Pii Center for Pharmaceutical Technology News
Starting a New Tradition
May 1, 2021
OXFORD, Miss. – Commencement is far from a new tradition, but becoming the first graduate of a new program is a tradition Rasha Elkanayati is excited to make.
Elkanayati is a member of the inaugural graduating class for the master’s program in industrial pharmacy at the University of Mississippi. Created in 2018, the two-year program in the School of Pharmacy focuses on the applied knowledge and skills needed to enter the workforce, while equipping students to specialize in quality assurance, regulatory affairs, formulation development or manufacturing.
Read More: “Starting a New Tradition”
Pharmacy School Honors Faculty with Teaching, Research Awards
June 25, 2020
OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy recognized four of its faculty members for their excellence in and commitment to teaching, service and research during its virtual Faculty and Research Scientist Advancement.
“We are fortunate to have a team of faculty and research scientists that goes above and beyond,” said David D. Allen, dean of the School of Pharmacy. “It’s always a privilege for me to celebrate the work they do for our students, school and the profession with these awards.”
Read More: “Pharmacy School Honors Faculty with Teaching, Research Awards”
Graduate Students Awarded Grants to Fund Further Research
June 23, 2020
OXFORD, Miss. – Sixteen University of Mississippi graduate students are continuing their exploration into research and creative scholarship pursuits such as Alzheimer’s disease, skin cancer and young adult literature in Mississippi classrooms as recent recipients of Graduate Student Council Research Grants.
The students each received one of the $1,000 competitive research grants funded by the university’s Graduate School and Office of Research and Sponsored Programs. The funds will be used for projects conducted over the next year or two.
Read More: “Graduate Students Awarded Grants to Fund Further Research”
Repka Presented University’s Top Research Award
May 8, 2020
OXFORD, Miss. – Growing up in a small Texas town south of San Antonio, Michael A. Repka worked in his father’s pharmacy.
Frank Repka opened Center Pharmacy in Pleasanton in 1961, and Michael started working there when he was 11 – dusting bottles and shelves, restocking those dust-free shelves and performing various tasks for his father.
Read More: “Repka Presented University’s Top Research Award”
Graduate Student Receives GSC Research Gran
Gauri Shadambikar, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, was awarded a Graduate Student Council Research Grant for her project “Development of Inhalable Nano-lipid Carriers for the Treatment of Pulmonary Aspergillosis using Hot Melt Extrusion Technology.”
The GSC Research Fund was established to assist ongoing and future graduate student research at the University of Mississippi.
Congrats, Gauri!
UM Pharmaceutics Alumni Find Success at FDA
March 5, 2020
OXFORD, Miss. – The Department of Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy has successfully prepared numerous alumni for high-level careers with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The department’s stimulating learning environment and emphasis on real-world experiences have allowed graduates to take advantage of opportunities with the FDA. The relationship with the national agency has strengthened the program by way of research sponsorships for the school’s labs and attendance at the school’s Hands-on Course in Tablet Technology.
Read More: “UM Pharmaceutics Alumni Find Success at FDA”
Doctoral Student Receives UM Graduate School’s 3MT Grand Prize
November 11, 2019
OXFORD, Miss. — University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy doctoral student Minjia Wang was named the grand prize winner of the Graduate School’s Three Minute Thesis competition.
Wang presented on “Carbon Monoxide, a Drug?” and will represent UM at the Council of Southern Graduate Schools in Birmingham, Alabama.
Congrats to Minjia Wang!
AAiPS Honors Pharmaceutics Students
October 21, 2019
OXFORD, Miss. — University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy graduate students Honghe Wang and Srinivas Ajjarapu from the Department of Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery were honored by the American Association of Indian Pharmaceutical Scientists.
Wang (left) and Ajjarapu each earned one of the prestigious graduate awards from the organization.
Congrats to both students!
Pharmaceutics Student Awarded Phi Kappa Phi Scholarship
August 26, 2019
OXFORD, Miss. — University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy graduate student Akash Patil was awarded one of the University of Mississippi chapter of Phi Kappa Phi scholarships for the 2019-2020 academic year.
