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New University of Bath arrival could help banish painful injections

August 16, 2004

One of the world's leading experts on a new technique that could make painful injections a thing of the past, arrives at the University of Bath as the new Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences this month.

Professor Richard Guy is joining the Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology after eight years at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. He is a leading expert in the field of iontophoresis - a technique that allows substances to be moved in and out of the body without the need to make holes in the skin.

Diabetics in the USA and UK are already benefiting from the new technique thanks to the 'GlucoWatch' developed from research by Professor Guy. The watch monitors concentrations of glucose continually throughout the day, taking readings every ten minutes instead of the rather infrequent 'finger-stick' tests diabetics currently use.

Iontophoresis relies on the fact that even though our skin provides an effective barrier to keep water and other substances inside us, it is not impermeable. By applying a small electric current (less than half a milliamp per square cm.), substances can be made to cross the skin into the body.

By reversing the current, the technique can also be used to make substances cross the skin in the opposite direction, out of the body, allowing samples to be taken without the use of a syringe.

Other than a slight tingling feeling as the current is applied and a slight reddening of the skin which disappears within an hour, diabetics using the GlucoWatch do not feel anything at all. But, while they still have to calibrate the watch twice a day using the pin-prick method, the key difference is that diabetics and their doctors can monitor levels throughout the day, rather than from just one or two isolated samples.

"The GlucoWatch is a very impressive device and is a marvellous example of what iontophoresis can achieve," said Professor Guy. "It is just the beginning, and there are many other developments in the pipeline. Several integrated drug delivery systems based on iontophoresis are now undergoing clinical trials, with products coming on to the market soon. These include a device for delivering a pain-relieving drug through the skin. Simply by pressing a button, patients can bump-up their pain relief when they need it most."

Professor Guy is being joined at the University by his colleague, and wife, Dr Bego'±a Delgado-Charro, who will lecture on pharmacy and pharmacology as well as carrying out research.

Together, they will be focussing on refining the technology behind the Glucowatch to remove the need for it to be calibrated with twice-daily pinprick tests. This involves looking at other substances in the blood which can act as a baseline calibration indicator for glucose levels.

Other research will focus on monitoring levels of drugs in the body. Lithium, for example, is used to treat bi-polar disorder but if levels get too high or too low, it can lead to further problems for the patient. Currently, patients have to give a blood sample once a week.

Another possibility for the research is monitoring the levels of different amino acids in the body. Amino acids are the constituent parts of proteins and are a good indicator of the nutritional quality of our diet, and can also be used to monitor the development of different protein-related diseases, such as Alzheimer's.

There is also potential for the technology to be used in sports and military applications to monitor for the build up of lactate, an indicator of fatigue. The technology could potentially form the basis of decisions about whether a soldier on a tour of duty should return home.

The London-born Professor is returning to the UK after living and working overseas for the last 24 years. Prior to his time in Geneva, Professor Guy was at the University of California in San Francisco for 16 years.

Professor Guy said he chose to take up the position at the University of Bath because its pharmacy and pharmacology department is one of the top three in the country. He added: "In my work I obviously need to collaborate closely with the engineering sciences and I am right next door to some leading bioengineers. It's a great opportunity to head up the pharmaceutics group, and I am looking forward to working here."

"We are delighted that Richard will be joining us," said Dr Anthony Smith, Head of the Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology. "He will bring considerable expertise to the department and will undoubtedly play a leading role in helping us build on our position as the UK's leading university pharmacy research department."

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