Pharmacy researcher receives international honors

Hayat Onyuksel, professor of biopharmaceutical sciences and bioengineering, at University of Illinois at Chicago received the 2008 Lipid Based Drug Delivery Outstanding Research Award at the annual meeting of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists.

The award is given annually to one international researcher who has made significant contributions to science through innovative research.

Onyuksel, who received a $10,000 monetary award from sponsor Gattefosse Corp., has been working on lipid-based drug delivery systems for nearly two decades.

'It is a great honor to be recognized for this award,' said Onyuksel, who was named a fellow by the association in 2006.

Onyuksel’s laboratory uses phospholipid molecules as the starting materials for the preparation of drug delivery systems.

'Phospholipids are fascinating biomolecules,' she said, explaining that, in an aqueous environment, they self-assemble into nanostructures.

'We trap drug molecules in these nanostructures and direct them to go precisely where the drug action is needed in the body. This targeted drug delivery mechanism results in a significant decrease in drug toxicity, with an overall increase in drug efficacy.'

The drug carrier is also safe because phospholipids are the major component of the cell membranes, Onyuksel said.

'We believe this approach will be the basis for new nanomedicines in the near future.'

In 2007, the National Cancer Institute presented Onyuksel with its Rapid Access to Intervention Development Award for her innovative targeted approach.

The goal of the RAID program is to bring promising drugs from research laboratories to the clinic.

Onyuksel is working with pharmaceutical giant Novartis to conduct a feasibility study to encapsulate its chemotherapy drug into a patented drug carrier system she developed.

In addition to breast cancer, Onyuksel is conducting research on the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and Alzheimer’s disease.

'My wish is to be able to see these nanomedicines successfully being used in clinics during my lifetime,' she said.

Onyuksel, who has received UIC’s Inventor of the Year and Woman of the Year awards, is a 2008 University Scholar.

Source:

UICNews