150 credits including 120 credits in biomedicine, pharmaceutical sciences, drug development and/or natural sciences/engineering. Previous studies must include (1) pharmaceutics and pharmacokinetics 15 credits or (2) Molecular Biopharmaceutics 7.5 credits. Proficiency in English equivalent to the Swedish upper secondary course English 6.
The course gives an in-depth understanding of different types of controlled, targeted and selective drug delivery. This includes diffusion of drugs from matrix systems, hydrogels as well as responsive and particle-based drug delivery systems and how these are applied to specific locations in the body as well as to the central nervous system, the lymphatic system and the gastrointestinal tract. It further covers how disease causes physiological, biochemical and cell biological changes and how this creates conditions for targeted and personalised drug therapy. We study how physiologically initiated release of drugs can be used, as well as metabolic and microbial activation. The course will give an increased understanding of how the uptake of drugs in cells can be stimulated by binding to receptors on specific cells and drug delivery principles that utilise conjugation to ligands such as antibodies. We will also investigate aspects of personalised dosage forms and theranostic drug delivery systems that combine diagnosis (especially image-guided diagnosis) and therapy, as well as stimuli-responsive systems. This includes drug delivery systems for macromolecules, e.g. proteins and peptides, vaccines, genes and oligonucleotides, and their intracellular release. Finally, the course will cover novel formulation technologies (e.g. microfluidics), additive manufacturing (3D printing of dosage forms) and continuous manufacturing.
