sspc_brochure

molecule
material
medicine

synthesis
of the molecule
developing more environmentally
sustainable methods for drug
manufacturing
molecule
isolation
of the material
increasing the range of medicines
available to the public
material
formulation
of the medicine
reducing drug manufacturing costs
medicine

CONTENTS
P2
NEXT
GENERATION
DRUG
MANUFACTURE
P6
UNPARALLELED
INDUSTRY
ENGAGEMENT
P10
SCIENTIFIC
EXCELLENCE
P18
WORLD
LEADING
INVESTIGATORS
P24
FUNDING &
PARTNERSHIP
P26
DEVELOPING
NEXT
GENERATION
SCIENTISTS

OUR MISSION
TO POSITION IRELAND AS A GLOBAL
HUB FOR PROCESS INNOVATION
AND ADVANCED MANUFACTURING
IN THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY

SSPC IN NUMBERS
42
MILLION
INVESTMENT
34
POST-DOCTORAL
RESEARCHERS
20
RESEARCH
PROJECTS
38
INVESTIGATORS
60
PhD
CANDIDATES
43
RESEARCH
PERFORMING
ORGANISATIONS
& INDUSTRY
PARTNERS
www.sspc.ie

SSPC
GLOBAL
PARTNERSHIPS
Canada
TORONTO
IRELAND
United States
CALIFORNIA
FLORIDA
ILLINOIS
INDIANA
MASSACHUSETTS
NEW JERSEY
NEW YORK
TEXAS
TO POSITION IRELAND AS A GLOBAL HUB FOR PROCESS

Europe
BELGIUM
FRANCE
ITALY
NETHERLANDS
SWITZERLAND
UK
Asia
CHINA
SINGAPORE
INNOVATION AND ADVANCED MANUFACTURING IN THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY

1
NEXT GENERATION
DRUG MANUFACTURE

Launched in July 2013, the SSPC research programme leads the way for next generation
drug manufacture. The SSPC is the largest research collaboration in Ireland, and one of the
Science Foundation Ireland and industry investment of €42 million. The SSPC builds upon the
success and foundations of the Solid State Pharmaceutical Cluster (2007-2013), which was
funded by Science Foundation Ireland’s Strategic Research Cluster programme. The Solid
State Pharmaceutical Cluster research programme focused exclusively upon the crystallisation
stage of the manufacturing process. Within the pharmaceutical industry, this stage is the
understanding of the science and engineering challenges at this stage of the process.
Building upon this success, the SSPC research programme now spans the entire
pharmaceutical production chain from synthesis of the molecule, to the isolation of the
material, to the formulation of the medicine. SSPC research focuses upon developing more
environmentally sustainable methods for drug manufacturing; increasing the range of
medicines available to the public; and reducing drug manufacturing costs. The SSPC aims
to deliver industry relevant solutions, which result in job growth and retention within the
pharmaceutical industry in Ireland.
3

The SSPC’s inclusive, equitable and collaborative
model between our 22 industry partners, 9
research performing organisations and 12
international academic collaborators, successfully
both academia and the pharmaceutical industry,
to address critical research challenges through
the SSPC research programme. This collaborative
model aims to build a strong pharmaceutical
community and a pharma-friendly environment in
and future success.
DEVELOPING
more
environmentally
sustainable
methods for drug
manufacture
Building upon our strong foundations, along with
our successful collaborative model to attract
new global industry and academic partners, the
SSPC leads the way for next generation drug
manufacture.
Professor Kieran Hodnett
INCREASING
the range of
medicines available
to the public
kieran.hodnett@ul.ie
REDUCING
drug
manufacturing
costs
4

“
The SSPC aims to deliver
industry relevant solutions,
which result in job growth
and retention within the
pharmaceutical industry
in Ireland.
”

