SFI funding awarded to Assoc. Prof Lidia Tajber
Associate Professor Lidia Tajber has been awarded a Science Foundation Ireland Career 
Development Award to transform problematic therapeutic agents into novel functional materials called ionic liquids (project acronym ActiPIILs). This project has received €637,000 in funding and is supported by SSPC (the Synthesis and Solid State Pharmaceutical Centre, led by the University of Limerick). ActiPIILs involves international and national collaboration with Purdue University, University of Silesia, University College Cork and an industry partner Physiolution.
The project is designed to improve drug substances as many of the molecules are often not fully effective in patients. It is because these molecules have difficulties getting to the bloodstream when ingested and thus are unable to reach the required therapeutic destination sites. This project proposes a new approach to modify the challenging drug substances by combining them with another, harmless compound. As a result, the dose of the drug contained in tablet formulations can be decreased, therapeutic efficiency increased and overall the quality of medication improved.