The research group Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology belongs to the University of Barcelona (UB) and it is ascribed to the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences. The members of the research team belong to the Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology and Physicochemistry and to the Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Chemical Therapeutics. The research group is leaded by María José García Celma. The team is a part of the Consolidated Group on Surfactants (CSIC-UB) (2017SGR1778), recognised by the Government of Catalonia (Generalitat de Catalunya), since 1994. The UB team is a R+D Associated Unit to the Spanish Research Council (CSIC), entitled “Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology” leaded by María José García Celma. Members of the team belong to the QCI group in the Networking Research Center on Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), since January 2008 and to the QCI centre, in the TECNIO network of research centres, that provide technological support to industries. All the members of the research team belong to the Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Institute (IN2UB) and Dr. García Celma is a member of the managing board.
The research interests of the group have focused to the development of novel controlled drug delivery dosage forms based on nanostructured surfactant and polymeric systems. Important contributions are the studies on formation and characterization of hydrogels, microemulsions, nano-emulsions, highly concentrated emulsions as drug carriers and the use of some of these colloidal systems as templates for the preparation of nanoparticles and solid foams. Incorporation and release of drugs and biomolecules have been investigated in these nanostructured formulations. The effective incorporation of drugs and biomolecules can facilitate the therapy of various diseases or physiological disorders of high incidence in the population and/or difficult to treat. Ionic liquids have been developed to improve the water solubility of some drugs without affecting the pharmacological activity, and allowing the encapsulation of these drugs in the nanocarriers. The group maintains collaboration with important universities and research centers, which currently include the University of Lorraine and the University Paul Sabatier in Toulouse (France), Krakow University of Technology (Poland), Universidad de Guadalajara (México) and the University of Chile.
Researchers (CSIC staff) in the consolidated research group, QCI group (CIBER-BBN) and QCI center (TECNIO) that collaborate with the group:
Dr. Conxita Solans (Professor)
Dr. Jordi Esquena (Tenured scientist)
Dr. Carlos Rodríguez (Tenured scientist)
Dr. Gabriela Calderó (postdoctoral Researcher)