Recent publications

• Loteprednol etabonate nanostructured lipid carriers for enhanced ocular bioavailability April 5, 2026
  Loteprednol etabonate (LTP), a corticosteroid approved for management of post-operative ocular inflammation and dry eye symptoms, suffers from limited ocular bioavailability and high dosing frequency in its current marketed form, Lotemax® suspension. The current study reports the development and optimization of a novel nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC) system for LTP, designed to overcome these limitations […]
  Suraj Fanse
• The scientific legacy of Martin Karplus from the perspective of his collaborators April 3, 2026
  The work of Martin Karplus, who passed away on Dec 28 2024, was at the forefront of computational chemistry and molecular biophysics for a period of more than sixty years. His career started with a PhD in theoretical chemistry at Caltech with Linus Pauling in 1953 . After performing leading research in molecular quantum chemistry […]
  Ioan Andricioaei
• 10th anniversary: The development, implementation, and evaluation of a novel peer-assisted learning (PAL) program April 3, 2026
  CONCLUSION: The outcomes of this report suggest that including various PAL modalities in the didactic pharmacy curriculum can increase student confidence in learning and perceived performance on assessments. The PAL program presented appears feasible, effective, and sustainable.
  Nathaniel M Rickles
• Spray freeze drying as a novel strategy to enhance oral delivery of proteins/peptides April 1, 2026
  Mucoadhesive microparticles can prolong the intestinal residence time of challenging molecules (such as proteins and peptides), thereby enhancing their oral absorption. Spray freeze drying provides several advantages over conventional drying methods and is therefore a promising approach to produce mucoadhesive microparticles intended for oral delivery of thermolabile biomolecules. However, spray freeze drying is a complex […]
  Radha Kulkarni
• Using magnetic nanoparticles to explore symbiotic interactions April 1, 2026
  All plants and animals form symbiotic associations with microbes, yet many of the underlying mechanisms associated with these interactions remain uncharacterized. There are inherent challenges to studying the cellular and metabolic interactions between eukaryotes and their microbial symbionts, thus new methodologies that enable the discovery of symbiotic processes are continually needed. Here, we explored the […]
  Dulce G Guillen Matus
• The impact of antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) therapeutics on the future of rare disease drug discovery March 26, 2026
  No abstract
  Ruchi Ruchi
• Formation and degradation process of in situ forming implants - Attributes and impact on performance March 24, 2026
  In situ forming implants (ISFIs) are long-acting drug delivery systems that solidify upon administration to enable sustained release of therapeutics. They are administered by a minimally invasive injection, have adjustable release duration up to six-months or longer, enable localized delivery, and are easier to manufacture compared with other modalities of long-acting injectables (LAIs). Despite clinical […]
  Xinhao Lin
• The crystal structure of the herpes virus ICP8 protein in complex with single-stranded DNA reveals the molecular determinants of nucleotide recognition March 16, 2026
  The HSV-1 single-strand annealing protein ICP8 (UL29) is essential for viral DNA replication and recombination. Although its overall architecture has been described, the molecular basis of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) recognition was unknown. We report crystal structures of C-terminally truncated ICP8 (ICP8Δ60) bound to poly(dT)25 or poly(dA)25 ssDNA at 3.0-3.1 Å resolution, along with higher-resolution apo […]
  Heidi Erlandsen
• Impact of ionizable lipid source on quality and stability of siRNA-loaded lipid nanoparticles March 16, 2026
  The successful development of siRNA-lipid nanoparticle (LNP) therapeutics depends heavily on the consistent quality of excipients, particularly the ionizable lipid MC3, which is commonly used in clinically approved products such as Onpattro. MC3 plays a key role in RNA encapsulation, endosomal escape, and biocompatibility. As regulatory frameworks evolve to support the development of generic siRNA-LNPs, […]
  Sheyda Ranjbar
• Enhanced liver-targeted delivery with ribofuranose-based GalNAc conjugates March 11, 2026
  This study highlights that small geometric constraints with the GalNAc moiety can tune receptor engagement and serum stability. The ribofuranose ring is a 2'-O-methyl modification, used in the siRNA backbone to improve metabolic stability and reduce nuclease susceptibility.⁸ The constrained ribofuranose conformation introduced into GalNAc increased serum stability and hepatic parenchymal clearance, thereby increasing systemic […]
  Sai Pallavi Pradeep
• Continuous Electrospraying of Inhalable Biological Drug Products: Novel Formulation and Manufacturing Technology March 11, 2026
  CONCLUSION: The developed electrospraying-based continuous manufacturing platform demonstrates strong potential as a scalable and versatile approach for producing stable, biologic-loaded DPI formulations. Its ability to encapsulate sensitive proteins while preserving structural stability highlights its promise for future inhalable biologic delivery applications.
