Delivering new methods of targeted drug delivery to optimize therapeutic efficacy of drugs and vaccines
Molecular pharmaceutics deals with delivering and maintaining the desired amount of a therapeutic agent at the target site for a desired period of time and with cell-based therapies. The development of a drug or vaccine delivery system that accomplishes this is based on an understanding of their transport properties across biological barriers and subsequent biodistribution as well as the mechanism by which they are metabolized and eliminated. These drug-delivery systems are tested in cell-based functional assays and/or human disease models in animals. As such, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic assessments are the measure of performance of a given delivery system. The pharmacokinetics, be it at a subcellular/molecular level or an organ/tissue level, requires a sensitive and specific analytical method. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of research, most projects are in collaboration with colleagues of relevant expertise. The research currently being conducted by MOPH faculty and students involves improving the efficacy and delivery of a broad range of therapeutic agents, from small molecules to biologicals such as proteins, antibodies, oligonucleotides, genes, and cells.
There are many routes of administration, including oral, pulmonary, parenteral, percutaneous, and transmucosal. The design and fabrication of nanoparticulate drug carriers have received critical attention recently as they provide a new challenge as well as opportunities. Because of strong educational and training components in basic pharmaceutics, the division is ideally situated in bridging basic sciences to biomedical research. The Molecular Pharmaceutics program thus produces PhDs who will eventually engineer drug delivery systems for new therapies and vaccines intended for human use. The majority of these PhDs often find jobs in industry before graduation. Those who pursue an academic career usually spend a few more years as postdoctoral fellows at other institutions. During this period, they become independent investigators and refine their grantsmanship for future funding in academia. Whichever path they choose, our graduates have enjoyed outstanding employment throughout the history of the MOPH program.