Position

Experimental Officer

Areas of Expertise

Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Cryo-Transmission Electron Microscopy (Cryo-TEM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Cryo-Scanning Electron Microscopy, Optical Microscopy, Fluorescence Microscopy, Polarised Microscopy, Hot-stage Microscopy, Cryo-Ultramicrotomy.

Biography

David joined the School in January 1977 to set up the Electron Microscopy Unit, having previously worked in the Anatomy Department of the now Royal London Hospital. An MRC grant enabled the purchase of a Transmission Electron Microscope (Philips 201) and the necessary ancillary equipment. The Unit’s services quickly became essential to many of the School’s research programmes and in 1984 a Scanning Electron Microscope was purchased (Jeol JSM35). This Microscope was replaced in 1991 with a state of the art Philips XL 20, augmented with Cryo facilities and in 2003 this microscope was replaced with a higher spec XL 30 Microscope. In 2009, CIF funding (50%) and FEI sponsorship (50%) allowed the purchase of a FEI Quanta 200FEG. This Microscope has 3 modes of operation;High vacuum, high resolution, Low vacuum, high resolution (uncoated sample imaging) and Environmental, for partially dried samples. A second Transmission Electron Microscope (Philips CM 120 Bio-Twin) was purchased in 1998 with funding from the EPSRC, which enabled the establishment of Cryo-Transmission Electron Microscopy facilities, additional equipment was also funded on this grant, a Gatan 626 Cryo-holder and a Leica EMFCS Cryo-Ultramicrotome. This technique of Cryo-TEM enables visualisation of frozen-hydrated thin film preparations of liposomes and other nano-particles where dehydration and negative staining is undesired.

The Unit also has a Nikon FXA opical microscope, which is equipped with fluorescence facilities and digital image capture system.

David is also secretary of the Society of Electron Microscope Technology (since 2000) and was elected on the committee of the EM section of the Royal Microscopical Society in 2005.

Awards

Two Prizes for Images of Excellence, The Wellcome Trust, October 2009

1st Prize in the R.M.S. International Micrograph competition 2008 ( Materials Science )

3rd Prize in the R.M.S. International Micrograph competition 2008 ( Materials Science )

Five Prizes for Images of Excellence, The Wellcome Trust, March 2008

1st Prize in the R.M.S. International micrograph competition 2006 ( Life Science )

2nd Prize in the R.M.S International Micrograph competition 2006 ( Materials Science )

Three Prizes for Images of Excellence, The Wellcome Trust, July 2006

1st Prize for the UK Micro and Nanotechnology (MNT) Network competition  03/06

1st Prize in "Visions of Science" Photographic competition, In the close-up category 2005 &  Best overall image

1st Prize in "Visions of Science" Photographic competition, In the Concepts category 2004

2nd Prize in the R.M.S International Micrograph Competition 2004

D. McCarthy (2010). A closer look at PLGA microspheres. InFocus. 17 (18-24).

H. Ali-Boucetta, K. T. Al-Jamal, D. McCarthy, M. Prato, A. Bianco, K. Kostarelos(2008). Multiwalled carbon nanotube-doxrubicin supramolecular complexes for cancer therapeutics. Chemical Commun.,459-461

C.Tuleu,1 S. Arenas-Lopez, C. Robinson , D McCarthy , R. I. J. Paget, S. Tibby, K. M. G. Taylor. (2007). 'Poppy seeds’ in stomach aspirates: is oral omeprazole extemporaneous dispersion bioavailable? European Journal of Paediatrics.

Qu X, History VV, Stewart A, Rahman S, Sternberg-Papahadjopoulos B, Dufes C, McCarthy D, Wilson CG, Lyons RL, Carter KC, Schätzlein AG, Uchegbu IF.(2006) Carbohydrate-based micelle clusters which enhance hydrophobic drug bioavailability by up to 1 order of magnitude. Biomacromolecules. 7(12), 3452-9.

R. Singh, D. McCarthy, K. Kostarelos (2005). Surface modification of adenovirus by zwitterionic (DMPC:Chol) liposomes can up-or-down- regulate adenoviral gene transfer efficiency in vitro. Journal of Drug Delivery Science and Technology, 15(4) 289-294.

R. Singh, D. Pantarotto, D. McCarthy, O. Caloin, J. Hoebeke, C. Partidos, J. Briand, M. Prato, A. Bianco, K. Kostarelos (2005). Binding and Condensation of Plasmid DNA onto Functionalised Carbon Nanotubes: Towards the Construction of Nanotube-Based Gene Delivery Vectors. Journal of American Chemical Society, 127(12), 4388-96.

D.Pantarotto, R.Singh, D.McCarthy, M.Erhardt, J-P.Briand, M.Prato*, K.Kostarelos*, A.Bianco* (2004). Functionalised carbon nanotubes for plasmid DNA gene delivery. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 43, 5242-5246.

Kan,L. Papahadjopoulos-Sternberg B. Wong, D. Waigh, R. Watson, D. Gray, A. McCarthy, D. McAllister, M. Schatzlein, A. Uchegbu, I. (2004). Highly Hydrophilic Fused Aggregates (Microsponges) from a C12 Spermine Bolaamphiphile. J.Phys. Chem. B 108, 8129-8135.

Perrie, Y., Obrenovic, M., McCarthy, D., & Gregoriadis, G. (2002). Liposome (Lipodine)-mediated DNA vaccination by the oral route. J.Liposome Res. 12, 185-197.

Perrie, Y. Obrenovic, M, McCarthy, D. and Gregoriadis, G. (2002). Liposome-mediated DNA immunization via the oral route: In vitro stability and in vivo evaluation. 8th United Kingdom and Ireland Controlled Release Society Symposium 2002: Oral administration of `Difficult Drugs'.

Perrie, Y. Obrenovic, M, McCarthy, D. and Gregoriadis, G. (2001) Liposomal DNA vaccines by the oral route. Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference, Liposome Advances: Progress in Drug and Vaccine Delivery, p. 35

Perrie, Y. Obrenovic, M, McCarthy, D. and Gregoriadis, G. (2001) Oral Delivery of Liposome entrapped plasmid DNA generates Gene Expression and IgA Immune Responses against the encoded proteins. British Pharmaceutical Conference Science Proceedings. p. 53.