BrainMap

Robert Ancuceanu

- UNIVERSITATEA DE MEDICINA SI FARMACIE "CAROL DAVILA"

Researcher | Teaching staff | Scientific reviewer | PhD supervisor

Professor within the Bucharest Faculty of Pharmacy (Bucharest) and a vice-dean. With a PhD in pharmacy, a master in biostatistics and a BSc in law, Robert Ancuceanu has worked in variety of pharmaceutical settings. He was director general of the General Directorate for Pharmaceutics and Medical Devices within the Romanian MoH and Vice-president of the Romanian NAMMDR. He was a member of the European Medicines Agency HMPC, PDCO, and an alternate member of the HMPC, as well as a member in several committees and working groups at national level. He is a Steering group member of the TOPRA Product information and Labelling SPIN. He has published over 105 scientific papers (of which 85 indexed ISI Clarivate), two books as a single author and was a co-author or chapter author to 14 books. He is passionate for using computers in the field of life sciences: QSAR, chemoinformatics, bioinformatics and computational biology, biostatistics. H-index: 22; citations > 7600.

Web of Science ResearcherID: not public

Expertise & keywords

New methods of pregnancy monitoring and prenatal diagnosis Call name: P 1 - SP 1.2 - Proiecte complexe realizate in consorții CDI
PN-III-P1-1.2-PCCDI-2017-0820 2018 - 2021

Role in this project:

Coordinating institution: INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE CERCETARE- DEZVOLTARE PENTRU MICROTEHNOLOGIE - IMT BUCURESTI INCD

Project partners: INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE CERCETARE- DEZVOLTARE PENTRU MICROTEHNOLOGIE - IMT BUCURESTI INCD (RO); UNIVERSITATEA DE MEDICINA SI FARMACIE "CAROL DAVILA" (RO); INSTITUTUL CLINIC FUNDENI (RO); INSTITUTUL NATIONAL PENTRU SANATATEA MAMEI SI COPILULUI "ALESSANDRESCU-RUSESCU" BUCURESTI (RO); UNIVERSITATEA POLITEHNICA DIN BUCURESTI (RO)

Affiliation: UNIVERSITATEA DE MEDICINA SI FARMACIE "CAROL DAVILA" (RO)

Project website: https://www.imt.ro/mimosa/

Abstract:

The Complex Project „ New methods of pregnancy monitoring and prenatal diagnosis” proposes to define and develop new biomedical devices for pregnant women and foetus monitoring, with the purpose to avoid life-threating complications for both the mother and the child.

It will be developed through four Component Projects:

1. Prenatal non-invasive screening, using cell free fetal DNA, extracted from the mother’s blood. It will develop a chip for the non-invasive detection of the SRY gene, together with a working protocol for a new type of non-invasive analysis for the early prenatal diagnosis.

2. Non-invasive microsensors for continuous glucose monitoring during pregnancy – proposes the technology development for a non-invasive glucose sensor to measure the glucose level in saliva. The project will support the continuous monitoring of pregnant women, avoiding dangers effects coming from the invasive methods (inflammations, infections).

3. Evaluation of premature birth risks due to the HPV-EVA-RINA infection. The project will develop clinical studies related to the HPC infection involvement in triggering premature birth, using genotyping microarray-type structures;

4. Wireless multi-sensor system for foetal activity and uterine contractions monitoring and classification during pregnancy – aims to develop an intelligent system, containing a wireless network of wearable sensors and a main unit for signal processing and analysis.

The complex project description includes the novelty elements, detailed activities description, the working procedures within the consortium, expected results and deliverables. The deliverables has an average TRL 5, which means all four component projects will have a high technological level and the result’s maturity will reach at least successful laboratory testing.