Phi Kappa Phi recognizes and promotes academic excellence in all fields of higher education and engages the community of scholars in service to others. The nation’s oldest and most selective multidisciplinary collegiate honor society initiates more than 30,000 members a year on 300 campuses in the United States and the Philippines.
Congrats, Akash!
Graduate Student Garners AAPS Best Abstract Award
July 22, 2019
OXFORD, Miss. — University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy graduate student Rishi Thakkar was recognized with the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists Best Abstract Award.
AAPS will recognize Thakkar at its annual meeting AAPS PharmSci 360, held November 3-6 in San Antonio, Texas.
Read more: Graduate Student Garners AAPS Best Abstract Award
Pharmaceutics Grad Student, Professor Receive Article Recognition
June 6, 2019
Congratulations to Ph.D. candidate Akash Patil and Soumyajit Majumdar, associate dean for research and graduate programs and professor of pharmaceutics and drug delivery, for having their article judged as one of the top 20 most impactful and downloaded articles by Wiley Publishing House for two consecutive years.
The article is published by Royal Pharmaceutical Society (UK) in the Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology. The article deals with the various facets of echinocandin antifungal drugs and their locus in the current pharmacotherapy.
Pharmacy Professor Lectures at National Organization
June 3, 2019
OXFORD, Miss. – S. Narasimha Murthy, professor of pharmaceutics and drug delivery at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, delivered a lecture at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine in Washington, D.C. on Monday, May 20.
His talk was titled “Topical Products for Dermal and Transdermal Delivery of Pain Medications” and focused on challenges in formulating topical pain creams. NASEM invited Murthy and other stakeholders to provide expert opinions on topical pain creams as part of its study on the safety and effectiveness of ingredients used in compounded topical pain creams.
Read more: “Pharmacy Professor Lectures at National Organization”
Graduate Students Receive Grants for Research Efforts
May 17, 2019
OXFORD, Miss. – Twenty-one University of Mississippi graduate students, including six from the School of Pharmacy, have been awarded Graduate Student Council Research Fund grants to support their research, study and creative scholarship.
The $1,000 competitive research grants, funded by the UM Graduate School and Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, are for projects conducted through April 2020.
Read more: “Graduate Students Receive Grants for Research Efforts”
Pharmaceutics Chair Named UM Distinguished Professor
May 10, 2019
OXFORD, Miss. – Three University of Mississippi professors – with a combined more than eight decades of service to UM – were appointed Distinguished Professors during the end-of-the-semester faculty meeting Friday (May 10) in Fulton Chapel.
The professors are Charles Hussey, associate dean for research and graduate education in the College of Liberal Arts and professor of chemistry and biochemistry; Karen Raber, professor of English and executive director of the Shakespeare Association of America; and Michael Repka, chair and professor of pharmaceutics and drug delivery and director of the Pii Center for Pharmaceutical Technology.
Read more: “Pharmaceutics Chair Named UM Distinguished Professor”
Stellar Student: Purnendu Sharma
May 9, 2019
OXFORD, Miss. – Purnendu Sharma’s educational career may be coming to a close as he receives his Ph.D., but the great work he will do in the pharmaceutical industry is just getting started.
Sharma received an Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation Young Investigator Scholarship for his research on the natural product, Resiniferatoxin, or RTX, while he was a doctoral student in the Department of Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery.
Read more: “Stellar Student: Purnendu Sharma”
School of Pharmacy Ranked Sixth in Research Funding
May 7, 2019
OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy rose to sixth in the nation in external research funding for 2018, according to the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.
Research funding reached $21.2 million in 2018, placing the School of Pharmacy second in the SEC and among the top 5 percent of pharmacy schools nationwide.
Read more: “School of Pharmacy Ranked Sixth in Research Funding”
Pharmaceutics Students Inducted into Rho Chi
April 26, 2019
Seven students from the Department of Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery were inducted into the Rho Chi Honor Society. Students (from left to right) include Sheng Feng, Minja Wang, Abhishek Shettar, Corinne Sweeney, Ruchi Thakkar, Ashay Shukla and Nagireddy Dumpa.
