Zahra Rattray

Chancellor's Research Fellow and Lecturer in Translational Pharmaceutics

My background is in drug development, where I have contributed to a diverse molecule portfolio to date during my time at AstraZeneca and working with Patrys Ltd at the Yale School of Medicine. I am interested in the characterization of biologics and nanomedicine formulation attributes and in vivo performance using traditional and novel analytical approaches. This is to overcome the key challenges in the commercial and clinical translation of these products.

Areas of research interest in my lab are summarized as follows;

• Understanding environmental and physicochemical determinants of solution-phase formulation stability for antibody and suspension formulations.
• Determining key critical quality attributes in particle design to inform optimal in vivo performance.
• Evaluation of nanomedicine interaction with biological media, and the mechanism of cellular uptake in two- and three-dimensional cellular models.
• Applying novel imaging modalities for evaluating drug and nanoparticle biodistribution, and impact on tumor response.
• The interplay between the tumour microenvironment and nanomedicine in vivo performance with a view to developing biorelevant in vitro tests.

My lab is also interested in understanding the biological drivers of disease in lupus and oncology with a view to developing new diagnostics and therapeutics.

I am passionate about improving access to education, achievement and realizing potential for young budding scientists and am open to local STEM and healthcare-related widening participation initiatives. I am co-director (Pharmacy) with Dr Margaret Cunningham (Biomedical Sciences) for outreach in the Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy & Biomedical Sciences.