Guest Editors
Sandra Simões
Universidade de Lisboa and Research Institute for Medicine (iMed.ULisboa), Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy
Sandra Simões graduated in Pharmaceutical Sciences in 1994 and obtained her PhD in 2005 for studies on transdermal delivery of proteins. She is a member of the Animal Welfare Body of the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lisbon. In summary, her work led to the development, physicochemical characterization, and studies of therapeutic and efficiency activity of medications, topical application medical devices, and cosmetics. Her research aims include the design, development, and biological evaluation of optimal drug delivery systems for dermal and transdermal delivery of small and large molecules. Her research activity deals with drug-excipient and drug-skin interactions and the development of animal models of acute and chronic inflammation, skin infection, and wound-healing. These studies require the optimization of techniques for the in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo assessment of dermal and transdermal drug delivery. She is a reviewer of several peer-reviewed scientific journals and an active participant of national and international conferences in the field of skin delivery.
Joana Marques Marto
Universidade de Lisboa, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutics, Universidade de Lisboa and Research Institute for Medicine (iMed.ULisboa)
Joana Marto graduated in Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2010 and obtained her PhD in 2016 for studies on novel drug delivery systems for topical application. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology in the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lisbon. Joana Marto’s work is focused on the development of new drug carriers (micro/nano carriers) for topical drug delivery, including cutaneous and ophthalmic administration. This research involves a multidisciplinary platform and is mainly based on pharmaceutical technology. Her scientific area of research is the translational development of medications and health products for topical, oral, and ocular administration, following required regulations and essential requisites, pharmaceutical development based on modeling tools and experimental planning, characterization and scale-up of drug delivery systems with topical therapeutic activity, application of in vitro and in vivo methodologies, and regulatory aspects of health products, especially medications, medical devices, and cosmetic products.
Collection Overview
Compared to more conventional administration routes, topical drug delivery presents several benefits. However, skin barrier function, generally attributed to the outermost layer of the epidermis, represents a major challenge for both dermal and transdermal drug delivery. Transdermal delivery systems function by delivering a therapeutic across the barrier of the skin and into systemic circulation, whereas topical delivery systems work by applying a therapeutic to the skin’s layers. In vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo animal pharmacokinetic studies of drug permeation are necessary to characterize the quality and efficacy of newly developed topical drug delivery systems. This Methods Collection will include techniques for the assessment of cutaneous absorption of therapeutics, for example, skin permeation assays using Franz-type diffusion cells. Cutaneous retention is usually assessed by tape-stripping techniques. Other semi-quantitative methods include two-photon microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy, and confocal Raman microscopy.
