Program Structure

Module 1: Why Drug Delivery Needs a Revolution (and Where Nano Fits)

• What limits most drugs: low solubility, poor stability, fast clearance, toxicity, and low targeting.
• How nanotechnology improves therapeutic outcomes: protection, precision, and controlled release.
• Choosing the right delivery system based on the drug and the disease goal.

Module 2: Foundations of Nanomedicine & Carrier Design

• Key design parameters: particle size distribution, surface charge, hydrophobicity, and shape.
• Stealth behavior and circulation time (basic concepts like protein corona and PEGylation).
• Biological barriers: blood, mucus, skin, tumor microenvironment, and intracellular delivery.

Module 3: Nanocarrier Platforms You’ll Work With

• Lipid-based systems: liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carriers.
• Polymeric systems: polymeric nanoparticles, micelles, dendrimers (overview + selection logic).
• Inorganic/Hybrid systems: silica, gold, magnetic particles (use-case thinking and safety awareness).
• Biomimetic carriers: exosome-inspired and cell-membrane coated systems (conceptual).

Module 4: Formulation Methods (From Lab Bench to Repeatable Batches)

• Encapsulation/loading methods for hydrophilic vs hydrophobic drugs.
• Emulsification, nanoprecipitation, thin-film hydration, solvent diffusion (workflow-level).
• Stabilizers, surfactants, and formulation tuning for high stability and reproducibility.
• Common formulation failures and how to troubleshoot them.

Module 5: Characterization & Quality Metrics (What Makes a System “Good”?)

• Core tests: DLS (size/PDI), zeta potential, morphology (SEM/TEM), and drug loading.
• Stability studies: temperature, pH, storage time, aggregation, and release drift.
• Release profiling: burst vs sustained release and how to present release curves.
• Batch consistency mindset: what to measure every time.

Module 6: Controlled and Triggered Release Strategies

• Designing diffusion-based, degradation-based, and stimulus-responsive release systems.
• Trigger concepts: pH, enzymes, redox, temperature, light, magnetic fields (overview).
• Matching release behavior to therapeutic use (acute vs chronic delivery).

Module 7: Targeting & Precision Delivery (Beyond Passive Transport)

• Passive targeting concepts and why it works sometimes (and fails sometimes).
• Active targeting basics: ligands, antibodies, peptides, and aptamers (selection thinking).
• Cell uptake pathways, endosomal escape concepts, and intracellular delivery strategies.

Module 8: Routes of Administration & System Selection

• Oral delivery: protecting drugs from degradation and improving absorption.
• Transdermal and microneedle-assisted delivery (conceptual + use cases).
• Pulmonary delivery and nasal delivery: particle constraints and targeting logic.
• Injectables: circulation, RES clearance, and safety considerations.

Module 9: Safety, Biocompatibility & Translational Readiness

• Biocompatibility considerations and basic toxicity awareness (non-clinical focus).
• Scale-up challenges: solvents, yields, reproducibility, sterilization, and storage.
• Regulatory thinking: documentation, QC checks, and stability evidence (high-level).

Module 10: From Research Idea to Product Story

• How to position your system: problem → solution → proof → differentiation.
• Creating strong figures: characterization summary, release curves, and workflow diagrams.
• Writing a technical report/paper-ready structure (intro to publishable framing).

Final Project (Portfolio + Research Ready)

• Design a nanocarrier-based drug delivery solution for a selected drug + indication (research use-case).
• Define carrier platform, formulation method, characterization plan, and release strategy.
• Create a mini “translation pack”: stability plan + QC checklist + risk/limitations section.
• Example projects: liposomal delivery for poorly soluble drugs, polymeric nanoparticles for sustained delivery, hybrid carriers for stimulus-triggered release.