Pharmaceutics Faculty Contributes to Engineering Course
April 25, 2019
OXFORD, Miss. – Faculty from the Department of Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery contributed their knowledge to the School of Engineering course “Coating Material Processing and Applications.” Walt Chambliss and Seongbong Jo presented lectures in the course while Eman Ashour worked in the practice coating lab with chemical engineering students.
Graduate Students Enhance Skills with Scientific Writing Workshop
April 23, 2019
OXFORD, Miss. – For graduate students, the ability to summarize the results of a laboratory experiment can be as important as the result themselves.
To emphasize the skill of writing in science, the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy offered a Graduate Student Scientific Writing Workshop last month, sponsored by the school’s Graduate Student Program office, the BioMolecular Sciences department and Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery department.
Read more: “Graduate Students Enhance Skills with Scientific Writing Workshop”
PDD Student, Faculty Research Published in Journal of Controlled Release
April 15, 2019
Congrats to Ph.D. student Bhavani Prasad Vinjamuri and associate professor Mahavir B. Chougule from the Department of Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, for having a research article published in the Journal of Controlled Release (IF 7.877). This is the interdisciplinary collaborative outcome from the University of Mississippi, St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York, and Future University in Cairo, Egypt.
The article is a proof-of-concept study showing strategic inhalable sildenafil citrate microparticle product development and how it can be an effective therapeutic option for pulmonary arterial hypertension in comparison with current regimen.
Pharmaceutics Master’s Students Honored in Research Symposium
April 9, 2019
Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery students Priyanka Srinivasan and Rishi Thakkar were both honored as two of the winners at the Ninth Annual Graduate Student Council Research Symposium. Srinivasan’s poster was titled “Development of Theophylline and Nicotinamide Cocrystals Utilizing Hot-Melt Extrusion Technology.” Thakkar presented his poster titled “Effect of Various Polymers on Solubility and Dissolution Profiles of Mefenamic Acid via Hot-Melt Extrusion Technology.”
UM Adds Training in 3D Printing to Course in Pharmaceutical Tablet Technology
April 8, 2019
OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy is offering a hands-on course that will include an overview of how to use 3D printing to create pharmaceutical tablets, also known as pills, that are commonly made using a labor-intensive tablet compression process.
The Hands-On Course in Tablet Technology, offered through the School of Pharmacy’s Pii Center for Pharmaceutical Technology, has an over 20-year history of instructing in traditional and advanced technologies used to make pharmaceutical solid oral dosage forms, such as wet granulation and hot melt extrusion. With advances in 3D printing technology, the course’s administrators see an opportunity to expand the course’s curriculum.
Read more: “UM Adds Training in 3D Printing to Course in Pharmaceutical Tablet Technology”
Pharmaceutics Students Inducted into Phi Kappa Phi
April 4, 2018
Five students from the Department of Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery were inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. Students included Amit Pillai, Corrine Sweeney, Rui Wang, Akash Patil and Rishi Thakkar.
Phi Kappa Phi recognizes and promotes academic excellence in all fields of higher education and engages the community of scholars in service to others.
FDA Senior Staff Fellow Speaks in Guest Lecture Series
November 15, 2018
Thanks to Ahmed S. Zidan, senior staff fellow at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, for speaking to our students and faculty about the 3D printing in pharmaceutical development.
Three Pharmaceutics Graduate Students Advance in Three Minute Thesis Competition
October 26, 2018
OXFORD, Miss. – Rishi Thakkar, Amit Pillai and Gauri Shadambikar, three graduate students in the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy’s Department of Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, have advanced to the next round of the UM Graduate School’s Three Minute Thesis competition.
The Three Minute Thesis competition celebrates the exciting research conducted by graduate students. Developed by the University of Queensland, the exercise cultivates students’ academic, presentation and research communication skills.
Read more: “Three Pharmaceutics Graduate Students Advance in Three Minute Thesis Competition”
Pharmacy Graduate Students Place in Mississippi IDeA Conference Graduate Poster Competition
October 9, 2018
OXFORD, Miss. – Corinne Sweeney and Kai-Wei Wu, graduate students in the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy’s Department of Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, both placed in the top three of the graduate poster competition at the 2018 Mississippi IDeA conference held in July, in Jackson, MS.
