Dr Sara Caetano Cordeiro

Senior Lecturer

Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences

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Personal statement

Dr Sara Cordeiro is a pharmacist by training, having graduated in 2010 with an Integrated Master’s Degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Porto (Portugal). In 2017, she completed a PhD in Drug Research and Development at the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain), under the supervision of Prof María José Alonso, and later worked as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Queen’s University Belfast (UK) between 2017 and 2021, under the supervision of Prof Ryan Donnelly. In these 15 years in research, Sara developed a strong background in drug delivery and controlled release, focusing on applications of nanomedicine for vaccine delivery and microneedle-based approaches for transdermal delivery.

In January 2021, Sara was appointed as a Senior Lecturer in Pharmaceutical Sciences at De Montfort University (Leicester, UK) and has taken up various teaching, research and citizenship responsibilities within the Leicester School of Pharmacy. She also set up her independent research group at DMU – 

Since May 2025, she has taken up the position of Senior Lecturer and MPharm Programme Director at SIPBS and is currently establishing her research group at Strathclyde – 3Ds Lab (Drug Delivery and Diagnostics) – focusing on improving and facilitating patients' lives by developing drug and vaccine delivery systems that are easy to manufacture and scale-up, highly efficient and administered through non-invasive routes.

Sara has supervised several undergraduate and postgraduate research project students, including three PhD students who are currently ongoing in their degree path. Sara has been an internal and external examiner for MSc by Research, MPhil and PhD in multiple occasions, in the UK and abroad. She is actively involved with scientific societies in the field, namely the Controlled Release Society (CRS) and the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences (APS). At CRS, Sara was previously the Chair of the Young Scientist Committee and is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the Newsletter and the eMedia Lead for the Women in Science group. At APS, she is a Board Member and a member of the Programme Committee for the APS PharmSci conference in 2025. Sara has also peer-reviewed for more than ten leading journals in the field and is currently an Editorial Board member for Drug Delivery and Translational Research (also Review Editor) and AAPS Open and an Advisory Board member for RSC Pharmaceutics.

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Qualifications

2019-2020 - PGCert in Higher Education and Teaching (PGCHET), Queen's University Belfast, UK

2011-2017 - PhD in Drug Research and Development, University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain; Thesis title: “Rational design of polymer-based nanosystems for an efficient targeting of the immune system”.

2005-2010 - Integrated Master’s Degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Porto, Portugal.

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Publications

Quality-by-design principles applied to the development and optimisation of lidocaine-loaded dissolving microneedle arrays – a proof-of-concept
Yong Pei Gie, Segorean Ana Manuela, Cordeiro Ana Sara
Drug Delivery and Translational Research Vol 15, pp. 2643-2662 (2025)
https://doi.org/10.1007/s13346-024-01758-9
Cyanocobalamin-loaded dissolving microneedles diminish skin inflammation in vivo
Guillot Antonio José, Martínez-Navarrete Miquel, Giner Rosa Maria, Recio Maria Carmen, Santos Helder A, Cordeiro Ana Sara, Melero Ana
Journal of Controlled Release Vol 375, pp. 537-551 (2024)
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconrel.2024.09.032
Integrating microneedles and sensing strategies for diagnostic and monitoring applications : the state of the art
Pei Shihao, Babity Samuel, Sara Cordeiro Ana, Brambilla Davide
Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews Vol 210 (2024)
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addr.2024.115341
Latest advances in glucose-responsive microneedle-based systems for transdermal insulin delivery
Martínez-Navarrete Miquel, Pérez-López Alexandre, Guillot Antonio José, Cordeiro Ana Sara, Melero Ana, Aparicio-Blanco Juan
International Journal of Biological Macromolecules Vol 263 (2024)
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.130301
Nanovaccine delivery approaches and advanced delivery systems for the prevention of viral infections : from development to clinical application
Cordeiro Ana Sara, Patil-Sen Yogita, Shivkumar Maitreyi, Patel Ronak, Khedr Abdulwahhab, Elsawy Mohamed A
Pharmaceutics Vol 13 (2021)
https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics13122091
Nanotechnologies for the delivery of biologicals : historical perspective and current landscape
Durán-Lobato Matilde, López-Estévez Ana María, Cordeiro Ana Sara, Dacoba Tamara G, Crecente-Campo José, Torres Dolores, Alonso María José
Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews Vol 176 (2021)
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addr.2021.113899

More publications

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Research Interests

  • Development of functional/responsive biomaterial-based diagnostic and delivery devices for non-invasive (transdermal and mucosal) routes.

  • Development of delivery systems for "hard to deliver" drugs (injectables, poorly soluble actives, biological compounds, etc.).

  • Applications of 3D printing and microfluidics in pharmaceutical formulation and manufacturing.

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Contact

Dr Sara Caetano Cordeiro
Senior Lecturer
Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences

Email: sara.cordeiro@strath.ac.uk
Tel: Unlisted