Legacy:
Information:
Triona Kirabo delivered a talk at the RSC Biomaterials Chemistry Annual Meeting 2025 in London, where she presented her PEVITAC-supported research on the synthesis of water-soluble polymers and their toxicological evaluation using live invertebrate models, including Arion spp. slugs and Galleria mellonella larvae.
This work highlights the potential of invertebrate models in advancing safer and more effective biomaterials.
The PEVITAC team is attending the RSC Biomaterials Chemistry Annual Meeting in London this week! Dr. Dinara Satmbekova is presenting a poster on our innovative studies of antimicrobial polymers using the Galleria mellonella larvae model. This research highlights the potential of live invertebrate models for evaluating the effectiveness of novel materials, advancing our understanding of antimicrobial properties.
Warm holiday greetings from PEVITAC! As we celebrate the festive season and welcome the New Year, we extend our deepest gratitude to our valued clients and partners. Your support has been pivotal to this year’s success. We wish you all a merry Christmas and a prosperous 2025. Let’s continue to grow and succeed together. Happy Holidays!
Applications are invited from self-funded candidates to undertake PhD studies focused on developing live invertebrate models for toxicological and antimicrobial screening of bioactive molecules, nanomaterials, and drug delivery systems. This interdisciplinary project will be jointly supervised by Prof. Vitaliy Khutoryanskiy and Dr. Roman V Moiseev in collaboration with PEVITAC:
www.findaphd.com
At PEVITAC, we continue working on using Galleria mellonella, the larvae of the greater wax moth, as an additional invertebrate model to study the toxicological and antimicrobial properties of various polymers and formulations. This November, Farideh Kheirati Saadi, an MPharm student, won two prizes for her University of Reading’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) project poster presentation.
We are thrilled to announce that the Physicochemical, Ex Vivo, and Invertebrate Tests and Analysis Centre (PEVITAC) at the University of Reading has been featured on the Europe-Pharmaceuticals Major Manufacturing Sites Map. We extend our gratitude to La Tene Maps and Martin Mulligan from Martin Mulligan AIDC Ltd for their support in promoting PEVITAC!
Prof Vitaliy Khutoryanskiy is attending Lab Innovations 2024, held in N.E.C., Birmingham (UK)!
We are happy to announce that our researcher, Triona Kirabo, has successfully completed the training course on using texture analysis organised by Stable Micro Systems Ltd!
We’re looking forward to accomplishing new projects using our texture analyser equipment!
Prof Vitaliy Khutoryanskiy delivered a lecture titled ‘Live Invertebrate Models in Toxicology and Drug Delivery’ at Nazarbayev University (Astana, Kazakhstan). This talk highlighted recent academic research and promoted the commercial activities of PEVITAC.
Prof Vitaliy Khutoryanskiy is attending an excellent BioForward 2024 ‘Roadmap for Growth’ Life Sciences event (Oxford Technology Park, Oxford, England, UK), organised by OBN (UK) Ltd. Feel free to discuss the services offered by PEVITAC!
Prof Vitaliy Khutoryanskiy is attending 15th PharmSci International conference (Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences) held at the University of Huddersfield.
At PEVITAC, we are currently exploring the use of Galleria mellonella, the larvae of the greater wax moth, as an additional invertebrate model to study the toxicological and antimicrobial properties of various polymers and formulations. This research is being conducted in collaboration with Farideh Kheirati Saadi, an MPharm student whose project is supported by the University of Reading’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP).
Congratulations to Prof Vitaliy Khutoryanskiy on being elected as the Fellow of the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences (FAPS) (apsgb.co.uk/people-news/fellows-of-the-academy-of-pharmaceutical-sciences-aps-for-2024-are-announced/)! This prestigious honour reflects his significant contributions and dedication to the field of pharmaceutical sciences.
We are proud to have him as a colleague and look forward to his continued success and leadership!
We are very pleased to share our latest paper “Exploring Mucoadhesive and Toxicological Characteristics Following Modification of Linear Polyethylenimine with Various Anhydrides” published in Biomacromolecules: pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.biomac.4c00220
In this study we modified linear polyethyleneimine with several functional anhydrides and evaluated mucoadhesive and toxicological properties of the resulting polymers. The paper features several methods / tests offered by PEVITAC commercially: mucoadhesion and retention studies on ex vivo mucosal tissues, in vivo slug mucosal irritation test and in vivo planaria toxicity tests.