Read more: “Pharmacy Graduate Students Place in Mississippi IDeA Conference Graduate Poster Competition”
Student Successes Allow UM Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery Program to Flourish
August 16, 2018
OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi Department of Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery is making a strong commitment to students’ futures. Whether a student goes into the pharmaceutical job market or wants to further their education, students of the master’s program are prepared when graduation arrives.
The success of the program is evident in its numbers, as the department had its largest graduating class of 17 students hooded at the 2018 commencement ceremony.
Read more: “Student Successes Allow UM Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery Program to Flourish”
Pharmaceutics Grad Student Honored for 3D Printing Research
August 10, 2018
OXFORD, Miss. – Jiaxiang Zhang, a graduate student in the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy’s Department of Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, was awarded Best Oral Presentation at the Controlled Release Society Meeting in New York City last month.
Zhang’s presentation focused on combining 3D printing with hot-melt extrusion – a process that melts and mixes polymers and drugs into rod-like shapes. Once formed, the rods can be immediately delivered into the 3D printer to create personalized drug dosages in the forms of tablets, capsules and films.
Read more: “Pharmaceutics Grad Student Honored for 3D Printing Research”
University Joins Pharmaceutical Research Collective
July 16, 2018
OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi is the newest member of an elite group of 18 universities that make up the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Technology & Education.
NIPTE is a nonprofit organization that works to improve the design, development and manufacturing processes of pharmaceutical products by connecting members of the pharmaceutical industry with top-ranked pharmaceutical educational programs.
Read more: “University Join Pharmaceutical Research Collective”
Nanomedicine Topic for Semester’s Final UM Science Cafe
April 19, 2018
OXFORD, Miss. – The use of nanotechnology in the diagnosis, imaging and treatment of human diseases is the topic of the University of Mississippi’s next monthly Science Cafe.
Chalet Tan, associate professor of pharmaceutics and drug delivery and research associate professor in UM’sResearch Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, will discuss “NanoMedicine: Less is More” Tuesday (April 24) at the fourth and final Science Cafe of the semester. The meeting is set for 6 p.m. at Lusa Bakery Bistro and Bar, 1120 North Lamar Blvd. Admission is free.
Read more: “Nanomedicine Topic for Semester’s Final UM Science Cafe”
Doctoral Student Wins Graduate School Award
March 28, 2018
Karthik Yadav Janga, doctoral student in the Department of Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, won the University of Mississippi Graduate School’s 2018 Graduate Achievement Award in Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery. Janga will be recognized at the Honors & Awards Convocation at the Gertrude Castellow Ford Center for the Performing Arts at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 5, 2018.
Pharmacy School Offers New Industrial Pharmacy Master’s Program
March 22, 2018
OXFORD, Miss. – The Department of Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy is offering a new non-thesis track master’s program this fall that will focus on preparing students with a science or engineering background to work in the pharmaceutical industry.
The two-year program is geared toward graduates with bachelor’s degrees in chemical engineering, biology and chemistry who want to go directly into the pharmaceutical industry. By focusing mainly on the applied knowledge and skills needed to enter the workforce, graduates will be better prepared to make an immediate impact on the job.
Pharmaceutics Grad Student Wins Scholarship for Alzheimer’s Research
February 23, 2018
OXFORD, Miss. – Purnendu Sharma, a fourth-year Ph.D. student in the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy’s Department of Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, received an Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation Young Investigator Scholarship for his research on the natural product, Resiniferatoxin, or RTX.
Sharma’s project, titled “Effect of Resiniferatoxin, a TrpV1 Receptor Agonist on Neuronal Cells and evaluating it In vitro Neurotrophic Activity for Neurodegenerative Disorders,” showed the potential of RTX to help in the treatment of diseases like Alzheimer’s.
New Master’s Program Offers Emphasis in Industrial Pharmacy
February 20, 2018
OXFORD, Miss. – Starting in fall 2018, the University of Mississippi’s School of Pharmacy will be offering a brand-new professional master’s program in pharmaceutical sciences with an emphasis in industrial pharmacy.
The program will complement the existing Master of Science program in pharmaceutics and drug delivery by adding several courses that focus on pharmaceutical formulation development, manufacturing and regulatory sciences. The new nonthesis program will focus on the professional aspects of the industry.