2
UNPARALLELED
INDUSTRY
ENGAGEMENT

Since 2012, the scale of the SSPC has
increased to over three fold its original size,
and is now the largest research collaboration
in Ireland, and one of the largest globally,
within the pharmaceutical area.
The SSPC is transforming the landscape for
the multinational pharma sector in Ireland.
Prior to the SSPC, Ireland was perceived as
a predominately manufacturing jurisdiction.
As a result of the SSPC this has changed.
The SSPC’s ability to facilitate multi-company
projects within the precompetitive space as
community has led to a paradigm shift for the
sector in Ireland. Sites in Ireland now deliver
a greater value proposition to corporate. Irish
sites are no longer viewed as an exporter
of challenges to corporate; moreover an
importer of challenges from global sister sites
and an exporter of cutting edge solutions
engineering rigour.
research services globally. As a result of the
they could not have before.
The SSPC prides itself upon its inclusive,
equitable and collaborative model between
our 22 industry partners, 9 research
performing organisations and 12 international
academic collaborators.
Jon O’Halloran
SSPC General Manager
jon.ohalloran@ul.ie
In the SME space the SSPC has also delivered.
In 2011, the Applied Process Company
(APC), a current SSPC industry partner, was
established by Principal Investigator Professor
Brian Glennon and Post-Doctoral Researcher,
APC provides contract pharmaceutical
7

Optical micrograph
carbamazepine
crystalline polymorphs
produced from
methanol using
supercritical CO 2
BY DR LUIS PADRELA, SSPC

BUILDING A STRONG PHARMACEUTICAL COMMUNITY AND
A IN IRELAND
Research Performing Organisations
Industry Partners
International Academic Collaborators
9

3
SCIENTIFIC
EXCELLENCE

synthesis
“ Bold, Ambitious,
Wide Ranging and
Highly Innovative...
EXTERNAL REVIEW OF
SSPC RESEARCH PROGRAMME
”
molecule
The SSPC research programme spans the entire pharmaceutical
production chain from synthesis of the molecule, to the isolation of
the material, to the formulation of the medicine. The SSPC research
programme focuses upon developing more environmentally
sustainable methods for drug manufacture; increasing the
range of medicines available to the public; and reducing drug
manufacturing costs. The overarching objective is to better
understand mechanisms, control processes and predict outcomes
medicines. The SSPC research programme is organised into three
steps in the manufacture of modern medicines.
STRAND 1
developing more environmentally sustainable
methods for drug manufacturing
isolation
material
STRAND 2
increasing the range of medicines available to the
public
rmulation
medicine
STRAND 3
reducing drug manufacturing costs
11

In total, the SSPC supports 20 state of the art research projects.
with economic and societal impact in Ireland. To achieve these outputs the SSPC research
programme is divided into platform research projects and targeted research projects.
Platform Research
The SSPC research programme
supports nine platform projects,
which are targeted towards the
of the area and aimed at achieving
Targeted Projects
The SSPC supports 9 targeted projects, which
place. The programme has been designed to pay
particular attention to how attributes from each
strand can impact upon each of the other strands.
Optical micrograph
image showing a Form
II piracetam crystal
undergoing a polymorphic
transformation to a more
stable Form III crystal in
methanol at 25°C
BY DR ANTHONY MAHER, SSPC,
WINNER OF SFI
RESEARCH IMAGE OF THE YEAR
COMPETITION 2014.
12

DEVELOPING MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY
SUSTAINABLE METHODS FOR DRUG MANUFACTURE
processes.
asymmetric synthesis, elimination of hazardous reagents and operation in benign
conditions.
achieving multiple transformation steps in a single reactor.
INCREASING THE RANGE OF
MEDICINES AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC
The focus of Strand 2 research is on science and process engineering underpinning the
functional groups. Impurities and solvent selection are central to this strand.
interfaces.
crystal structure, purity, shape and size.
scale down processes; and to develop model-based control for improved product
quality in traditional batch crystallisations as well as in emerging technologies
into excipient matrices.
13

REDUCING DRUG
MANUFACTURING COSTS
has essentially been empiric. This improved approach is demanded by the Quality by
to failures during formulation.
stabilisation of the amorphous state, which is one approach to realising the
potential of BSC Class II poorly soluble drugs.
14

Butyl paraben
crystals grown from
acetonitrile solution
BY DR LIJUN JIA, SSPC

CUTTING EDGE BIOPHARMACEUTICAL RESEARCH
research collaboration.
This collaboration received €1.05m in funding from the Department of Jobs, Innovation and
with €450,000 in cash contributions from industry partners.
The manufacturing process of biotherapeutic drugs is complex and costly, with problems
of these therapeutics. As a result of this Advanced Biopharmaceutical Technologies
intellectual property for Irish universities and gains commercial advantage for Irish-based
biopharma companies.
16

