Dr Sarah Gordon BPharm, PhD, PGCert, FHEA

Sarah Gordon

School of Pharmacy
Lecturer in Pharmaceutics

Contact details

Email
s.c.gordon@bham.ac.uk
Twitter
@DrSarahGordon
View my research portal
Address
Institute of Clinical Sciences
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Sarah Gordon is a Lecturer in Pharmaceutics. Her previous experience within academia and research institutes around the world has provided her with expertise in the formulation of nanoparticulate drug delivery systems for a variety of applications, including anti-infective and vaccine delivery, as well as for administration of problematic poorly soluble drugs.

Sarah has a wealth of experience of teaching at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels in a variety of programmes. Her research currently focuses on the formulation, characterisation and efficacy testing of polymeric, lipid-based and ‘biomimetic’ anti-infective delivery systems.

Qualifications

  • Higher Education Academy Fellowship (2019)
  • Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (2019)
  • PhD in Pharmacy (Pharmaceutics), University of Otago, NZ (2009)
  • Bachelor of Pharmacy, University of Otago, NZ (2004)

Biography

Sarah studied Pharmacy at the University of Otago (New Zealand), and completed her NZ pharmacy registration year in 2006. She then returned to the University of Otago and undertook a PhD investigating the use of thermosensitive chitosan-based hydrogels for the delivery of cancer vaccines. In 2010 she moved to Denmark, where she was employed as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Copenhagen. During this time, she had the opportunity to work on development of predictive in vitro dissolution/release test methods for oral dosage forms.

In 2013 Sarah relocated to Germany to take up a position as a postdoctoral scientist at the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), a branch of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research. Here Sarah became involved in various projects related to evaluating, tackling and mimicking bacterial mechanisms for regulating anti-infective uptake and efficacy.

Sarah was appointed as a Lecturer in Pharmaceutics at Liverpool John Moores University in 2016, a position which allowed her to gain extensive teaching experience in Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Science and Cosmetic Science programmes. She also further developed her research interest in the formulation, characterisation and efficacy testing of polymeric, lipid-based and ‘biomimetic’ anti-infective delivery systems. This interest forms the basis of her research programme at the University of Birmingham, where Sarah was appointed as a Lecturer in Pharmaceutics in 2021.

Teaching

Postgraduate supervision

Sarah is interested in supervising projects in the following areas:

  • Lipid and/or polymer-based nanocarriers for anti-infective delivery
  • Formulation and characterisation of non-invasive vaccine delivery systems
  • Biomimetic nanocarrier fabrication and application

Other activities

Memberships

  • Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences (APS)
  • Controlled Release Society (CRS)
  • UK and Ireland Chapter of the Controlled Release Society (UKICRS) – committee secretary

Editorial Roles

  • Journal of Liposome Research – Editorial Board Member
  • Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences – Editorial Advisory Board Member
  • Pharmaceutics – Topic Editor
  • Frontiers in Drug Delivery – Review Editor (Vaccine Delivery)

Peer reviewer for several leading pharmaceutical and drug delivery journals

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Gordon, S, Layton, AM, Fawcett, S & Ross, K 2024, 'A microRNA focus on acne', Dermatology Reports. https://doi.org/10.4081/dr.2024.9902

Castoldi, A, Empting, M, De Rossi, C, Mayr, K, Dersch, P, Hartmann, R, Müller, R, Gordon, S & Lehr, CM 2019, 'Aspherical and spherical InvA497-functionalized nanocarriers for intracellular delivery of anti-infective agents', Pharmaceutical Research, vol. 36, no. 1, 22. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11095-018-2521-3

Menina, S, Eisenbeis, J, Kamal, MAM, Koch, M, Bischoff, M, Gordon, S, Loretz, B & Lehr, CM 2019, 'Bioinspired liposomes for oral delivery of colistin to combat intracellular infections by Salmonella enterica', Advanced Healthcare Materials, vol. 8, no. 17, 1900564. https://doi.org/10.1002/adhm.201900564