Dr Roman Moiseev delivered a talk on “Successful commercialisation of academic scientific research” at the Summer School organised by the Department of Chemistry and Technology of Organic Substances, Natural Compounds and Polymers of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (Almaty, Kazakhstan).
Prof Vitaliy Khutoryanskiy delivered an invited lecture on applications of amphoteric polymers in drug delivery at IUPAC Macro 50th World Polymer Congress at the University of Warwick!
Exciting News! Welcome, Triona Kirabo, to Team PEVITAC!
We are delighted to announce that Triona has joined the PEVITAC team as our researcher! Triona brings a wealth of laboratory experience and a fresh perspective that we’re excited to incorporate into our projects. Her expertise and enthusiasm make her a perfect fit for our dynamic team.
We’re looking forward to achieving great things together!
Welcome aboard, Triona!
Today marks exactly one year since PEVITAC received commercialisation investment funding from the University of Reading (UoR). This milestone has been pivotal in propelling our centre’s mission to innovate and collaborate through precision research.
Over the past year, our dedicated team at PEVITAC has achieved remarkable milestones:
Completed Projects: We successfully completed 6 projects with 2 more ongoing projects, partnering with 7 different companies to drive forward cutting-edge solutions.
Events Attended: Our presence was felt at 17 significant events, where we showcased our expertise and forged new connections.
Talks and Posters Presented: Our team delivered 8 talks and presented 3 posters, sharing our insights and research with the broader community.
Official partners and exhibitors: We were proud to be official partners and exhibitors of 2 major events (the 14th APS PharmSci International Conference by the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences and the 5th Virtual European Polymer Conference).
Training opportunities: Our team has successfully undergone various training sessions, including The Royal Society Scientific Entrepreneurship Imperial College course, IP for Innovators by the Royal Society of Chemistry and Innovate UK ICURe Discover.
These accomplishments are a testament to the hard work and commitment of our team, partners, and supporters. As we look ahead, we are excited to continue this journey of innovation and collaboration, driving forward the boundaries of precision research.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to the UoR for their invaluable support and to all our partners and collaborators who have joined us on this journey. Here’s to many more years of success and groundbreaking achievements!
Stay connected with us on our website and social media channels to keep up with our latest news and developments.
In June 2024, Dr Roman Moiseev did a visiting researcher placement under the research programme entitled “Soft Biocompatible Polymeric NANOstructures: A Toolbox for Novel Generation of Nano Pharmaceuticals in Ophthalmology (Project Acronym: NanoPol – Project Number: 823883; principal investigator at Reading: Prof V Khutoryanskiy)” at the Institute of Polymer Materials and Technologies in Almaty (Kazakhstan). This was his second two-week collaborative visit (financially supported by the EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (RISE) H2020-MSCA-RISE-2018). Various ocular drug delivery systems were discussed during the visit.
Prof Vitaliy Khutoryanskiy is attending the annual UK Society of Biomaterials (UKSB) conference held at the University of Liverpool. He delivered a talk on mucoadhesive and toxicological properties of polyampholytes. Feel free to discuss PEVITAC services and potential collaborative opportunities!
The PEVITAC team is attending the Med-Tech Innovation Expo 2024, held in N.E.C., Birmingham (UK). Feel free to catch up with us!
Dr Roman Moiseev delivered a talk on “Ex vivo and in vivo testing of polymeric formulations for ocular drug delivery” at the 5th Virtual European Polymer Conference! Do not hesitate to join this brilliant event for free by following this link:
The PEVITAC is proud to be the official partner of the fantastic 5th Virtual European Polymer Conference! Do not hesitate to join this brilliant event for free by following this link:
We are attending an excellent OBN (UK) Ltd and the University of Reading ‘Pain Research and Therapeutics’ conference (Meadow Suite, Park House, University of Reading, England, UK). Feel free to catch up with us! We are happy to discuss fruitful collaborations!
The PEVITAC team is proud to showcase our research and services at the 2nd annual University of Reading Community Festival 2024 on the Whiteknights Campus (Reading, UK). We will be more than happy to demonstrate our laboratories and equipment to you!
The PEVITAC team is attending the CHEMUK 2024 Expo (www.chemicalukexpo.com), held in N.E.C., Birmingham (UK). Feel free to catch up with us to discuss fruitful collaborations!
