Dr Simon Richardson

Dr Simon Richardson BSc (Hons) MSc PhD

Reader of Drug Delivery and Membrane Trafficking

Dr Richardson is the co-founder of the Exogenix laboratory and inventor of the Anthragenix and Exogenix delivery platforms. Dr Richardson undertook his PhD at The Centre for Polymer Therapeutics at the UCL School of Pharmacy, reading the intracellular delivery of ASOs. Following this he became a post-doctoral fellow at the Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics at the University of Iowa, where he studied the molecular regulation of endocytic vesicle fusion. 

Dr Richardson was later appointed a Visiting Assistant Professor at the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at the University of Iowa, where he initiated his own research program investigating the use of protein toxins as drug delivery tools. This research focus followed him back to the University of Greenwich, where he is now Reader in Drug Delivery and Membrane Trafficking and runs the Exogenix lab.

Responsibilities within the university

  • Chair of the University Biological and Genetic Modification Safety Committee
  • University Biological Safety Officer
  • Chair of the Faculty of E-S Research Ethics Committee
  • Faculty Research Ethics Committee representative to the University Research Ethics Committee
  • Faculty Research and Enterprise Committee.

Recognition

Affiliations

  • Controlled Release Society (USA): Member
  • American Society of Cell Biology: Member
  • Society of Biology (UK): Member (MSB), Chartered Biologist (CBiol)
  • Cardiff Institute of Tissue Engineering and Repair: Member
  • Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences: Member
  • Oligonucleotide Therapeutic Society: Member

Editorial boards

Molecular and Clinical Pharmacology, Cogent Chemistry and Cognate Medicine, The Journal of Pharmaceutics (2012-2017). I am currently part of a team of the academics acting as guest editors for a special edition of The Journal of Drug Targeting. In 2015 I was a Journal of Controlled Release "Recognised Reviewer" and "Outstanding Reviewer".

Reviewer for: The Welcome Trust; The BBSRC; The Royal Pharmaceutical Society; BigC; The Journal of Controlled Release (Outstanding Reviewer); The Journal of Drug Targeting; Biomacromolicules and Biomaterials.

Research / Scholarly interests

Small inhibitory (si) RNA has the potential to cure viral conditions such as those caused by SARS-CoV-2 however to be effective this new type of drug needs to be able to get into the correct part of the cell. This is difficult because cells have evolved to stop this from happening. My lab focuses on the use of de-toxified toxins to deliver siRNA and more recently the gene editing protein Cas9. We do this directly using toxins (Anthragenix delivery) or by packaging the drugs into nanoscale vesicles called exosomes (Exogenix delivery) in an attempt to unlock the anti-viral potential of these molecules.

Recent publications

Article

Coakley-Youngs, Emma , Ranatunga, Medhavi, Richardson, Simon, Getti, Giulia , Shorter, Susan , Fivaz, Marc (2022), Autism-associated CHD8 keeps proliferation of human neural progenitors in check by lengthening the G1 phase of the cell cycle. The Company of Biologists. In: , , , . The Company of Biologists, Biology Open, 11: bio058941 (9) . pp. 1-11 2046-6390 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1242/bio.058941).

Feron, Benedita and , Richardson, Simon (2022), Engineering protein toxins to modulate the intracellular trafficking of biologics into exosomes for third order drug targeting. Library Publishing Media. In: , , , . Library Publishing Media, European Journal of Extracellular Vesicles, 2 . pp. 1-14 ISSN: 2001-3078 (Print), (doi: http://libpubmedia.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Feron.pdf).

Ranatunga, Medhavi , Rai, Rajeev, Richardson, Simon C. W., Dyer, Paul , Harbige, Laurence , Deacon, Andrew , Pecorino, Lauren , Getti, Giulia T. M. (2019), Leishmania aethiopica cell-to-cell spreading involves caspase-3, AkT and NF-jB but not PKC-d activation and involves uptake of LAMP-1 positive bodies containing parasites. Wiley. In: , , , . Wiley, The FEBS Journal (Federation of European Biochemical Societies), 287 (9) . pp. 1777-1797 ISSN: 1742-464X (Print), 1742-4658 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/febs.15166).

