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Professor Arwyn Tomos Jones

Professor Arwyn Tomos Jones

Professor of Membrane Traffic and Drug Delivery, and Director of Research & Engagement

Email
jonesat@cardiff.ac.uk
Telephone
+44 (0)29 2087 6431
Welsh speaking
Users
Available for postgraduate supervision

Overview

I joined the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at Cardiff University as a lecturer in 2001 and now serve as Professor of Membrane Traffic and Drug Delivery and in 2018 I became the Director of Research Innovation and Engagement for the School. Previously I gained my PhD in protein biochemistry and crystallography at Birkbeck College, University of London, and undertook postdoctoral positions investigating membrane traffic on the endocytic pathway at the Physiological Laboratory, University of Liverpool and the Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard University, USA.

In 2000 I was awarded a European Molecular Biology Organisation Fellowship to work at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Heidelberg,  Germany and continued at the EMBL when I was awarded an Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Scholarship.

I have a keen interest in the public understanding of science, especially through the medium of Welsh,  and in 2001 was awarded a Diploma in Journalism from the University of Wales Bangor. Since then I have been very active in science outreach activities and have organised several large science exhibitions at the National Eisteddfod of Wales - see below for Public Engagement with Science.

I am a member of the School's research themes:

I have a major interest in endocytosis and cellular delivery of therapeutic macromolecules. My current projects fall under the overall themes of regulation of endocytosis and endocytic pathways:

  • Targeting and endocytosis of plasma membrane receptors
  • Polymeric conjugates as drug delivery vectors
  • Cell penetrating peptides as drug delivery vectors
  • Breast cancer cell biology

Public engagement with science

I am very active in public engagement in science, and have gained funding from both the Wellcome Trust and EPSRC to set up large public engagement activities. I regularly contribute to BBC, S4C and Radio Cymru news programmes and am also engaged in discussing other aspects of science on TV and radio. I also visit local schools and colleges to showcase science. Here are some outreach highlights:

In 2010 and 2011 I led a Public Engagement project sponsored by the EPSRC to highlight the multidisciplinary science involved in, and potential of, tissue engineering. This £55K Partnership for Public Engagement Award "Tissue Engineering for Human Healing" was obtained with Dr Bob Steadman (MEDIC) and Dr Pete Griffiths (CHEMY) and involved setting up tissue engineering exhibits and activities at various locations in Wales and was launched at the 2010 National Eisteddfod of Wales in Ebbw Vale. Included there, and in the following year at the National Eisteddfod in Wrexham, were a wide range of interactive and educational activities housed in the Eisteddfod Science Pavilion. These included a life sized Operation game, maggot races and a Stem Cell puzzle. The Stem Cell puzzle will now be a regular feature at the Techniquest science centre in Cardiff Bay.

Biography

Career profile

Arwyn gained his PhD in protein crystallography at Birkbeck College, University of London and undertook postdoctoral positions investigating membrane traffic on the endocytic pathway at the University of Liverpool and Harvard University. In 2000 he was awarded a European Molecular Biology Organization fellowship to work at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Heidelberg Germany and continued at the EMBL via an Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Scholarship.

In 2001 he was appointed as lecturer in the Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at Cardiff University where he is now Professor in Membrane Traffic and Drug Delivery. In 2018 he became the School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences Director of Research, Innovation and Engagement

Research projects in his lab fall under themes of cancer cell biology, endocytosis and drug delivery. A major scientific objective is linking fundamental endocytosis research to better understand the cellular delivery of drug delivery vectors including antibodies targeting plasma membrane receptors and cell penetrating peptides. He actively collaborates with a number of national and international groups including his recent strong involvement with CALIN, an €11.96 million, 4-year, Ireland-Wales funded programme bringing innovation, jobs and growth to Ireland and Wales, and COMPACT (2012-2017), an academic/industrial drug delivery consortium collaborating on the Optimisation of Macromolecular Pharmaceutical Access to Cellular Targets.

He has a keen interest in the public understanding of science and in 2001 was awarded a BBC sponsored Diploma in Journalism from Bangor University. Since then he has been very active in public engagement with science at local and national levels and has organised several large Science exhibitions at the National Eisteddfod of Wales.

Professional memberships

Committees and reviewing

Research Innovation and Engagement Committee

Publications

We are currently unable to retrieve the list of publications. Visit our institutional repository.

Teaching

  • PH1121  Molecule to patient
  • PH1122  The role of the pharmacist in professional practice
  • PH2110  Clinical & professional pharmacy
  • PH3110  Optimisation of pharmaceutical care
  • PH3202  Research methodology
  • PH4116  Pharmacy research or scholarship project
  • PH4118  Pharmaceutical sciences, pharmacy practice and the patient

External

Lectures on Module PHT202 on MSc/Diploma in Clinical Research course

Latest research and engagement news

New PhD position: Development of new therapeutic entities targeting glycosylation disorders! If you are interested in working on Prof. Jones' exciting project, please see click HERE. The closing date for applications is 30 Nov 2021.

On 2 March 2020 Arwyn Jones spoke at the MediWales Showcase Members Event in Cardiff,  highlighting the Cardiff CALIN team and technologies offered to SMEs in Wales.

