Research Profile - Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy ...

Ruth Cameron
Reader in Polymers and Medical Materials
MA University of Cambridge
PhD University of Cambridge
+44 (0) 1223 334324
rec11@cam.ac.uk
www.msm.cam.ac.uk/ccmm/
Polymers and Medical Materials
My work within the Cambridge Centre for Medical Materials
and the Pfizer Institute for Pharmaceutical Materials Science
focuses on materials which interact therapeutically with the
body. Research is undertaken in both materials and cell-culture
laboratories.
Biodegradable polymers and composites
Resorbable polymers may be used in temporary load-bearing
applications such as sutures and pins, in scaffolds for tissue
engineering and in drug-delivery devices. We are exploring
the complex temporal and spatial relationships between the
processing and morphology of the polymer, the diffusion rates
of water, drug and degradation products, the degradation rate of
the polymer and ultimate properties. An understanding of these
factors allows informed device design. This work is extended into
the study of composites with polymers and ceramics, ranging
from the micro co-continuous to the nano-scale, for bone and
other tissue repair.
Biostable implants
We are researching materials and devices for applications
in which the material must not change in the challenging
environment of the body. Problems we are addressing include
spinal-disc replacement and prostheses to engineer nerve repair.
Drug delivery and pharmaceutics
We are exploring issues relating to drug delivery to the body
including drug polymorphism, tablet design and inhalation
delivery systems.
J Braunecker, M Baba, GE Milroy & RE Cameron, “The effects of
molecular weight and porosity on the degradation and drug release from
polyglycolide” Int. J. Pharmaceutics 282, 19–34 (2004).
JE Taylor, PR Laity, SS Wong, P Khunkamchoo, K Norris, J Hicks, AF
Johnson & RE Cameron, “Iron pick-up efficiency in deferoxamine-coupled
polyurethane dressings for treatment of chronic wounds” Biomater. 26,
6024–6033 (2005).
AC Renouf-Glauser, J Rose, DF Farrar & RE Cameron, “A comparison of
the degradation and deformation properties of a PLLA-lauric acid based
family of biomaterials. Biomacromol. 7, 612–617 (2006).
JS Capes & RE Cameron, “Effect of polymer addition on the contact line
crystallisation of paracetamol” Cryst. Eng. Comm. 9, 84–90 (2007).
Co-continuous resorbable polymer-ceramic
composite for orthopaedic applications
12 Research Profile