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Meet the experts engineering the future of drug delivery.
The Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics (DPMP) leads interdisciplinary research to develop innovative methods of drug delivery to optimize therapeutic efficacy of pharmaceuticals and vaccines. Our faculty, students, and postdocs design and test advanced drug delivery systems using cutting-edge tools in chemistry, engineering, and biology. Their highly collaborative work has led to numerous patents, startup companies, and innovations with real-world clinical impact.
Research Strengths
Team science drives real impact.
- Designing and testing advanced systems using lipid nanoparticles, biomaterials, cells, viruses, and other drug delivery platforms
- Overcoming biological barriers to target-specific delivery
- Understanding how and when pharmacologic agents reach the right place in the body to do their job effectively.
- Collaborating across disciplines to accelerate therapeutic innovation
Interdisciplinary Expertise
Team science drives real impact.
Chemistry
Chemistry experts inform the design, formulation, and analysis of therapies. This includes understanding the physical-chemical properties of drug molecules, developing polymer-based systems, and applying analytical chemistry to ensure stability, accuracy, and effectiveness.
Engineering
Engineers enable the design of nanoscale systems, modeling drug transport, and applying principles of biophysics and thermodynamics. These approaches optimize how therapies move through the body and reach their intended targets with precision and efficiency.
Biopharmaceutics
Biopharmaceutics experts examine how drugs are absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and eliminated. Through pharmacokinetics studies, researchers optimize dosing, timing, and formulation to ensure therapeutic agents reach effective concentrations at their target sites safely and efficiently.
Biochemistry
Biochemistry experts reveal how therapies interact with biological systems. Through insights in immunology, genetics, and mechanisms of action, researchers design treatments that precisely engage targets, enhance therapeutic effects, and minimize immune responses or unintended side effects.
Biology
Biology experts use cell and virus-based platforms to model disease and test therapies. Their work in infectious diseases and neurology helps tailor treatments to complex biological systems, improving targeting, effectiveness, and relevance to real-world health challenges.
Facilities
State-of-the-art spaces bring ideas to life
Marsico Hall
Nine-story research facility featuring state-of-the-art imaging technologies
Genetic Medicine Building
Seven-story interdisciplinary genetics and pharmaceutical science research facility
Research Center and Cores
Transforming Drug Delivery Through Nanotechnology
Center for Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery
The Center for Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery (CNDD) pioneers advanced nanotechnologies to enhance the delivery of therapeutics and diagnostics, aiming to improve treatments for challenging diseases like cancer and neurodegenerative disorders.
Nanomedicines Characterization Core
The Nanomedicines Characterization (NCore) Core offers analytical services to evaluate and optimize nanomedicine formulations, supporting drug delivery research from early development to translational studies with reliable, high-quality data.
Quantitative Targeted Absolute Proteomics Core
The Quantitative Targeted Absolute Proteomics (QTAP) Core uses advanced LC-MS/MS to precisely measure proteins involved in drug metabolism, supporting research with high-quality analysis of complex biological samples like liver and intestinal microsomes.
Translational Nanoformulation Lab
The Translational Nanoformulation (TransNanoForm) Lab specializes in the development of targeted, efficient nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems from preclinical development through early clinical evaluation across diverse diseases and treatment areas.
Core Facility
Core Facility
The Screening Live Cancer Explants Core (SLICE) Core enables testing of cancer therapies on live patient tumor tissues, preserving the tumor’s natural environment to support rapid, clinically relevant drug response insights.
OUR ALUMNI REACH
Read more about our people in Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics.
Developing a fast, low-cost, and safer approach to cancer treatment.
PhD Program
Ready to innovate in drug delivery? Learn more about our PhD program.
Newsletter
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Support
Donate to the Leaf Huang Endowed Fund to support DPMP’s most pressing priorities.