Prof Vitaliy Khutoryanskiy is attending the London Biotechnology Show 2024 (LBS24; www.londonbiotechshow.com) in London (UK).
We are excited to announce that PEVITAC will be an official partner for the 5th Virtual European Polymer Conference. It is a pleasure to have this wonderful event on our calendar, and we look forward to it! Do not hesitate to join this brilliant event for free by following this link:
The PEVITAC team successfully completed the ICURe Discover programme! Prof Vitaliy Khutoryanskiy and Dr Roman Moiseev learned a lot about value propositions and market research through this brilliant programme. The PEVITAC team is grateful to the ICURe Discover and Brilliant Red Digital teams for the opportunity to participate in this fantastic training!
We are attending an excellent UK Food & Drink Expo 2024 (N.E.C., Birmingham, England, UK). Feel free to catch up with us to discuss fruitful collaborations!
If you are at the Making Pharmaceuticals conference and exhibition held in Coventry today, you are very welcome to attend a presentation by Prof Vitaliy Khutoryanskiy about PEVITAC at 14.35 in room C. You will learn how to characterise your nanoparticles correctly using dynamic light scattering, how to evaluate the mucoadhesive properties of your formulations, and how live invertebrates can be used to characterise toxicological properties and the biological activity of chemicals. All these services are offered by PEVITAC.
As a company dedicated to advancing scientific research and development along with ethical regulations, we aim to develop new testing methods for various cosmetic formulations and chemicals using different invertebrate live models like slugs, flatworms, and daphnia. The PEVITAC team will be very grateful to gather your opinions and awareness regarding the use of invertebrate models in scientific research and testing cosmetics, highlighting ethical considerations, the reduction in vertebrate/mammal use, and the exploration of alternative research methods. Your responses will help us understand public perception and support our commitment to ethical and effective research practices:
https://research.typeform.com/to/JOQIzjLa
The PEVITAC team was happy to attend the IFE Manufacturing Event 2024 (ExCeL London, England, UK; www.ifemanufacturing.co.uk), organised by Montgomery Group, an excellent event for making new business contacts!
PEVITAC is delighted to announce its partnership with Occuity in the successful SBRI funding application. We are thrilled to collaborate and contribute towards the development of tools aimed at detecting biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease. Together, we look forward to making meaningful advancements in this critical field!
Additional details can be found following this link:
The Annual Life Science Summit 2024, an extraordinary event organised by Freeths and held at the Ashmolean Museum (Oxford, England, UK; www.freeths.co.uk/2024/02/27/annual-life-science-summit), was a fantastic opportunity for Dr Roman Moiseev to learn and promote the PEVITAC!
Prof Vitaliy Khutoryanskiy is presenting a PEVITAC research poster on our fluorescence flow-through method for the evaluation of mucoadhesive properties of pharmaceuticals at the 14th World Meeting on Pharmaceutics, Biopharmaceutics, and Pharmaceutical Technology (PBP; www.worldmeeting.org) in Vienna (Austria). Please see him in the late-breaking abstracts section! The PEVITAC team wants to acknowledge the ICURe Discover programme for sponsoring this brilliant opportunity!
PEVITAC is represented at the 14th World Meeting on Pharmaceutics, Biopharmaceutics, and Pharmaceutical Technology (PBP; www.worldmeeting.org) in Vienna (Austria). Prof Vitaliy Khutoryanskiy is attending this excellent event, which is organised by the Research Pharm® International Exhibition for R&D (APV – International Association for Pharmaceutical Technology). The PEVITAC team wants to acknowledge the ICURe Discover programme for sponsoring this brilliant opportunity!
The PEVITAC team was happy to attend the Biotech Buddies London 2024, an excellent event for making new business contacts! Special thanks to Graham Combe, Freeths and RSSL teams!
A new collaboration in ocular drug delivery has emerged following a letter published in Chemistry World (Royal Society of Chemistry) by Dr Nevin Stewart FRSC. This letter attracted the interest of Prof Vitaliy Khutoryanskiy, who contacted Dr Stewart. The two then met with Dr Roman V Moiseev and established a project on band keratopathy. They are set to commence this research project in January 2024, focusing on the effects of chelating agents on the cornea. The project is a promising venture in the understanding of band keratopathy. Additional details can be found following this link:
Prof Vitaliy Khutoryanskiy presented a short talk titled ‘Formulations with improved retention on mucosal surfaces and ex vivo methods to evaluate their adhesive properties’ at SCI Formulation Forum 5th Annual Event: design through characterisation and analysis held in London. This talk highlighted the use of fluorescence flow-through tests we offer at PEVITAC to evaluate the retention of pharmaceutical formulations on mucosal surfaces.