  Saeed Najafian
• Impact of macrophages on the dissolution of LAI suspension prodrugs March 9, 2026
  Long-acting injectable (LAI) suspensions are often designed to provide sustained drug release by exploiting the low aqueous solubility of poorly soluble drugs or prodrugs. While particle size remains the foundational determinant of drug release from crystalline suspensions, emerging evidence indicates that physiological processes such as macrophage uptake and intracellular handling of particles, which themselves are […]
  Nilesh Malavia
• Advances in peptide nucleic acid for targeting RNA and genomic DNA February 20, 2026
  Peptide nucleic acid (PNA) is a synthetic mimic of DNA where the deoxyribose-phosphodiester backbone is replaced with N-(2-aminoethyl) glycine units. The lack of deoxyribose-phosphodiester bonds enhances enzymatic stability and improves binding affinity of PNA with complementary DNA and RNA strands. To enhance target binding, conformational stability, and pharmacological activity, several chemical modifications have been introduced […]
  Angana De
• Insights into development of long-acting injectable suspensions February 14, 2026
  Long acting injectable (LAI) suspensions represent a promising drug delivery platform, offering a number of advantages such as sustained therapeutic effects, improved patient adherence, and reduced dosing frequency for the management of chronic diseases. Moreover, these drug products are of pharmaceutical significance as they provide opportunities to extend the patent life cycle of a drug […]
  Nilesh Malavia
• Benzoic Acid Derivatives Improve Plasma Stability of Diester Butyrophilin Ligand Prodrugs February 12, 2026
  The potent butyrophilin ligand, (E)-4-hydroxy-3-methyl-but-2-enyl diphosphate (HMBPP), is a potential cancer immunotherapy agent, but it lacks plasma stability and membrane permeability. Aryl phosphonamidate prodrugs of a key HMBPP analog have improved plasma stability but poor cellular uptake, while aryl phosphonester prodrugs have improved uptake but lack plasma stability. Here, tuning the benzoic acid substructure of […]
  Parker A Kintigh
• Engineered miR-122 inhibitors preserve endothelial mitochondrial function and prevent vascular dysfunction in obesity-associated prediabetes February 3, 2026
  MicroRNA-122-5p (miR-122) is primarily expressed in the liver and is increasingly released into the bloodstream during obesity. It impacts the function of non-liver tissues, such as vascular endothelial cells, and increases the risk of diabetic vasculopathy. Using a gamma-peptide-nucleic acid-based miR-122 inhibitor (γP-122-I), we show that miR-122 regulates blood glucose levels and endothelial function in […]
  Ravinder Reddy Gaddam
• Controlled Cisplatin Delivery Using pH-Sensitive PAA-Grafted Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles February 2, 2026
  More than 70% of patients with ovarian cancer are diagnosed with metastasis, in which tumors spread to the peritoneal cavity. The current standards of care are intravenous (IV) or intraperitoneal (IP) injection of small-molecule anticancer drugs, such as cis-diamminedichloro platinum-(II) (cisplatin). Although IP injection enables delivery of higher drug concentrations to the tumor sites, the […]
  Raana Kashfi Sadabad
• Cell stress activates γ9δ2 T cells via endogenous phosphoantigens and butyrophilin complex dynamics January 23, 2026
  Phosphoantigens (pAgs) are phosphate-containing small molecules that elicit an immune response. The pAgs bind to the intracellular domain of butyrophilin 3 (BTN3), enabling interactions with other butyrophilins to form complexes that trigger the T cell receptor (TCR) of Vγ9Vδ2 (γ9δ2) T cells. Despite multiple reports on this process, the conditions that regulate pAg levels leading […]
  Yiming Jin
• Lipid Nanoparticle Development in Practice: Challenges and Collective Insights January 22, 2026
  Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have emerged as a versatile delivery platform for improving pharmacokinetic performance, protecting nucleic acid cargo, and enabling tissue- and cell-specific targeting. Continued advancement of LNP-based therapeutics requires a deeper understanding of how raw material quality, formulation parameters, nanoparticle architecture, and biological context collectively influence clinical performance. In this Perspective, we discuss key […]
  Xiuling Lu
• Cholesterol-dependent control of endosomal escape regulates intracellular trafficking of small interfering RNA therapeutics and interactions with small molecule drugs January 21, 2026
  Small interfering RNA (siRNA) therapeutics are an emerging modality for treating genetic and metabolic diseases, with 8 approved drugs now in clinical use. Despite substantial advances in delivery technologies, including lipid nanoparticles and N-acetylgalactosamine conjugates, inefficient intracellular trafficking, particularly endosomal escape, remains a critical limitation. Here, we identify cellular cholesterol as a key regulator of […]
  Sherouk M Tawfik