. Pharmacy 2017, 5(3), 41.
• Al-Khateb K, Ozhmukhametova EK, Mussin MN, Seilkhanov SK, Rakhypbekov TK, Lau WM, Khutoryanskiy VV. In situ gelling systems based on Pluronic F127/Pluronic F68 formulations for ocular drug delivery. International Journal of Pharmaceutics 2016, 502(1-2), 70-79.
• Filippov SK, Bogomolova A, Kaberov L, Velychkivska N, Starovoytova L, Cernochova Z, Rogers S, Lau WM, Khutoryanskiy VV, Cook MT. Internal Nanoparticle Structure of Temperature-Responsive Self-Assembled PNIPAM-b-PEG-b-PNIPAM Triblock Copolymers in Aqueous Solutions: NMR, SANS, and Light Scattering Studies. Langmuir 2016, 32(21), 5314–5323.
• Ng KW, Lau WM. Skin Deep: The Basics of Human Skin Structure and Drug Penetration. In: Dragicevic, N; Maibach, H, ed. Percutaneous Penetration Enhancers Chemical Methods in Penetration Enhancement. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer, 2015, pp.3-11.
• Ng KW, Lau WM, Williams AC. Synergy between chemical penetration enhancers. In: Dragicevic, N; Maibach, H, ed. Percutaneous Penetration Enhancers Chemical Methods in Penetration Enhancement. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer, 2015, pp.373-385.
• Ng KW, Lau WM, Williams AC. Towards pain-free diagnosis of skin diseases through multiplexed microneedles: biomarker extraction and detection using a highly sensitive blotting method. Drug Delivery and Translational Research 2015, 5(4), 387–396.
• Lau WM, Donyai P. Community pharmacists' views in relation to the use of topical corticosteroids. International Journal of Pharmacy Practice 2014, 22(s1), 43-44.
• Lau WM, Heard CM, White AW. Design, synthesis and in vitro degradation of a novel co-drug for the treatment of psoriasis. Pharmaceutics 2013, 5(2), 232-245.
• Lau WM, Ng KW, Sakenyte K, Heard CM. Distribution of esterase activity in porcine ear skin, and the effects of freezing and heat separation. International Journal of Pharmaceutics 2012, 433(1-2), 10-15.
• Lau WM, Ng KW, White AW, Heard CM. Therapeutic and cytotoxic effects of the novel antipsoriasis codrug, naproxyl-dithranol, on HaCaT cells. Molecular Pharmaceutics 2011, 8(6), 2398–2407.
• Lau WM, White AW, Heard CH. Topical Delivery of a Naproxen-Dithranol Co-drug: In Vitro Skin Penetration, Permeation, and Staining. Pharmaceutical Research 2010, 27(12), 2734-2742.
• Lau WM, White AW, Gallagher SJ, Donaldson M, McNaughton G, Heard CM. Scope and limitations of the co-drug approach to topical drug delivery. Current Pharmaceutical Design 2008, 14(8), 794-802.