Projects per year
Personal profile
Research Interests
Prof Thakur Raghu Raj Singh is Professor in Pharmaceutics in the School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast. He has obtained his Ph.D. in Drug Delivery from School of Pharmacy, Queens University Belfast (2009), M.Sc in Pharmaceutical Sciences from University Science Malaysia (2006) and B.Pharm from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, India (2002).
He is an internationally recognised expert in drug delivery and pharmaceutics, with over 20+ years of R&D experience. His research focuses on the design and development of innovative long-acting drug delivery systems, with a particular interest in reducing the burden of frequent intravitreal injections for chronic retinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and diabetic macular edema.
He leads The GODDs Lab (Great Ocular Drug Delivery Science Lab), one of the foremost ocular drug delivery research groups globally, and has supervised over 20+ PhD students and 25+ postdoctoral researchers.
He has been Principal Investigator on projects worth several millions in funding, supported by UKRI, the EU, Invest Northern Ireland, Innovate UK, venture capital, and pharmaceutical industry partners. He has authored over 200+ peer-reviewed publications, five books, and holds seven patents on sustained-release and implantable delivery platforms. He serves on the Editorial Board of Ophthalmic Drug Delivery and Frontiers in Drug Delivery and is an Associate Editor for Drug Delivery and Translational Research (DDTR). He is a regular invited speaker at national and international conferences.
In addition to his academic leadership, Professor Thakur is the Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Re-Vana Therapeutics, a Queen’s University spinout company pioneering long-acting ocular drug delivery technologies. Under his scientific leadership, Re-Vana has raised significant Seed, pre-Series A and Series A funding and recently entered a landmark strategic collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim valued at over $1 billion in potential milestones, to co-develop sustained-release therapies targeting chronic retinal diseases.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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R6617PMY: Ocular Research By Integrated Training And Learning
Singh, T. R. R. (PI), Donnelly, R. (CoI) & Larrañeta, E. (CoI)
03/05/2019 → …
Project: Research
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R6567PMY: Drug Discovery and Delivery NEtwork for Oncology and Eye Therapeutics
Singh, T. R. R. (PI)
25/04/2017 → …
Project: Research
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R2435PMY: 3D bioprinting for enhanced biosensing, regenerative medicine and pharmaceutical manufacture
Donnelly, R. (PI), Andrews, G. (CoI), Bell, S. (CoI), Boyd, P. (CoI), Buchanan, F. (CoI), Cao, C. (CoI), Gilmore, B. (CoI), Larrañeta, E. (CoI), Longley, D. (CoI), O'Kane, C. (CoI), Scott, C. (CoI) & Singh, T. R. R. (CoI)
12/09/2017 → 27/03/2023
Project: Research
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R1526PMY: Development and Preclinical Evaluation of Novel Long-acting Injectable Ocular Implants
Singh, T. R. R. (PI) & Jones, D. (CoI)
22/05/2015 → 30/06/2016
Project: Research
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R3616PMY: Novel Biomaterials for localised drug delivery for bone regeneration
Migaud, M. (PI) & Singh, T. R. R. (CoI)
21/03/2014 → 15/08/2016
Project: Research
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A trilayer microneedle patch for transdermal delivery of the peptide salmon calcitonin for osteoporosis therapy
Pandya, A., Vora, L. K., Moreno-Castellanos, N., Sabri, A., Naser, Y. A., Baviskar, S. M., Anjani, Q. K., Jahan, S. A., Thakur, R. R. S., McCarthy, H. O., Patravale, V. B. & Donnelly, R. F., 10 Oct 2025, In: Journal of Controlled Release. 386, 16 p., 114146.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile24 Downloads (Pure) -
Dacarbazine-loaded bilayer dissolving microneedle array patch for localized delivery in cutaneous melanoma
Gowda, B. H. J., Yalcin, T. E., Pandya, A. K., Gade, S., Ahmed, M. G., Thakur, R. R. S., Donnelly, R. F. & Vora, L. K., Jan 2026, In: The AAPS journal. 28, 1, 16 p., 7.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile2 Downloads (Pure) -
Design and characterization of hollow microneedles for localized intrascleral drug delivery of ocular formulations
Gade, S., Vora, L. K. & Singh Thakur, R. R., Feb 2025, In: Methods. 234, p. 196-210 15 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile6 Citations (Scopus)19 Downloads (Pure) -
Development of axitinib-loaded polymeric ocular implants for the treatment of posterior ocular diseases
Annuryanti, F., Adhami, M., Abdi, U., Robles, J.-D., Larrañeta, E., Vora, L. K. & Raghu Raj Singh, T., 25 Jan 2025, In: International Journal of Pharmaceutics. 669, 13 p., 125099.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile6 Citations (Scopus)44 Downloads (Pure) -
Dual-phase ocular insert with bromfenac-loaded PLGA MPs in a PVA matrix for sustained postoperative anti-inflammatory delivery
Alshammari, F., Alshammari, B., Alshamari , A. K., Sarkar, K. & Thakur, R. R. S., 17 Aug 2025, In: Pharmaceutics. 17, 8, 1066.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile1 Citation (Scopus)3 Downloads (Pure)
Prizes
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Best Oral Presentation, British Pharmaceutical Conference, Manchester, U.K, September 2008.
Singh, T. R. R. (Recipient), 2008
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Best Poster Prize at 2nd Microneedle Conference, Cork, Ireland, May 2012.
Singh, T. R. R. (Recipient), 2012
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Best Poster Prize at Skin forum conference in Versailles, France, March 2009.
Singh, T. R. R. (Recipient), 2009
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Bets Oral Presentation at Vision TRG Conference
Singh, T. R. R. (Recipient), 14 Mar 2014
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Business Innovation Award 2022
Singh, T. R. R. (Recipient), Oct 2022
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
Activities
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Development of a finite element model to aid ocular microneedle optimisation
Singh, T. R. R. (Advisor) & Glover, K. (Presenter)
01 May 2025Activity: Talk or presentation types › Oral presentation
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Design and characterization of hollow microneedles (HMNs) for localized intrascleral drug delivery of ocular formulations
Jiang, G. (Presenter), Singh, T. R. R. (Advisor), Vora, L. (Advisor) & Menary, G. (Advisor)
01 May 2025Activity: Talk or presentation types › Oral presentation
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Innovations in Sustained Release Biologics to Address Unmet Needs in Treating Ocular Diseases
Singh, T. R. R. (Advisor)
03 Feb 2025Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited or keynote talk at national or international conference
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Advance Micro and Nano Technologies for Ocular Drug Delivery
Singh, T. R. R. (Advisor)
10 Aug 2024Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited or keynote talk at national or international conference
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Advance Drug Delivery Systems for Treating Ocular Disorders
Singh, T. R. R. (Advisor)
21 Oct 2023Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited or keynote talk at national or international conference
Press/Media
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German pharma firm signs deal worth up to $1bn with QUB spin out
28/07/2025
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Research
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Re-Vana Therapeutics Raises $3.25 Million in Pre-Series A Financing
02/06/2020
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Other
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All eyes on innovation at Glaucoma 360 New Horizons Forum
06/02/2020
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Expert Comment