Personal Statement
Prof. Liptrott has a background in pharmacology, immunology, and molecular cell biology. He was awarded a tenure-track fellowship (2015) within the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics before becoming a Lecturer (2018), Reader (2021) and subsequently Professor (2024) where he leads many complex medicines and advanced therapeutics/materials immunocompatibility research projects and programs.

His research is aimed at investigating the biological interactions of conventional and nanotechnology-enabled medicines and therapeutics as well as other novel therapeutic strategies such as cellular therapies. This work encompasses the assessment of the immunocompatibility and immunomodulatory potential of these advanced therapeutics and complex medicines. An understanding of these, potential, interactions is vital to preclinical evaluation as well as enabling the future rational design of nanomaterials and therapies, and inflammation is key event in many Adverse Outcome Pathways (AOPs).

In addition to immune and haematological systems, Prof. Liptrott's team is also investigating impacts on cellular health and metabolism that may underpin these interactions, to link Critical Quality Attributes to biological performance using established and novel techniques. To date, the team's research has supported the successful translation of solid drug nanoparticle formulations through GMP manufacture towards healthy volunteer bioequivalence studies. The group continues to support developers of advanced therapeutics and complex medicines to reach clinical studies.

Prof. Liptrott is the coordinator for the Nanotherapeutics Hub (NTH), Biocompatibility Theme Lead for the Centre of Excellence for Long-acting Therapeutics (CELT), founding member of the Intracellular Drug Delivery Centre (IDDC) and steering committee, member of the Executive Board, Core Expert Team (CET) and Assay Group Leader (Immunotoxicity and Haematoxicity) for the European Nanomedicine Characterisation Laboratory (EUNCL), and platform manager for Nanotherapeutics within the Infection Innovation Consortium (iiCON).

Memberships of Professional Bodies and Learned Societies:
- Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology (FRSB) [2022-present]
- Co-leader, Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences Nanomedicine Focus Group [2022-2026]
- Member of the British Toxicological Society [2019-present]
- Member of the British Pharmacological Society [2019-present]
- Member of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM, committee membership E56 – nanomedicines) [2018-present]
- Fellow of the Higher Education Authority (FHEA) [2018-present]
- Member of the European Society for Nanomedicine [2013-2023]
- Trustee of the British Society for Nanomedicine [2011-present]
- Member of the British Society for Immunology [2004-present]

Keywords: advanced therapies and therapeutics, liposomes, lipidic nanoparticles (LNP), vaccines, gene delivery, nucleic acid therapeutics, Complement, Complosome, CARPA, pseudoallergy, hypersensitivity, complex medicines, extracellular vesicles, exosomes, nanoparticles, nanomedicines, nanotherapeutics, biomaterials, biocompatibility, immunology, immunotoxicology, immune engineering, intracellular drug delivery (ICD), immune response, drug disposition, human immune cells, immune metabolism, innate immunity, reprogrammable innate immunity, microenvironment, membrane transporters, biocompatibility.

Research Overview
Our research focuses on how modern therapeutic materials interact with the innate immune system and how these responses can be predicted, controlled, and exploited to improve human health. As advanced therapeutics become increasingly complex, ranging from nanoparticle drug delivery systems to nucleic acid platforms and biologically derived materials, understanding their immunological interface is essential for safe and effective translation.

A central theme of our work is programmable innate immunity. We investigate how innate immune responses can be shaped by therapeutic design, microbial signals, and cellular context. Through studies including, but not limited to, pattern recognition receptor signalling, innate immune pathways, inflammasome activation, complement pathways, bioenergetics, and epigenetic regulation, we aim to understand how innate immune cells become functionally reprogrammed and how these processes influence responses to infection, non-communicable disease, vaccines, gene therapies and advanced medicines to provide sustained innate immune protection and function.

Our work also explores the role of immunometabolism, examining how metabolic and bioenergetic states influence innate immune function and contribute to interindividual variability in immune responses. By linking immune signalling pathways with cellular metabolism, we seek to understand how immune responses emerge from the integrated behaviour of complex biological systems.

Using advanced immunological, cellular, and analytical approaches, we study a wide range of therapeutic platforms, including lipid nanoparticles, polymeric materials, virosomes, and exosomes, used for the delivery of diagnostics, small molecules, biologics, and nucleic acids.

Together, this work aims to define the principles governing immune responses to advanced therapeutics and to support the rational design of safer, more effective medicines.