SOL-2020-2 1. Approaches to public health management in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic Call name: P 2 - SP 2.1 - Soluţii - 2020 - 2
PN-III-P2-2.1-SOL-2020-2-0351 2020 - 2020

Role in this project:

Coordinating institution: ACADEMIA DE STUDII ECONOMICE

Project partners: ACADEMIA DE STUDII ECONOMICE (RO); INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE SANATATE PUBLICA (RO); CENTER FOR HEALTH OUTCOMES & EVALUATION SRL (RO)

Affiliation:

Project website: http://www.covid.ase.ro

Abstract:

The Public Health Management Approaches in the context of the COVID-19 Pandemic project

aims to support the authorities involved in the fight against COVID-19 by carrying out the technical project of an integrated open source platform for public health management focused on COVID-19 pandemic, making the functional prototype of the platform, preparation of installation documentation, administration, use and technical support of the portal and of the specific modules and by identifying, realizing, testing and validating the specific APIs that will be implemented within the platform. The project, the first of its kind in Romania, is a collaboration between an advanced research university, a relevant institution in the field of public health policies, which coordinates national and regional public health centers specializing in surveillance and control of communicable diseases, and a private company. The portal and all component modules will be developed and published under the Open Source license and will be available through the GitHub web hosting service. The portal will be developed so that it can be used in optimal conditions both through personal computers and mobile devices, thus facilitating its use in disadvantaged environments. The solutions offered will allow its further development and ensure a high level of versatility through the possibilities of automatic and daily retrieval of available data from authorized sources, as long as they will be provided through the APIs by the provider, creating and implementing templates which will be used to populate with relevant information the e-learning and e-recruitment modules will ensure the possibility of further expansion of the system, the integration of text information with multimedia resources within the e-learning and e-recruitment modules.

i-Light A pervasive home monitoring system based on intelligent luminaires Call name: P 3 - SP 3.5 - Proiecte EUSTAR
E!9770 2015 - 2018

Role in this project:

Coordinating institution: INFO WORLD S.R.L.

Project partners: INFO WORLD S.R.L. (RO); UNIVERSITATEA POLITEHNICA DIN BUCURESTI (RO)

Affiliation: UNIVERSITATEA POLITEHNICA DIN BUCURESTI (RO)

Project website: http://ilightproject.eu/ro/acasa/

Abstract:

The aim of this project is to develop a novel energy efficient luminaire equipped with an embedded sensing, indoor localisation and communications electronic system that enables a pervasive, seamless, and inexpensive home

monitoring scheme. These luminaires will be fully compatible with current technologies and facilities, and once deployed, they will shape a monitoring network for ambient data and context management aimed at activity recognition and health supervision.

Development of a herbal medicinal product with topical administration in allergic dermatitides Call name: Joint Applied Research Projects - PCCA 2013 - call
PN-II-PT-PCCA-2013-4-1953 2014 - 2017

Role in this project:

Coordinating institution: UNIV.DE MEDICINA SI FARMACIE - CAROL DAVILA

Project partners: UNIV.DE MEDICINA SI FARMACIE - CAROL DAVILA (RO); HOFIGAL EXPORT IMPORT SA (RO); AGROECO BIOTERRA SRL (RO); UNIVERSITATEA DE STIINTE AGRONOMICE SI MEDICINA VETERINARA (RO)

Affiliation: UNIV.DE MEDICINA SI FARMACIE - CAROL DAVILA (RO)

Project website: http://www.umfcaroldavila.ro/index.php/activitatea-stiintifica/programe-pnii/1176-dezvoltarea-unui-medicament-pe-baza-de-plante-cu-administrare-topica-in-dermatoze-alergice

Abstract:

Immunological dysfunctions with cutaneous manifestations, such as urticaria, contact dermatitis or atopical dermatitis are social problems affecting a considerable part of the population, especially in the developed countries. Adverse effects accompanying the topical treatment with the current medicinal products limit their use for all the patients. Through this project we aim at developing and obtaining by technologies an original product – a herbal medicinal product of topical use intended in the treatment of cutaneous conditions mediated immunologically, thus contributing to the increase of the quality of life of the affected patients. The product will ensure the treatment of pathologies affecting a high number of patients, both at the national and international level. Although the herbal material initially used to define the standardized extract will be derived from ecological cultures (the risk of contamination with chemical allergenes being non-existent), the final objective is its production through biotechnologies, so as to allow the obtaining of the active raw material in appropriate amounts, of acceptable purity and independently of the seasonal cultures.

