CCDC Scientist Awarded Prestigious BACG Young Scientists Award

Dr Pietro Sacchi Wins the Award for Ground-Breaking Work Providing Practical Solutions to Long-Standing Challenges in Drug Development and Manufacturing

Cambridge, UK – 12 July 2024 – We are pleased to announce that Dr Pietro Sacchi, Research and Application Scientist at the CCDC, has been awarded the British Association for Crystal Growth (BACG) Young Scientists Award for his exceptional research on the HIV drug ritonavir.

The BACG Young Scientists Award is granted annually to a candidate who has made the most significant advance in the understanding of the theory, practice, or characterization of crystal growth processes, as published in the scientific literature over the previous three years. Pietro's former PhD supervisor, Professor Aurora Cruz-Cabeza, Durham University, nominated him for this award based on his ground-breaking paper, "Crystal size, shape, and conformational changes drive both the disappearance and reappearance of ritonavir polymorphs in the mill."

Pietro's research addresses a critical issue in the pharmaceutical industry: the control of polymorphism, where organic compounds can crystallize into different forms with significantly varying physical properties that impact drug delivery. His study on the HIV drug ritonavir (RVR) revealed how ball mill grinding experiments, under carefully designed conditions such as solvent and milling times, can uncover its elusive polymorph (form II) and recover its disappearing polymorph (form I).

This work demonstrated that the thermodynamic stability of these polymorphs can be reversed in the mill, driven by factors such as crystal size, shape, and molecular conformation effects, as shown through molecular simulations. By meticulously designing ball milling conditions, Pietro’s research offers unprecedented control over conformational polymorphism, exemplified by RVR, which has the potential to revolutionize pharmaceutical solid form discovery and development.

This work not only advances scientific understanding, but also provides practical solutions to long-standing challenges in drug development and manufacturing.

“I am honoured to receive this recognition from the BACG for the hard work I did during my PhD and to have had the chance to give a plenary talk that was very well received. The credit goes to my PhD supervisor Aurora, and to all the amazing people that I collaborated with on my studies of ritonavir,” says Pietro.

“This award further recognizes our commitment to advancing structural science for the benefit of all - in this case pharmaceutical improvements to improve the lives of many. My congratulations go to Pietro and I look forward to his scientific career further developing at the CCDC,” adds Jürgen Harter, CCDC CEO.

Press Contact: Michael Francis, CCDC Marketing. Email: mfrancis@ccdc.cam.ac.uk