3.0

Average Course Rating

Fundamental concepts in drug delivery from an engineering perspective. Biological organisms are viewed as highly interconnected networks where the surfaces/interfaces can be activated or altered ‘chemically’ and ‘physically/mechanically’. The importance of intermolecular and interfacial interactions on drug delivery carriers is the focal point of this course. Topics include: drug delivery mechanisms (passive, targeted); therapeutic modalities and mechanisms of action; engineering principles of controlled release and quantitative understanding of drug transport (diffusion, convection); effects of electrostatics, macromolecular conformation, and molecular dynamics on interfacial interactions; thermodynamic principles of self-assembly; chemical and physical characteristics of delivery molecules and assemblies (polymer based, lipid based); significance of biodistributions and pharmacokinetic models; toxicity issues and immune responses.