Bnyan, R, Khan, I, Ehtezazi, T, Saleem, IY, Gordon, S, O’Neill, F & Roberts, MJ 2019, 'Formulation and optimisation of novel transfersomes for sustained release of local anaesthetic', Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, vol. 71, no. 10, pp. 1508-1519. https://doi.org/10.1111/jphp.13149

Graef, F, Richter, R, Fetz, V, Murgia, X, De Rossi, C, Schneider-Daum, N, Allegretta, G, Elgaher, W, Haupenthal, J, Empting, M, Beckmann, F, Brönstrup, M, Hartmann, R, Gordon, S & Lehr, CM 2018, 'In vitro model of the Gram-negative bacterial cell envelope for investigation of anti-infective permeation kinetics', ACS Infectious Diseases, vol. 4, no. 8, pp. 1188-1196. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsinfecdis.7b00165

Yasar, H, Ho, DK, De Rossi, C, Herrmann, J, Gordon, S, Loretz, B & Lehr, CM 2018, 'Starch-chitosan polyplexes: a versatile carrier system for anti-infectives and gene delivery', Polymers, vol. 10, no. 3, 252. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym10030252

Castoldi, A, Herr, C, Niederstraßer, J, Labouta, HI, Melero, A, Gordon, S, Schneider-Daum, N, Bals, R & Lehr, CM 2017, 'Calcifediol-loaded liposomes for local treatment of pulmonary bacterial infections', European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, vol. 118, pp. 62-67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejpb.2016.11.026

Murgia, X, Yasar, H, Carvalho-Wodarz, C, Loretz, B, Gordon, S, Schwarzkopf, K, Schaefer, U & Lehr, CM 2017, 'Modelling the bronchial barrier in pulmonary drug delivery: a human bronchial epithelial cell line supplemented with human tracheal mucus', European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, vol. 118, pp. 79-88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejpb.2017.03.020

Menina, S, Labouta, HI, Geyer, R, Krause, T, Gordon, S, Dersch, P & Lehr, CM 2016, 'Invasin-functionalized liposome nanocarriers improve the intracellular delivery of anti-infective drugs', RSC Advances, vol. 6, no. 47, pp. 41622-41629. https://doi.org/10.1039/c6ra02988d

Seif, S, Graef, F, Gordon, S & Windbergs, M 2016, 'Monitoring drug release from electrospun fibers using an in situ fiber-optic system', Dissolution Technologies, vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 6-11. https://doi.org/10.14227/DT230216P6

Graef, F, Vukosavljevic, B, Michel, JP, Wirth, M, Ries, O, De Rossi, C, Windbergs, M, Rosilio, V, Ducho, C, Gordon, S & Lehr, CM 2016, 'The bacterial cell envelope as delimiter of anti-infective bioavailability - an in vitro permeation model of the Gram-negative bacterial inner membrane', Journal of Controlled Release, vol. 243, pp. 214-224. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconrel.2016.10.018

Chapter (peer-reviewed)

Graef, F, Gordon, S & Lehr, CM 2017, Anti-infectives in drug delivery-overcoming the Gram-negative bacterial cell envelope. in M Stadler & P Dersch (eds), How to Overcome the Antibiotic Crisis: Facts, Challenges, Technologies and Future Perspectives. 1 edn, Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology, vol. 398, Springer, pp. 475-496. https://doi.org/10.1007/82_2016_491

Other contribution

Yasar, H, Gordon, S, Loretz, B, Schulze, K, Guzman, CA & Lehr, CM 2016, Follicular drug delivery: a root to success..

Patent

Lehr, CM, Labouta, HI, Gordon, S, Castoldi, A, Menina, S, Geyer, R, Kochut, A & Dersch, P, Methods and compositions of carrier systems for the purpose of intracellular drug targeting.

Review article

Bnyan, R, Khan, I, Ehtezazi, T, Saleem, IY, Gordon, S, O'Neill, F & Roberts, MJ 2018, 'Surfactant effects on lipid-based vesicles properties', Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, vol. 107, no. 5, pp. 1237-1246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xphs.2018.01.005

View all publications in research portal