Graduate students at The University of Texas at Austin have a new opportunity to revolutionize how medicines are developed and delivered.
The graduate portfolio program in pharmacoengineering is an interdisciplinary effort that bridges expertise in pharmaceutics, chemistry, engineering, biochemistry, biologics and drug metabolism. The goal is to use new technology to develop next-generation, personalized treatments to ensure patients receive optimal dosages delivered to the precise part of the body that needs help — reducing harmful side effects and increasing their efficacy.
The program is a collaboration between the Cockrell School of Engineering, the College of Natural Sciences and the College of Pharmacy.
“This multidisciplinary education and training program will ensure students are well-versed in drug design, commercialization, and the latest experimental and computational tools, said Tyrone Porter, chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, which is leading the new program. “Through this collaborative effort, our students will shape the future of health care and pharmacological intervention to make lives better for patients.”
The program is open to all graduate students, but it is designed for students with backgrounds in biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, pharmaceutical sciences and biochemistry.
Bridging the gaps between disciplines is critical because of mounting challenges in developing new treatments. These include rising research and development costs with diminishing results, supply chain problems and shortages of key materials, and the need to improve vaccines and other treatments for low-resource communities.
"This program empowers the next generation of scientists and engineers to push the boundaries of drug innovation — where engineering meets the future of medicine,” said Kevin Dalby, professor in the College of Pharmacy.
Across the fields that make up pharmacoengineering, researchers are tackling these challenges in multiple ways. New artificial intelligence and machine learning models reduce R&D costs and develop new, safer treatments for patients. Biomanufacturing systems can reduce dependence on costly, hard-to-find materials. And innovations in targeted drug delivery and mRNA vaccines improve the patient experience and increase protection against disease.
“The future of pharmaceuticals lies in targeted drug delivery, with treatments precisely tailored to individual patients. This program equips graduate students with expertise in machine learning and artificial intelligence, empowering them to drive these innovative advancements,” said Nicholas Peppas, a professor in the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering and Department of Biomedical Engineering.
The first cohort will begin their studies this fall. Students in the program will be able to level up their skills in several areas, including: data-driven approaches to drug design; modeling drug-target interactions across the molecular, cellular and tissue-level scales; novel drug delivery strategies; and monitoring delivery and effectiveness against disease.
“Our program provides unique opportunities for graduate students to integrate cutting-edge engineering and multiscale computing with pharmaceutical science to accelerate modern drug discovery and delivery,” said Pengyu Ren, professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and director of the pharmacoengineering program.
Program Steering Committee:
- Renee Acosta, College of Pharmacy
- Kevin Dalby, College of Pharmacy, Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry
- Andy Ellington, College of Natural Sciences, Molecular Biosciences
- Nicholas Peppas, Cockrell School of Engineering, Biomedical Engineering & Chemical Engineering
- Tyrone Porter, Cockrell School of Engineering, Biomedical Engineering
- Pengyu Ren, Cockrell School of Engineering, Biomedical Engineering
- Bill Williams, College of Pharmacy, Molecular Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery
