Special issue of BJP on nanomedicine

The Current Landscape of Novel Formulations and the Role of Mathematical Modeling in Their Development

Drug delivery is an integral part of the drug development process, influencing safety and efficacy of active pharmaceutical ingredients. The application of nanotechnology has enabled the discovery of novel formulations for numerous therapeutic purposes across multiple disease areas. However, evaluation of novel formulations in clinical scenarios is slow and hampered due to various ethical and logistical barriers. Computational models have the ability to integrate existing domain knowledge and mathematical correlations, to rationalize the feasibility of using novel formulations for safely enhancing drug delivery, identifying suitable candidates, and reducing the burden on preclinical and clinical studies. In this review, types of novel formulations and their application through several routes of administration and the use of modeling approaches that can find application in different stages of the novel formulation development process are discussed.

Nanotechnology Inclusion in Pharmaceutical Sciences Education in Portugal

Objective. To analyze the inclusion of nanotechnology in the curricula of Integrated Master's in Pharmaceutical Sciences programs in Portugal. Methods. Information regarding curricula (general notice and curricular unit description, objectives and syllabus) from national institutions was collected from their official websites or requested by e-mail, and analyzed for the occurrence of nanotechnology and related terms. A nanotechnology inclusion in curriculum (NIC) index was developed and used to rank each institution. Results. All institutions with available data (eight out of nine) offered nanotechnology in their curricula. Both basic and applied nanotechnology-related education were offered to students but mostly from a theoretical perspective. The NIC index provided a standardized tool for comparing the institutions' programs and highlighted differences according to the relative importance of the presence of nanotechnology and related terms in curricula. Conclusion. Portuguese institutions offering integrated master's programs in pharmaceutical sciences are including nanotechnology in their curricula. However, its implementation across all institutions remains weak and requires further strengthening to meet the requirements of this emerging field in health care practice.