For this purpose the content in biocompounds with antiallergic potential activity from 10 herbal species (Morus alba L., Amaranthus caudatus L., Sambucus nigra L., Rubus idaeus L., Momordica charantia Descourt., Plantago lanceolata L., Ribes nigrum L., Rubia tinctorum L., Cynara scolymus L., Achillea millefolium L.) will be explored, as well as their correlation with the antiallergic activity (also at immunological level), for their later purification and obtaining of the pharmaceutical active extract. This will ensure the identification of the species, extract and fraction with the highest efficacy (in the indication of interest – allergies which may be treated topically) and safety proven in preclinical models. A biotechnology (cultures of plant tissues) of obtaining the active component of a topical medicinal product with antiallergic activity, identified based on the pharmacological and biochemical data and the variables affecting qualitatively and quantitatively the characteristics of the biomass obtained in the tissue culture, including the composition in active principles of interest, will be assessed. This will allow optimisation of the biotechnological process of obtaining the standardized extract that will constitute the active substance of the medicinal product for topical use.

Until now, no scientific study has reported the investigation of the antiallergic activity at topical level of purified extracts from these species or has examined the correlation of such an activity with the imunological effects and the classes of phytochemicals responsible for this activity. On the Romanian market several products of herbal nature are marketed in this therapeutical area, but they have not been developed scientifically and are not authorized as medicinal products (being not listed in the official Register drawn out by the National Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices), but (probably) as medical devices, which means that they act mainly through a mechanical effect, of barrier or by ensuring hydration, but not by an anti-inflammatory/antiallergic activity proper, of a pharmacological nature.

The project will be realized by the collaboration of three partners: The University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Carol Davila” Bucharest (with a multidisciplinary team of experts in pharmaceutical botany, phytochemistry, pharmacology, biochemistry, pharmaceutical chemistry, physical chemistry and pharmaceutical technology), the University of Agronomical Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Bucharest (with a team of experts in the field of biotechnology), SC Hofigal Export Import (one of the most important producers of medicines of herbal origin on the Romanian market) and SC Agroeco Biottera SRL (a company specialized in the ecological cultivation of herbal medicinal species).

Studies on soil-plant-food-man correlations to obtain a food supplement with an increased content in iron of herbal origin Call name: Joint Applied Research Projects - PCCA 2013 - call
PN-II-PT-PCCA-2013-4-1572 2014 - 2017

Role in this project:

Coordinating institution: UNIV.DE MEDICINA SI FARMACIE - CAROL DAVILA

Project partners: UNIV.DE MEDICINA SI FARMACIE - CAROL DAVILA (RO); HOFIGAL EXPORT IMPORT SA (RO); AGROECO BIOTERRA SRL (RO)

Affiliation: UNIV.DE MEDICINA SI FARMACIE - CAROL DAVILA (RO)

Project website: http://saliferoveg.umf.ro/index.html

Abstract:

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is the most common form of anemia in the world and the most frequent form of anemia in pregnant women. It is estimated that IDA has a prevalence of 2% among adult men and 9–20% among adult women. The multiple negative effects of anemia on health and quality of life justify the interventions designed to prevent and control anemia and the most important such intervention is the use of iron-containing food supplements.

The core objective of this project is to develop an iron-containing food supplement, using iron in its natural form, as an extract from plants rich in this oligoelement and, for this purpose, at exploring the correlations between soil, plants and the developed food supplement, to ensure an optimal use in humans. There are very few food supplements of botanical origin containing iron on the Romanian market (most of those available use iron salts). There is only a food supplement of Chinese origin containing iron (10 mg/tablet) and folic acid, the iron being derived from an extract of the so-called “black fungi powder” (with no taxonomic identification of the fungi species) and one manufactured locally (in two slightly different formulas) but with very small amounts of iron (“Fier biologic”, containing much less than 1.0 mg of Fe per capsule).

For this purpose we would explore the correlation between soil iron and iron in plants, by analyzing iron contents in at least 10 plant species (for at least 2 parts of the plant species – root, stem, leaf, seeds) grown on various soils in Romania and using statistical methods of regression to verify the relationship between the two variables. Because – as shown in section 1.2. – iron bioavailability is most often affected by other components of the plants (especially phytates, polyphenols and flavonoids), we will also investigate the influence of the soils on the flavonoids and polyphenol contents (as phytates is most often found in significant amounts only in seeds and grains we will not investigate phytate).

Very little research has been concerned up to now to the correlation between plant iron uptake and polyphenols or flavonoid content in various plant parts. We will also explore the relationship between the ontogenetic stages of plants and their iron uptake. The studies published up to date have only looked into this relationship in a small number of species and have produced inconsistent results. These results will allow us to make a scientifically sound decision on what parts of the plants to use, at what maturity stage to be collected and grown on what soils, as starting material for an extract rich in iron. We will also investigate the best iron extraction method from herbal sources and the main variables affecting the efficiency of the extraction process of iron in its natural form from plants (the following variables will be investigated: extraction method, solvent, temperature, herbal product:solvent ratio, extraction time and particle size) and the possibility of obtaining and characterizing a standardized extract (to be used as a raw material for a finished product). Finally, we will formulate and develop an iron-containing food supplement of herbal origin at the prototype stage.

The project will create research synergies through the collaboration of three partners: the University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Carol Davila” Bucharest (with a multidisciplinary team comprising experts in pharmaceutical botany, phytochemistry, analytical chemistry, physical chemistry, pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmacology, pharmaceutical technology) SC Hofigal Export Import, one of the most important manufacturers of food supplements of herbal origin on the Romanian market and SC Agroeco Bioterra SRL, a company specialized in ecologically cultivating medicinal herbal species, being independently certified in this sense.

LIPOSOMAL-CYCLODEXTRIN BASED FORMULATIONS FOR TRANSDERMAL PAIN THERAPY Call name: Joint Applied Research Projects - PCCA 2013 - call
PN-II-PT-PCCA-2013-4-2210 2014 - 2017

Role in this project:

Coordinating institution: INSTITUTUL DE CHIMIE MACROMOLECULARA "PETRU PONI"

Project partners: INSTITUTUL DE CHIMIE MACROMOLECULARA "PETRU PONI" (RO); UNIVERSITATEA DE MEDICINA SI FARMACIE "GR. TH. POPA" (RO); UNIVERSITATEA TEHNICĂ "GHEORGHE ASACHI" IAŞI (RO); A & B PHARM CORPORATION SRL (RO)

Affiliation: A & B PHARM CORPORATION SRL (RO)

Project website: http://www.icmpp.ro/nanoderma

Abstract:

The present project is intended to take part at the efforts to improve transdermal pain therapy by enhancing the potential of topical gel formulations for controlled delivery of selected drugs across the intact skin, in conditions of extended and improved bioavailability and pain regulation. In other words, the main goal assumed in this proposal is to improve the functional design, preparation methods and usability of topical gel analgesic formulations. In particular, the in vitro and in vivo drug releasing properties of the prepared polymer supports will be modulated by using combined penetration enhancers like liposomal formulations, functional oligosiloxanes and nanoconjugated drug molecules with specially prepared compounds like polyester modified cyclodextrins derivatives (CDP). The hydrophobic drug will be incorporated in liposomes by encapsulation, in cyclodextrin derivatives as inclusion complexes, and also into an innovative combination between liposome and CDP inclusion complexes. All these forms of encapsulated lidocaine will be than included into a gel containing also the siloxane transdermal penetration enhancer and polymers able to provide the requested skin coverage properties (rheological behavior) and the appropriate hydrophobic-hydrophilic balance, such as chitosan and poloxamer. Different inactive ingredients will be added to compatibilize the system components and to insure the required physico-chemical characteristics of the final gel formulation. Thus, the project activities are focused on the elaboration of an experimental model for drug delivery systems based on polymer matrices that must be able to transdermally deliver a selected analgesic compound by a timely and efficient manner.

The project will be developed during 26 months by a consortium composed of an institute of the Romanian Academy (CO), two university teams with complementary expertise – biomaterials and medicine, respectively – and a SME entitled to up-scale the achievements obtained at laboratory level.

Besides the usual dissemination means (publication of at least 5 ISI scientific papers and presentations in international conferences), the innovative drug formulation(s) developed through the implementation of the project will be subject of a patent application at national level.

Key words: cyclodextrins, liposomes, inclusion complexes, natural and synthetic polymers, hydrogels, lidocaine, transdermal delivery, pain therapy, experimental model for drug delivery systems.

FILE DESCRIPTION	DOCUMENT
List of research grants as project coordinator or partner team leader
Significant R&D projects for enterprises, as project manager
R&D activities in enterprises
Peer-review activity for international programs/projects