Clare Strachan

Contact Details

Division of Pharmaceutical Technology

Faculty of Pharmacy
P.O. Box 56 (Viikinkaari 5 E)
FI-00014 University of Helsinki
FINLAND

T +358 (0)9 191 59736

clare.strachan@helsinki.fi

Main Research Interests

Clare Strachan’s main research interests evolve around the physicochemical characterisation and optimisation of solid drugs and dosage forms, with two main focuses:

1. Formulation of poorly water soluble drugs using solid state modification

This work focuses the amorphous and other solid state forms for improved drug dissolution, with a view to understanding their physicochemical behaviour during the product lifecycle (preformulation, formulation, manufacturing, storage and drug release)

2. Advanced spectroscopic analysis and imaging.

This work focuses on new insights into solid drugs and dosage form behaviour using a range of spectroscopic and imaging methods. The main spectroscopic techniques used are infrared, near-infrared, Raman, and terahertz pulsed spectroscopies. Imaging includes Raman mapping and coherent Raman (CARS) imaging which allows label-free imaging of solid drugs and dosage forms during the product lifecycle, including in situ analysis during drug release. Analysis of the data generated is supported by various chemometrics approaches, both qualitative and quantitative, and computational chemistry methods including ab initio calculations. Analysis is supported by complimentary physical characterisation methods including x-ray powder diffraction, microscopy and thermal methods.

Short CV

After registration as a pharmacist, she completed a PhD in 2005 at the University of Otago, New Zealand entitled \”Spectroscopic investigation and quantitation of polymorphism and crystallinity of pharmaceutical materials\” which involved the use of Raman spectroscopy, terahertz pulsed spectroscopy and second harmonic generation. She then took up a postdoctoral position with Prof Jukka Rantanen in Helsinki, and subsequently became a University Researcher and Group Leader there. After a three year period back to the University of Otago as Lecturer/senior Lecturer, she returned to the University of Helsinki in 2012 as as a tenure track Professor.