Prof Vitaliy Khutoryanskiy presented a talk titled ‘In vivo Invertebrate and Ex vivo Animal Tissue Models in Biomaterials Research’ at the 18th Annual Conference of the RSC Biomaterials Chemistry Interest Group held at the University of Loughborough. The talk highlighted some of the in vivo and ex vivo tests we offer at PEVITAC.
Warm holiday greetings from PEVITAC! As we celebrate the festive season and welcome the New Year, we extend our deepest gratitude to our valued clients and partners. Your support has been pivotal to this year’s success. We wish you all a merry Christmas and a prosperous 2024. Let’s continue to grow and succeed together. Happy Holidays!
In December 2023, Dr Roman Moiseev did a visiting researcher placement under the research programme entitled “Soft Biocompatible Polymeric NANOstructures: A Toolbox for Novel Generation of Nano Pharmaceuticals in Ophthalmology (Project Acronym: NanoPol – Project Number: 823883; principal investigator at Reading: Prof V Khutoryanskiy)” at the Institute of Polymer Materials and Technologies in Almaty (Kazakhstan). This two-week collaborative visit was financially supported by the EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (RISE) H2020-MSCA-RISE-2018. Various
The PEVITAC team was happy to host a visit from Kristian Gregory from Keyence Corporation, featuring a demonstration of the VHX digital microscope. It is a fantastic tool for imaging various objects, including polymer microneedles, microparticles, and even live planaria.
Prof Vitaliy Khutoryanskiy received the Certificate of Completion of the Royal Society Scientific Entrepreneurship Imperial College course. This was a fantastic opportunity to learn about different business cases of academic ventures, academic entrepreneurship as a way of technology commercialisation, founding teams,
how to protect your technology and the value of IP, find sources of finance, and communicate the business plan and early-stage financing
presentation skills.
Today, Rahma Abduljabbar, an undergraduate student specialising in pharmaceutical chemistry, successfully presented her research project on the acute toxicity testing of heavy metal salts using invertebrates at the Undergraduate Research Showcase. This work was conducted with Dr. Roman V Moiseev and Prof. Vitaliy Khutoryanskiy at the PEVITAC laboratories through the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme (UROP) at the University of Reading.
The PEVITAC team is happy to attend the SCS Formulate 2023 (Coventry Arena, UK), an excellent event for making new business contacts!
The PEVITAC team is attending Lab Innovations 2023, held in N.E.C., Birmingham (UK)!
Our team is excited to attend the CPHI Barcelona 2023 event (Fira Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain) and establish successful collaborations!
We are visiting an excellent BioForward Life Sciences Event 2023 (The King’s Centre, Osney Mead, Oxford, England, UK), organised by OBN (UK) Ltd. Feel free to catch up with us! We will be more than happy to discuss fruitful collaborations!
Prof Vitaliy Khutoryanskiy just did an elevator pitch for PEVITAC at the 14th APS PharmSci International conference (Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences) held at the University of Reading. Visit us at stand H in the Palmer building, Whiteknights campus!
Feel free to visit our PEVITAC stand at the 14th APS PharmSci International conference (Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences) in the Palmer Building of the University of Reading (Whiteknights campus). We will be more than happy to demonstrate our laboratories and equipment to you!
This year, the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences is holding its annual PharmSci International Conference from 5th to 7th September at the University of Reading. PEVITAC will be exhibiting and delivering a talk on our services. Please feel free to come and see us at stand H, which is located on the ground floor in the foyer of the Palmer Building of the University of Reading (Whiteknights campus). Also, we will be more than happy to demonstrate our laboratories and equipment to you. See you soon!
We are grateful to BASF (Germany) for donating an opacitometer to our research group. This will provide us an opportunity to conduct an evaluation of eye irritancy of different formulations using Bovine Corneal Opacity and Permeability Test (BCOP).
The first PEVITAC-affiliated paper is published in collaboration with researchers from the University of Surrey. We provided expertise on the assessment of ocular irritancy through the bovine opacity and permeability test (BCOP) and the retention of the oligoglycine-functionalised nanodiamond formulations on the ex vivo cornea: