Good Manufacturing Practice Research Group (GMP-Research Group)

Good Manufacturing Practice Research Group (GMP-Research Group)

Focus: Research on Good Manufacturing Practice in pharmaceutical, healthcare, cosmetics, food, chemical and allied industries. The group study manufacturing processes in these industries for improved performance and technical advice. GMP research group provide training on production skills, techniques and optimization for production staff of companies. It also evaluates compliance of companies to best practices. Research is also done to optimize production processes.

 

Areas of research interest: Industrial Pharmacy; Product development in Pharmaceuticals, healthcare, cosmetics, food and nutrition, chemical and allied industries; Quality assurance; Optimization; Validation.

Current research projects: Optimization of formulation process variables for improved pharmaceutical product quality.

 

Name of Coordinator: Dr. Chukwuma O. Agubata

UNN email address of the coordinator:  chukwuma.agubata@unn.edu.ng

UNN email address of RG:

UNN webpage of RG:

Phone number of the coordinator: +2348062404493

Base Faculty/Institute /Centre of the RG: Pharmaceutical Sciences

Department of the coordinator: Pharmaceutical Technology and Industrial Pharmacy

List and brief profiles of members:

  • Chukwuma Agubata is an Associate Professor (Reader) in Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Industrial Pharmacy, University of Nigeria Nsukka. Dr. Agubata was a joint winner of Nigeria Prize for Science 2017 (NLNG Prize) which is the most prestigious science award in Nigeria. Dr. Agubata was a Fulbright Visiting Scholar in the United States of America in 2021. He is a pharmacist with a Ph.D and has published many works in high impact factor journals and has a patent in lipid-based drug delivery. His area of interest include Pharmaceutical technology, drug delivery and lipid-based nanomedicines. Dr. Chukwuma Agubata has also done important research works on optimization of processes and production variables.
  • Godswill C. Onunkwo is a Professor of Pharmaceutical Technology and Industrial Pharmacy. Prof Onunkwo has numerous scientific publications in peer-reviewed and high impact journals. He has also supervised numerous Masters and Doctoral (Ph.D) students. Prof. GC Onunkwo had served as the Dean of Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Nigeria Nsukka.
  • Chukwuemeka Christian Mbah is currently a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Industrial Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). Dr. C. C. Mbah obtained a Ph.D and M. Pharm. degrees in Pharmaceutics from UNN, after graduating as a Pharmacist with Bachelor of Pharmacy (B. Pharm.) degree from the same institution. He had earlier worked as a Research Fellow for over six years at the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development, Federal Ministry of Health, Abuja, Nigeria. His research interests are in the areas of Formulation and Drug Delivery. He researches in the fields of pharmaceutical nanotechnology, nanomedicine, and pharmaceutical raw materials and herbal medicines development. Dr. Mbah has studied the development of nanovesicular carriers for topical, transdermal and oral delivery. He has also studied the development of pharmaceutical biomaterials from local sources and their applications in various drug delivery systems, including solid, semi-solid and liquid forms. Dr. Mbah has published many peer-reviewed articles in reputable journals in his areas of research, and presented a number of papers at numerous international and national scientific conferences. Dr. C. C. Mbah is a member of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) and Nigeria Association of Pharmacists in Academia (NAPA).
  • Dr Calister E. Ugwu is a Senior lecturer in the Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Industrial Pharmacy at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. She has experiences in drug design, formulations, and development of novel drug delivery systems. Dr Ugwu has published numerous peer-reviewed scientific articles in reputable journals.
  • Akachukwu Ibezim holds a PhD in Medicinal Chemistry from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, 2018. He was a visiting research scholar at Molecular Simulation Laboratory, University of Buea, Cameroon in 2014 and Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, USA in 2017. He is a recipient of many awards including the postdoctoral research grant (2019) award by The World Academy of Science (TWAS) for a research study in Vellore Institute of Technology, India. Ibezim is an academic staff in the Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, University of Nigeria, Nsukka and has authored over 40 research articles in both local and international peer-reviewed journals. His research focuses on the application of computational techniques to drug discovery.
  • Oluchukwu Nwadi is a lecturer in the Department of food science and technology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Nigeria Nsukka. Dr. Nwadi has expertise in food science and technology, and she has also developed some nutraceutical products. She continues to contribute towards improving the quality of food available for public consumption. Her knowledge of nutrition and its application in food consumed is of great value.
  • Lydia O. Ugorji is a pharmacist by profession. She presently lectures the undergraduates in the department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Industrial Pharmacy, University of Nigeria. Lydia is about to complete her PhD program under the sponsorship of the DAAD / UNN In region / In country scholarship program. She was also a participant of the DAAD/ EARTHS (Education and Research Oriented Training in Health Sciences) summer school held in Hamburg Germany, 2018. She has done several research works on drug delivery via various novel carriers – Self emulsifying formulations, solid dispersions, niosomes and hydrogels. Most of her research works are focused on Malaria and cancer therapy.

 

10 key publications:

  • Nzekwe IT et al. Designing an ideal alcohol-based hand sanitizer: in vitro antibacterial responses of ethanol and isopropyl alcohol solutions to changing composition. AAPS Open (2021) 7:5 https://doi.org/10.1186/s41120-021-00038-x
  • Agubata CO, Ezeanya NI, Nzekwe IT, Uzondu SW, Mbah CC. Characterization and sustainable anti-ulcer activity of hydrogels based on acid-diol reactions. Sustainable chemistry and pharmacy, 2021; 21: 100414. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scp.2021.100414
  • Ugorji OL, Umeh ONC , Agubata CO, Adah D, Obitte NC, Chukwu A. The effect of noisome preparation methods in encapsulating 5-fluorouracil and real time cell assay against HCT-116 colon cancer cell line. Heliyon 2022; 8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e12369
  • Mbah CC et al., Preliminary investigation of Dioclea reflexa seed gum as a food and potential pharmaceutical excipient. German Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomaterials, 2022; 1(4): 27-37. https://doi.org/10.5530/gjpb.2022.4.17
  • Mbah et al., Nanovesicle formulation enhances anti-inflammatory property and safe use of piroxicam, Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, 2021;9(3):177-190. DOI: 10.2174/2211738509666210129151844.
  • Nwadi OMM, Uchegbu NN, Okonkwo T. Use of cereals and egg products in extruded foods: A review. Pakistan Journal of Nutrition. 2023; 22(1), 1-10
  • Agubata C.O, Orjiezoke A.C, Nzekwe I.T, Okoye IE. Application and evaluation of 3-component mixture of directly compressible excipients in tablet formulation using an technique. African Journal of Pharmaceutical Research and Development, 2017; 9 (1): 30-39.
  • Ibezim, A et al (2022) Fragment based virtual screening discovers potential new Plasmodium PI4KIIIβ ligands. BMC Chemistry, 16, 19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13065-022-00812-2
  • Ugwu CE et al. Development of a modified hard gelatin capsule for colontargeted drug delivery of hydrogel-based piroxicam microparticles. Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research November 2022; 21 (11): 2285-2293
  • Agubata CO, Mbah MA, Akpa PA, Ugwu, G. Application of self-healing, swellable and biodegradable polymers for wound treatment. Journal of Wound Care. 2021. https://doi.org/10.12968/jowc.2021.30.Sup9a.IV