We are  pleased to report on our most recent publication in the January 2020 issue of the  Biochemical Journal describing a newly discovered cell penetrating peptide termed EJP18 that originates from the juxtamembrane region of the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor. See figure 2 (in "images") for predicted structure.

In December Arwyn Jones presented the Keynote lecture at the  4th International Conference on Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology/Nanomedicine, Jakarta, Indonesia and pictured in the "images" section with the conference organisers.

School of Pharmacy and investigative journalists analyse and discuss SARMs in supplements used by bodybuilders. Professor Jones and Dr Pertusati were invited to contribute to a news item from S4C about the harmful effects certain chemicals used in supplements can have on the human body.

Arwyn Jones has been invited to join the Controlled Release Societies Gene Delivery and Editing Group and looks forward to interacting with scientists across the globe with mutual interest in delivering nucleotides into cells.

Research interests

Research projects in my lab fall under themes of cell biology and endocytosis, concentrating on linking fundamental endocytosis research to the remit of cellular delivery of small molecule and macromolecular therapeutics:

  • Characterisation of endocytic pathways utilised by therapeutic macromolecules to gain access into cells
  • Studying the mechanism of entry of cell penetrating peptides (CPP) and CPP-conjugates
  • Designing new polymer -conjugates for cellular delivery of therapeutic macromolecule
  • Utilising subcellular fractionation for analysis of endocytosis and intracellular traffic of therapeutic macromolecules.
  • Characterising roles for endocytic pathways in mediating multidrug resistance in cancer cells
  • Design and manufacture of microarray surfaces for multi-image analysis of biological specimens.

Current Research Group

    Endocytic pathways and the cellular delivery of therapeutic macromolecules

    Endocytosis encompasses highly complex and dynamic processes that cells use for example to allow entry of extracellular material and to downregulate cell surface receptors.  The utilisation of these pathways for uptake and intracellular delivery of therapeutic macromolecules offers much potential for intervention of diseases such as cancer. However, the effectiveness of this approach is constrained by the fact that the fate of the therapeutic within one of these pathways is predetermined by the dynamics of the pathway and biological barriers posed by endocytic membranes. A major objective of the laboratory is to better understand endocytic pathways of cells, to utilise specific pathways for cellular delivery of therapeutic macromolecules and to design novel drug delivery vectors for enhancing cytosolic delivery of therapeutics.

    Ongoing projects include:
    • Pharmacological and molecular manipulation of endocytic pathways to characterise cellular uptake of therapeutic macromolecules
    • Characterising the transduction capacities of cell penetrating peptides across biological membranes and their potential as vectors for cellular delivery of therapeutic molecules
    • Polymer conjugates as vectors for cellular delivery of therapeutic macromolecules
    • Characterising the uptake of nanoparticles targeting tuberculosis in macrophages.

    Collaboration

    The group has strong local, national and international collaboration with academia and industry.

    Arwyn Jones is currently lead Cardiff University academic on CALIN, The Celtic Advanced Life Science Innovation Network. This  is a €11.96 million, 4-year, Ireland-Wales funded programme bringing innovation, jobs and growth to Ireland and Wales.

    Professor Jones was lead academic scientist covering cell binding, an uptake on a €27M European consortium involving 16 academic partners and 6 major pharmaceutical companies. (2012-2017).

    Arwyn is also a member of the following national and international networks:

    2018-2022: COST- European cooperation in Science and Technology Delivery of RNA therapy.

    2017: CBTDDC - Children’s Brain Tumour Drug Delivery Consortium.

    2018-2021: FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Portuguese). Manipulation of cathepsins and their inhibitors cystatins in human macrophages as a host directed therapeutic strategy for tuberculosis and co-infection with HIV.

    Recent Invited Lectures at International Meetings

    2021    OLIGO 2021 Oxford, UK
    2020    Drug Delivery and Formulation (DDF) Summit Berlin Germany
    2019    Keynote Speaker 4th International Conference on Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology/Nanomedicine, Jakarta, Indonesia
    2019    14th Chemistry and Biology of Peptides Meeting, University of Wolverhampton, UK
    2018    Keynote Speaker 12th World Drug Delivery Summit, Chicago
    2018    Frontiers in Delivery of Therapeutics, University of Tartu, Estonia
    2018    APS Nanomedicine for the Delivery of Biologics Symposium, Reading, UK
    2018    Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Research Conference: New Technologies Advancing Toward a One-Time Cure. Snow King Resort, Jackson, Wyoming USA.
    2018    12th International Symposium on Polymer Therapeutics. Valencia, Spain
    2017    F-Tales Nanomaterials in Biomedical Sciences Meeting, Ghent, Belgium
    2017    Keynote Speaker Global Conference on Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery systems (PDDS), Valencia, Spain.
    2017    Keynote Speaker 10th International Conference and Exhibition on Pharmaceutics and Novel Drug Delivery Systems, London

    Supervision

    Current supervision

    Carwyn Hughes

    Research student

    Saeed Tayeb

    Research student

    External profiles

    Images

    Research links