BME466H1

Drug Delivery at Biological Barriers and Interfaces

The human body is a highly interconnected network of different tissues, and there are all sorts of barriers to getting pharmaceutical drugs to the right place at the right time. In this course, the emphasis is on connecting physiology knowledge with drug delivery techniques and technologies to spark innovative new approaches. Through a combination of lectures, self-paced assignments, and collaborative group discussion, students will engage with their peers to understand course materials (including published literature), explore innovations in drug delivery technologies, and develop the skillset to conceptually design new drug delivery technologies. Modules will include topics around drug delivery and tight junctions, the blood brain barrier, the digestive system, mucous, the immune system and immunogenicity, and intracellular transport. Drug delivery topics such as engineering principles of controlled release, biodistribution, pharmacokinetics, toxicity of biomaterials/ drugs, and immune responses will also be covered.