About
Dr Veeren Chauhan is an Assistant Professor in the Advanced Materials & Healthcare Technologies (AMHT) division at the School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham. He has a strong track record early in his career, evidenced through high impact peer reviewed scientific publications (>25 articles, citations >700, H-index 15), awards for leadership, entrepreneurship, and research grants (>£640K).
He is also a General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) registered Pharmacist and has held lead pharmacist roles in academic, industrial and commercial settings working as part of multidisciplinary healthcare teams. Veeren is also a member of the Royal Chemistry Society (MRSC), British Society for Parasitology, Genetics Society of America (GSA) and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).
Mission
Lead collaborative and multidisciplinary research projects at the forefront of medical and pharmaceutical science to produce analytical and bioinspired therapeutic solutions for global health challenges that will diagnose, prevent, cure and alleviate the symptoms of disease.
Education, Training & Teaching
UNDERGRADUATE - Master of Pharmacy
Veeren completed his undergraduate education at the University of Manchester (MPharm) and training at University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust.
He is a GPhC registered Pharmacist having held led pharmacist roles in academia, industry and at multinational pharmacies.
Postgraduate - Doctor of Philosophy & Masters
Veeren undertook his postgraduate education (PhD) at the School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham and GlaxoSmithKline as part of CASE Award studentship. He completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCHE, Distinction), becoming a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA). Veeren also graduated with a masters in Bioinformatics Scientist (MRes) from the University of Nottingham.
Postdoctoral Research - KTP Partner & Future Targeted Healthcare MANUFACTURING hub
Veeren has partnered and attracted funding for an InnovateUK Knowledge Transfer Partnership with TBG Solutions Ltd. Here, he applied his diagnostic and nano-formulation expertise to conceptualise and manufacture gold-aptamer based nano-constructs, capable of transducing chemical signals into an electronic output in the presence of specific viral nucleic acid. More recently, Veeren has worked as part of the EPSRC Future Targeted Healthcare Manufacturing Hub, aiming to develop transformative solutions for healthcare precision in the biotherapeutics sector. He has developed methods for the continuous manufacture of novel polymeric and protein based nano and microparticles for the controlled and targeted delivery of biologic medicine.
Teaching - Conjugation & Bioconjugation for Advanced Drug Delivery - MSci
Veeren teaches Conjugation & Bioconjugation for the Advanced Drug Delivery module, for Pharmaceutical Sciences (MSci) students, at School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham.
He describes how the conjugation toolbox, a key component for innovative drug delivery systems, could be used to improve pharmaceuticals to enhance their therapeutic performance. Students are engaged in lectures, problem sets and interactive workshops to augment their learning and understanding.
Research Interests
Neglected Tropical Diseases
Veeren has determined the physicochemical fingerprint of Necator americanus, or 'American Murderer,' a parasitic hookworm that infects ~10% of the world's population. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) were used to uncover the surface topographical features and chemical identity of the infective larval stage of N. americanus to provide key insights into its infection mechanism. It is anticipated, these findings will lead to the development of treatments, such as vaccines, not only for N. americanus but other globally important infectious diseases.
Model Organisms
He has also observed Caenorhabditis elegans, a free-living nematode that resides in soil and typically feeds on bacteria, feeding and solely surviving on human erythrocytes. In addition, the enzymes responsible for the digestion and detoxification of haem and haemoglobin, which are key components of the human hookworm vaccine, were found in the C. elegans intestine. These findings support global research efforts suggesting free-living nematodes, which possess a short, easily maintained lifecycle, that is independent of host interaction, may provide an alternative model to study parasitic infections. More importantly free-living nematodes could be used to assess neutralizing antibodies to current and future hematophagous parasite hookworm vaccine candidates.
Fluorescent Nanosensors
Veeren’s research has focused on the development and application of fluorescent nanosensors, to elucidate fundamental microenvironmental biochemical processes.
Fluorescent nanosensors have demonstrated their enhanced measurement capabilities to quantify pH, molecular oxygen and temperature in complex model systems, such as the nematodes Caenorhabditis elegans & Pristionchus pacificus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices, and human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs).
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PhD, Masters & Postdoctoral research
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