“
This research generates
property for Irish
universities and gains
commercial advantage
for Irish-based
biopharma companies.
”

4
WORLD LEADING
INVESTIGATORS

SSPC SCIENTIFIC DIRECTOR
Prof. Hodnett is the former Dean of the Faculty of Science
having previously served as Head of the Department of
Chemical and Environmental Sciences (1995-1998) and
Director of the Materials and Surface Science Institute
(1999-2003). Prof. Hodnett played a lead role in the
foundations for the Solid State Pharmaceutical Cluster (2007-2013). Prof. Hodnett has published
over 120 papers in refereed journals, which have over 2800 ISI citations, and has supervised 30
PhD students to completion. Prof. Hodnett’s current research interests are in the polymorphism
in pharmaceutical compounds and active pharmaceutical crystallisation into excipient matrices.
Professor Anita Maguire
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
undergraduate and postgraduate
1985, Ph.D. 1989). Following
returned to the Department of
as a College Lecturer, then as
Associate Professor in Organic
Chemistry in 2002. In 2004,
Prof. Maguire was appointed to
the newly-established Chair of
Pharmaceutical Chemistry, jointly
in the Department of Chemistry
and the School of Pharmacy,
and has played a leading role in
development of the School of
Pharmacy in recent years. Since
Maguire has played a strategic
role in the development of
teaching and learning, including
the introduction of Medicinal
and Pharmaceutical Chemistry at
time. Over the past 23 years, Prof.
Maguire has led an active research
team focusing on synthetic organic
and pharmaceutical chemistry,
which interacts extensively
with the pharmaceutical sector
in Ireland and internationally.
Prof. Maguire is committed to
postgraduate education, ensuring
required to underpin their future
students have graduated from her
research team since 1997, most
of whom have developed careers
within the pharmaceutical industry
both in Ireland and internationally.
Prof. Maguire was appointed as
Vice President for Research and
Innovation in January 2011.
19

Professor Pat Guiry
INVESTIGATOR
Prof. Pat Guiry is a Professor of Synthetic Organic
College Dublin. In 2013 Prof. Guiry was elected as a
Member of the Royal Irish Academy and in 2014, Prof.
Guiry was appointed Royal Irish Academy Vice-Chair, Physical, Chemical and Mathematical
Sciences and was awarded the Boyle-Higgins Medal by the Institute of Chemistry of Ireland.
Prof. Guiry’s research specialises in synthetic organic chemistry, with interests in both the
development of asymmetric synthetic methodology through the application of new chiral
ligands in homogeneous metal-catalysed transformations and in the total synthesis of
compounds of biological interest.
Professor Åke C Rasmuson
Prof. Rasmuson is a Professor of Chemical Engineering and Industrial
MSc and a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the Royal Institute of
processes including: fundamentals of solubility, nucleation, growth and
agglomeration; experimental determination of solution thermodynamics
processes; and batch crystallization process design. In addition, Prof.
Rasmuson has experience of hydrodynamics and mixing in agitated
and recovery of rare earth elements from mineral waste and spent car
batteries. Prof. Rasmuson has been the adviser of 23 PhD programs, 23
Licentiate theses and approximately 70 MSc theses.
The research group at present
has six postdoctoral researchers
and six PhD students. Prof.
Rasmuson has published 112
presented 54 conference papers
and coauthored 30 reports for
industrial cooperation projects.
20

Professor Brian Glennon
Prof. Glennon is a Professor of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering
Process Engineering Research Group. The main research interests of
the group are in the development and application of measurement,
modelling and control strategies for the design and optimization of
pharmaceutical processes. Prof. Glennon is co-founder of APC Ltd.,
Professor Anne Marie Healy
Prof. Healy is Professor in Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical
Technology in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences,
Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and is currently Head of School. Prof.
Healy is a registered pharmacist; she holds a B.Sc. in Pharmacy and a
Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics, both from TCD. Prof. Healy joined the School
of Pharmacy, TCD in 1992 as a Lecturer in Pharmaceutics. In 2010, Prof.
Healy was elected Fellow of Trinity College. Prof. Healy has over 60
peer reviewed publications and has given over 100 presentations at
national and international conferences. Prof. Healy’s research interests
include pharmaceutical material science, amorphous forms, formulating
poorly soluble drugs and pulmonary drug delivery.
21

