| Microstructure of
drug delivery systems |
The Rohrer group is developing rigorous statistical
bounds on the morphological characteristics of microstructures
that have the desired behavior for a specific controlled
drug release application. These systems are comprised
of crystalline drugs incorporated within polymer
matrices; the drug is 'delivered' by diffusion through
the polymer. Therefore, the delivery rate and device
performance are related to the sample microstructure.
In this project, the REU student will study the structure
of composites drug delivery systems. The materials
for this student are supplied through a collaboration
with the USFDA, where they are developing computer
simulations to model the processing performance relationships
of these composites. At CMU, taping mode AFM will
be used to image the size, shape, and distribution
of the crystalline component of the composite as
a function of the volume fraction. These data will
be used as input for models of dissolution that will
be subject to experimental verification. |
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