November 15, 2017
OXFORD, Miss. – University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy pharmaceutics professor S. Narasimha Murthy was elected as a Fellow of American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists last weekend, one of the highest honors given to its members.
At its annual conference in San Diego on November 12, AAPS honored eight recipients, including Murthy, who have demonstrated a sustained level of professional excellence in fields related to its mission. Murthy conducts research to develop noninvasive technologies for the treatment of chronic disorders. He also founded a non-profit research organization in his home country of India to foster research that addresses unmet medical needs.
Read more: “UM Pharmacy Professor Murthy Named AAPS Fellow”
UM Graduate Eman Ashour Joins Pharmacy Faculty
November 1, 2017
OXFORD, Miss. – It seems Eman Ashour can’t stay away from Oxford. Last month, she joined the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy as a research assistant professor after various stints within the school, and she’s happy to be sticking around.
“I like Oxford and this environment,” Ashour said. “I believe that the University of Mississippi has a very strong School of Pharmacy. When I found this opportunity, I knew I had to apply.”
Read more: “UM Graduate Eman Ashour Joins Pharmacy Faculty”
Pharmacy School Recognizes Outstanding Faculty, Researchers
June 19, 2017
OXFORD, Miss. – The UM School of Pharmacy recognized four professors and researchers for their excellence in and commitment to service, research and teaching at the annual faculty and research scientist retreat on June 15.
“Our faculty and scientists are consistently recognized externally for their efforts,” said David D. Allen, dean of the pharmacy school. “I was honored to present them with awards…
Read more: “Pharmacy School Recognizes Outstanding Faculty, Researchers”
School of Pharmacy Partners to Create New Pharmaceutical Technology
February 24, 2017
OXFORD, Miss. – As part of its roster of scientific research, the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy will join technology group STEERLife in a four-year collaborative project to revamp pharmaceutical drug development and manufacturing
STEERLife designs, creates and implements technology and processes for improving the quality of pharmaceutical products. The company approached Narasimha Murthy, professor of pharmaceutics and drug delivery, and Michael Repka, professor and chair…
Read more: “School of Pharmacy Partners to Create New Pharmaceutical Technology”
Pharmaceutics Department Celebrates Course Milestone
August 20, 2015
The Department of Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy will celebrate the 50th Hands-on Course in Tablet Technology Sept. 13-18.
“We are very excited to commemorate this milestone in our program,” said Ed Brunson, course director. “The success of the Hands-on Course in Tablet Technology has been outstanding. With 20 to 40 participants per course, our reach has greatly expanded since the first class in 1998.”
Read more: “Pharmaceutics Department Celebrates Course Milestone”
UM Professor Becomes Fellow of American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists
February 26, 2013
A University of Mississippi pharmacy professor has been elected a fellow of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists for his pioneering work on hot-melt extrusion, a technology that is shaping advanced manufacturing in the pharmaceutical industry.
Michael A. Repka, professor and chair of pharmaceutics, was nominated for fellowship status by a retired pharmaceutical industry executive.
Read more: “UM Professor Becomes Fellow of American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists”
Three UM Scientists Develop Innovative Method to Deliver THC
December 14, 2012
An innovative delivery method for tetrahydrocannabinol, the main psychoactive constituent of Cannabis, is being developed at the University of Mississippi.
School of Pharmacy faculty members Michael A. Repka, Soumyajit Majumdar and Mahmoud A. ElSohly have developed a transmucosal THC patch to overcome problems related to taking the drug in pill form. The patch is administered above the gum line.
Read more: “Three UM Scientists Develop Innovative Method to Deliver THC”
Pharmaceutical Company Gift to Support Pharmacy Research, Education
May 5, 2012
Pharmaceutics International Inc. has made a gift to the University of Mississippi to support pharmaceutical education for graduate students and create a center devoted to research related to hot melt extrusion and other pharmaceutical processing technologies.
The Pii Center for Pharmaceutical Technology will collaborate with private industry, government agencies and other universities to conduct research aimed at developing novel, cost-effective, patient-friendly and efficacious formulations for delivering new and existing pharmaceutical products.
Read more: “Pharmaceutical Company Gift to Support Pharmacy Research, Education”