Smart Pharmaceutical Technologies for Drug Delivery and Tissue Engineering

A special issue of Pharmaceutics (ISSN 1999-4923). This special issue belongs to the section "Pharmaceutical Technology, Manufacturing and Devices".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 March 2025) | Viewed by 876

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Farmacología, Farmacia y Tecnología Farmacéutica, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Interests: drug delivery; pharmaceutical technology; regenerative medicine; self-assembling peptides

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Farmacología, Farmacia y Tecnología Farmacéutica, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Interests: drug delivery; pharmaceutical technology; biomedical engineering; Artificial Intelligence
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The application of smart technologies in the pharmaceutical field has increased notably over the last few years and demonstrates the potential to improve the production efficiency and quality of different pharmaceutical products. In this way, Artificial Intelligence tools such as machine learning have proven useful in the development of thermosensitive hydrogel formulations, microparticles, or nanoparticles enabling the controlled release of drugs. On the other hand, the implementation of smart manufacturing technologies such as 3D or, more recently, 4D bioprinting has allowed the obtention of functional scaffolds that are able to replace damaged tissues; this application is of great interest in regenerative medicine.

This Special Issue aims to highlight the current progress in the application of smart pharmaceutical technologies to develop formulations, or biomedical products useful for controlled drug delivery or tissue engineering applications. Original articles and reviews with a focus on this topic are welcome. Research areas might include (but are not limited to) the following: use of machine learning in 3D/4D bioprinting and Artificial Intelligence technologies for the development of smart drug delivery systems.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Helena Rouco
Prof. Dr. Mariana Landin
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pharmaceutics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • drug delivery
  • bioprinting
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • tissue engineering
  • pharmaceutical technology

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

18 pages, 1061 KiB  
Article
Design of Clofazimine-Loaded Lipid Nanoparticles Using Smart Pharmaceutical Technology Approaches
by Helena Rouco, Nicola Filippo Virzì, Carolina Menéndez-Rodríguez, Carmen Potel, Patricia Diaz-Rodriguez and Mariana Landin
Pharmaceutics 2025, 17(7), 873; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics17070873 - 2 Jul 2025
Viewed by 342
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Clofazimine (CFZ) is a versatile antimicrobial active against several bacterial species, although its reduced aqueous solubility and the occurrence of side effects limit its use. Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) constitute an interesting approach to increase drug bioavailability and safety. However, the [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Clofazimine (CFZ) is a versatile antimicrobial active against several bacterial species, although its reduced aqueous solubility and the occurrence of side effects limit its use. Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) constitute an interesting approach to increase drug bioavailability and safety. However, the development of nanoparticle-based formulations is challenging. In the present work, a combination of smart pharmaceutical technology approaches was proposed to develop CFZ-loaded NLCs, taking advantage of previous knowledge on NLCs screening. Methods: A design space previously established using Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools was applied to develop CFZ-loaded NLC formulations. After formulation characterization, Neurofuzzy Logic (NFL) and in silico docking simulations were employed to enhance the understanding of lipid nanocarriers. Then, the performance of formulations designed following NFL guidelines was characterized in terms of biocompatibility, using murine fibroblasts, and antimicrobial activity against several strains of Staphylococcus aureus. Results: The followed approach enabled CFZ-loaded NLC formulations with optimal properties, including small size and high antimicrobial payload. NFL was useful to investigate the existing interactions between NLC components and homogenization conditions, that influence CFZ-loaded NLCs’ final properties. Also, in silico docking simulations were successfully applied to examine interactions and affinity between the drug and the lipid matrix components. Finally, the designed CFZ-loaded formulations demonstrated suitable biocompatibility, together with antimicrobial activity. Conclusions: The implementation of smart strategies during nanoparticle-based therapeutics development, such as those described in this manuscript, would enable the more efficient design of new systems for suitable antimicrobial delivery. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop