Designing for children

AI-Enabled Paediatric and Neonatal Formulation Science for Real-World Use

The Paediatric and Neonatal Formulation Science Group conducts AI-enabled, translational research to improve the safety and real-world performance of medicines for children and neonates. We focus on excipient safety, administration through tubes and devices, and formulation behaviour across diverse care settings. By integrating formulation science with administration evidence and decision-support modelling, our work aims to reduce development risk, support regulatory decision-making, and enable access to fit-for-purpose paediatric medicines globally.

15+

Years advancing paediatric formulation science

45+

Publications

850+

citations

35+

Researchers trained

Our work connects formulation science, administration reality, and AI-enabled decision support. We prioritise questions that reduce regulatory risk, prevent failures in practice, and accelerate access to child-appropriate medicines.

  • Our work is organised into four interconnected programmes. Each addresses a critical aspect of paediatric and neonatal formulation science, while contributing to a shared goal: enabling evidence-based decisions that translate into safer medicines in practice.

Meet the group

Smita Salunke

Group Lead

Sifan Hu

PhD Scholar

Savani Deshpande

Research Co-ordinator

Anthony Ch’An

Visiting Researcher

Alumni

Focused on acceptability and use of paediatric formulations in global health contexts.

Soniya Notani

Worked on formulation design for paediatric medicines used in Australia

portrait-beautiful-dreaming-employee

Sarah Alkandari

Worked on excipient safety assessment, focusing on thresholds relevant to paediatric and neonatal exposure

Eleanor Dakin

Addressing the challenges early is essential to delivering medicines that are safe, usable, and fit for children’s lives.