of Pharmaceutical Powder Engineering at the
is also a Visiting Research Professor of Chemical
technology, granulation processes and materials
130 international journal papers (>2500 citations,
h-index 26) on various aspects of chemical and
process engineering and is Associate Editor of
Chemical Engineering Journal and Chemical
been awarded two Royal Academy of Engineering
2002 and the Leverhulme Trust Senior Research
Fellowship in 2009.
Professor Martin Albrecht martin.albrecht@ucd.ie
Niall.barron@dcu.ie
Dr Jonathan Bones Jonathan.bones@nibrt.ie
Colin.clarke@nibrt.ie
Professor Martin Clynes Martin.clynes@dcu.ie
Professor Stephen Connon Trinity College Dublin connons@tcd.ie
Dr Abina Crean a.crean@ucc.ie
22

Professor Gavin Davey Trinity College Dublin gdavey@tcd.ie
Professor Alan Dobson a.dobson@ucc.ie
Dr Andrea Erxleben andrea.erxleben@nuigalway.ie
patrick.frawley@ul.ie
nick.gathergood@dcu.ie
Professor Declan Gilheany declan.gilheany@ucd.ie
Dr Jerrard Hayes Trinity College Dublin jehayes@tcd.ie
Dr Clement L. Higginbotham Athlone Institute of Technology chigginbotham@ait.ie
Dr Sarah Hudson sarah.husdson@ul.ie
Dr Simon E. Lawrence s.lawrence@ucc.ie
Professor Edmond Magner edmond.magner@ul.ie
Dr Paula Meleady Paula.meleady@dcu.ie
Dr Andrew McDonald Trinity College Dublin amcdonald@tcd.ie
g.mcglacken@ucc.ie
Niaobh.mcloughlin@nibrt.ie
Dr Peter McLoughlin Waterford Institute of Technology pmcloughlin@wit.ie
Dr John Milne John.milne@nibrt.ie
Trinity College Dublin Mok1@tcd.ie
Dr Humphrey Moynihan h.moynihan@ucc.ie
Professor Fergal O’Gara f.ogara@ucc.ie
Dr Francesca Paradisi francesca.paradisi@ucd.ie
Dr Kevin M. Ryan kevin.m.ryan@ul.ie
Dr Alan Ryder alan.ryder@nuigalway.ie
Dr Lidia Tajber Trinity College Dublin lidia.tajber@tcd.ie
23

5
FUNDING &
PARTNERSHIP

THE SSPC IS DEDICATED TO OBTAINING
EXTERNAL RESEARCH FUNDING
INTERNATIONAL LEADING CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE
The SSPC aims to be an internationally leading centre of excellence in synthesis
and solid state pharmaceuticals. Acquiring funding and fostering collaboration with
other leading international academics and centres is critical to achieving this aim. The
winning competitive funding.
FORMAL INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATORS
The SSPC team already has an extensive international collaboration portfolio. The SSPC
builds on and enhances the level of strategic international collaboration to deliver the
FUNDING BIDS
of the submission now involves project management experience. The SSPC has a
dedicated Funding Project Manager to support researchers both in the preparation of
bids involving multiple partners.
and innovation programme to date; one of the biggest publicly funded worldwide
Science, Industrial Leadership and Societal Challenges. The SSPC has a dedicated team
responsible for supporting both national and international funding opportunities through
the coordination of proposals, facilitating partner searches and navigating the myriad of
open and forthcoming calls.
25

6
DEVELOPING
NEXT GENERATION
SCIENTISTS

EDUCATION
The SSPC supports 60 PhD candidates. The SSPC structured PhD programme
incorporates both structured and traditional research elements. The structured
doctoral supervisory team. As employability is at the core of the student
TRAINING
The SSPC training programme is developed
company training programmes that were
established under the auspices of the
Solid State Pharmaceutical Cluster (2007-
2013). The SSPC training programme
opportunities within the pharmaceutical
area for SSPC partners.
OUTREACH
is aligned with Science Foundation
Ireland’s overall outreach and public
engagement strategy for research centres.
The programme engages with, and
communicates SSPC research to, pupils,
parents, teachers and the general public.
Outreach programmes are based upon
teacher and scientist informed curriculum
materials, which develop cutting edge
activities suitable and appropriate to pupils
school system.
28

CONTACT US
www.sspc.ie/contact_sspc

www.sspc.ie