Take 1...minute for the winner

A final year chemistry student at University College Dublin won the public vote to claim top prize in this year’s Take 1...minute for Chemistry in Health video competition. Matthew Coleman’s video investigated nanoparticles as drug delivery couriers, using the example of a courier navigating around the streets of Dublin.

Matthew wins £500 as well as the opportunity to present his research in London later in the year.

The competition proved an interesting diversion from the laboratory:

I got an email about the competition, and at the time I was doing so much work in the lab, he says, It was nice to experience another part of science that I hadn't considered before.

Although his father works in video production, it was new territory for Matthew.

For me, the biggest thing was getting shortlisted. For the judges to select me, particularly with the quality of all the other videos, was a big honour, he says.

Winning is just fantastic.

Describing his research he says: We wanted to establish could we introduce patterns of molecular functionality on the surface of Silica nanoparticles. Why? because this might provide increased control over the surface chemistry of the Nanoparticles for applications like novel vaccine development and targeted drug delivery.

With continued development of such surface-functionalized nanoparticles and a clearer understanding of their interaction with biological pathways we will someday develop a catalogue of nanoparticles specific for the targeted treatment of various cancers/diseases.

Second place in the competition went to Frances Vaughan of the University of Aberdeen for Fat Cell Rap, while Timothy Revell of the University of Strathclyde came third with A Brush With Chemistry.

You can still view all six shortlisted videos on the Take 1...minute website.