On Thursday, January 25th, the Faculty of Pharmacy at Gulf Medical University hosted a research seminar featuring Dr. Pierre A. Hanna, Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutics and Industrial Pharmacy at Suez Canal University. The seminar was directed to Master’s candidates in Drug Discovery and Development, and faculty members from the pharmaceutical sciences department, titled: “Application of Nanotechnology to Target Corticosteroids to Specific Skin Layers”.
Dr. Pierre A. Hanna is working in the field of drug targeting and advanced delivery via the utilization of nano-, micro-, and lipid-, and polymer technologies.
During the seminar, Dr. Pierre A. Hanna shared insights from his research journey. He got his Master’s degree in controlled drug delivery by developing a gastroretentive, sustained-release drug delivery system for gabapentin. His Ph.D. focus was on the utilization of nanotechnology to target specific skin layers for the delivery of corticosteroids. He received awards from the Faculty of Pharmacy at Suez Canal University and Creighton University in the USA for his contributions.
The session delved into the Applications of Nanotechnology Biomedical Sciences, with a special emphasis on understanding the distinctive features of nanomaterials. Dr. Hanna presented his investigation’s findings, showcasing how nanoparticles prepared in his research efficiently delivered betamethasone dipropionate to the skin when compared to the commercially marketed cream, Diprosone®. Notably, he highlighted that an increased percentage of liquid lipid in the Nanostructured Lipid Carrier (NLC) resulted in enhanced penetration of the drug to deeper skin layers.
The seminar concluded with a lively discussion with the audience, exploring the impact of the lipid/water partition coefficient of materials used in nanoparticles on the elicited effects.
