Pharmaceutical Technology. Coordinator: Passerini

Drug delivery systems

Research themes

1. Formulation design and particle-engineering technology for microparticles production

Since two decades we have focused our attention on the spray-congealing technique as a means to produce solvent-free microparticles. The spray-congealed microparticulate drug delivery systems are suitable mainly for oral, but also for mucosal and topical administration routes. We have designed innovative drug delivery systems containing small molecules, biopharmaceutical products, herbal drugs and nutraceuticals to optimize their biovailability according to their specific therapeutical needs. An important parameter to consider is the characterization of the solid state of both the drug and the carrier; to study the polymorphism of the lipid matrix advanced synchrotron light techniques are utilised.

2. Development of pediatric formulations

The oral route is the predominant way of administration of medicines in children (2-6 years old). However, the majority of oral dosage forms is designed for adult patients without considering aspects (dosing flexibility, taste, texture, color, size, swallowing) important for pediatric population. We have been developed granules, mini-tablets and microparticles specifically design to overcome the aforementioned challenge. In particular, we studied pharmaceutical forms suitable for the administration of praziquantel to children with schistosomiasis and benznidazole for the treatment of Chagas disease.

3. Development and optimization of technological processes for manufacturing of solid dosage forms

We optimize manufacturing processes such as wet granulation, compaction and film coating, widely used in pharmaceutical industry. The processes are carried out using lab scale equipments: fluidized-bed granulators (Mini-Glatt), high shear mixer, single-punch tablet press, pan coaters.

4. Development of snail slime based polymeric films

Innovative films are obtained by solvent casting of a solution containing snail slime in appropriate concentrations mixed with natural or semi-synthetic polymer solutions. Transparent films suitable for various applications, such as cosmetic, drug delivery, or wound healing are produced: the films can be applied to the skin (both patch and non-patch), mucous membranes, or wounds and may either rapidly dissolve or adhere for an extended period, promoting the release of active substances.

5. Application of NaDES as green innovative vehicles for oral drug administration

A recent research topic focuses on the development of new green vehicles for drug delivery purposes, such as Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents (NaDES), eutectic mixtures formed from substances found in nature. NaDES are evaluated as vehicles for the formulation of active ingredients characterized by low bioavailability.

An important part of our research involves the solid state characterization (thermal analysis, FT-IR, XRD, SEM) of the obtained drug delivery systems to correlate their physicochemical properties to the in vitro release of drugs.

Lab Members

Nadia Passerini, Full Professor 

Beatrice Albertini, Associate Professor 

Serena Bertoni, Tenur Track Assistant Professor

Eleonora De Renzis, PhD Student

Internship projects

Internship projects are mainly addressed to CTF students.

Main publications

• Albertini, B., Bertoni, S., Nucci, G., Botti, G., Abrami, M., Sangiorgi, S., Beggiato, S., Prata, C., Ferraro, L., Grassi, M., Passerini, N., Perissutti B., Dalpiaz A. (2024) Supramolecular eutectogel as new oral paediatric delivery system to enhance benznidazole bioavailability. Int. J. Pharm., 661 (5), Article number 1233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2024.124417
• Bertoni, S., Simone, E., Sangiorgi, S., Albertini, B., Passerini, N. (2024). The use of polymorphic state modifiers in solid lipid microparticles: The role of structural modifications on drug release performance”. Eur. J. Pharm. Sci., 192, 106650. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejps.2023.106650
• Albertini, B., Bertoni, S., Sangiorgi, S., Nucci, G., Passerini, N., Mezzina E. (2023). NaDES as a green technological approach for the solubility improvement of BCS class II APIs: An insight into the molecular interactions”. Int. J. of Pharm., 634, 122696. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2023.122696
• Bertoni, S.; Albertini, B.; Ferraro, L.; Beggiato, S.; Dalpiaz, A.; Passerini, N. (2019). Exploring the use of spray congealing to produce solid dispersions with enhanced indomethacin bioavailability: In vitro characterization and in vivo study. Eur. J. Pharm. Biopharm., 139, 132-141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejpb.2019.03.020
• Albertini, B., Bertoni, S., Melegari, C., Dolci, L.S., Passerini, N. (2017). A novel approach for dry powder coating of pellets with Ethylcellulose. Part I: Evaluation of film formulation and process set up.  Int. J. Pharm. 516 (1-2), 380-391. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2016.11.054