Feron, Benedita Kaç Labbé and , Richardson, Simon Clifford Wainwright (2018), The delivery of personalised, precision medicines via synthetic proteins. Bentham Science Publishers. In: , , , . Bentham Science Publishers, Drug Delivery Letters, 9 (1) . pp. 79-88 ISSN: 2210-3031 (Print), 2210-304X (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.2174/2210303109666181224115722).

Satchi-Fainaro, Ronit , Vicent, Maria, Richardson, Simon (2017), Professor Ruth Duncan: a pioneer in the field of polymer therapeutics. Taylor & Francis. In: , , , . Taylor & Francis, Journal of Drug Targeting, 25 (9-10) . pp. 757-758 ISSN: 1061-186X (Print), 1029-2330 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/1061186X.2017.1371722).

Ghosh, Saptarshi , Bouvaine, Sophie, Richardson, Simon C. W., Ghanim, Murad , Maruthi, M.N. (2017), Fitness costs associated with infections of secondary endosymbionts in the cassava whitefly species Bemisia tabaci. Springer Verlag. In: , , , . Springer Verlag, Journal of Pest Science, 91 . pp. 17-28 ISSN: 1612-4758 (Print), 1612-4766 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10340-017-0910-8).

Shorter, Susan , Pettit, Marie W., Dyer, Paul D.R., Coakley-Youngs, J. Emma , Gorringe-Pattrick, Monique A. M. , El-Daher, Samer , Richardson, Simon (2017), Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP): is seeing believing and is that enough?. Taylor & Francis. In: , , , . Taylor & Francis, Journal of Drug Targeting, 25 (9-10) . pp. 809-817 ISSN: 1061-186X (Print), 1029-2330 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/1061186X.2017.1358725).

Rai, Rajeev , Dyer, Paul, Richardson, Simon, Harbige, Laurence , Getti, Giulia (2017), Apoptotic induction induces Leishmania aethiopica and L. mexicana spreading in terminally differentiated THP-1 cells. Cambridge University Press. In: , , , . Cambridge University Press, Parasitology, 144 (14) . pp. 1912-1921 ISSN: 0031-1820 (Print), 1469-8161 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0031182017001366).

Shorter, Susan , Gollings, Alexander, Gorringe-Pattrick, Monique, Coakley, Emma , Dyer, Paul D.R. , Richardson, Simon (2016), The potential of toxin-based drug delivery systems for enhanced nucleic acid therapeutic delivery. Taylor & Francis. In: , , , . Taylor & Francis, Expert Opinion on Drug Delivery, 14 (5) . pp. 685-696 ISSN: 1742-5247 (Print), 1744-7593 (Online) (doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17425247.2016.1227781).

Mohsen, R. , Alexander, B. D., Richardson, S. C. W., Mitchell, J. C. , Diab, A. A. , Snowden, M. J. (2016), Design, synthesis, characterization and toxicity studies of Poly (N-Iso-Propylacrylamide-co-Lucifer Yellow) particles for drug delivery applications. OMICS International. In: , , , . OMICS International, Journal of Nanomedicine and Nanotechnology, 7: 1000363 (2) . pp. 363-372 ISSN: 2157-7439 (Print), (doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/2157-7439.1000363).

Dyer, Paul D. R. , Kotha, Arun K., Gollings, Alex S., Shorter, Susan A. , Shepherd, Thomas R. , Pettit, Marie W. , Alexander, Bruce D. , Getti, Giulia T. M. , El-Daher, Samer , Baillie, Les (2016), An in vitro evaluation of epigallocatechin gallate (eGCG) as a biocompatible inhibitor of ricin toxin. Elsevier. In: , , , . Elsevier, Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - General Subjects, 1860 (7) . pp. 1541-1550 ISSN: 0304-4165 (Print), (doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbagen.2016.03.024).