An upper-level technical elective is being developed to introduce undergraduate chemical engineering students to the interdisciplinary field of drug delivery. The objective of the course is to introduce students to the chemical engineering principles relevant to the transport of drugs in the body, the design and application of drug delivery systems, and experimental research in the field of drug delivery. The course covers diverse material including pharmacokinetic compartment modeling, diffusion in drug delivery systems, receptor binding and downstream cellular processes, and the design and application of drug delivery systems. Students are introduced to these topics by traditional lecturing of fundamental mass transport principles, interactive learning experiences based on computational and experimental laboratory exercises and open discussion of relevant peer-reviewed literature. Additionally, students are engaged in the development of an SBIR-style proposal for investigating the efficacy of drug delivery systems for the treatment of prominent diseases. The purpose of this paper is to describe the course structure and content, as well as provide ideas for future offerings of the class. This course is currently in development and consequently represents a “work-in-progress.”
Title
Development of drug delivery elective for chemical engineers