Pharmaceutical Technology

Team Leader
PATTARINO Franco

Activity and fields of competence

L’attività di ricerca è rivolta alla formulazione e alla caratterizzazione di forme farmaceutiche innovative per la somministrazione di sostanze bioattive. In particolare, vengono sviluppati sistemi, destinati alla veicolazione di farmaci, che permettono di superare gli inconvenienti legati alle caratteristiche chimico-fisiche delle molecole attive (stabilità chimica, compatibilità, solubilità), di modificare la disponibilità in vivo dei principi attivi (usando per esempio eccipienti che favoriscono l’assorbimento) o di direzionarli a siti specifici dell’organismo. L’attenzione viene rivolta in particolare a forme farmaceutiche solide orali, a preparati semisolidi per applicazione topica e a sistemi lipidici destinati a somministrazione per via parenterale:

The research activity is aimed at the formulation and characterisation of innovative pharmaceutical forms for the administration of bioactive substances. In particular, systems are developed for the delivery of drugs, which allow to overcome the drawbacks related to the chemical-physical characteristics of the active molecules (chemical stability, compatibility, solubility), to modify the in vivo availability of the active ingredients (using, for example, excipients that promote absorption) or to direct them to specific sites in the body. Attention is paid in particular to solid oral pharmaceutical forms, semisolid preparations for topical application, and lipid systems intended for parenteral administration:

1. microparticles: microspheres composed of a matrix consisting of lipid and / or polymeric excipients containing the active substance. These systems are designed and developed in order to ensure controlled release of the active ingredient, at predetermined times and speeds.
2. systems for topical applications: these are semi-solid preparations (hydrogels, lipogels, ointments, viscous emulsions and microemulsions, micelles, liposomes, microspheres in semi-solid matrices) containing components that promote the absorption of the various active ingredients through the skin or modulate the release rate (e.g., cyclodextrins).
3. liquid colloidal systems: liposomes and lipid nanoparticles, in particular cationic liposomes intended for gene therapy and cell transfection, containing polyamines as ligands.

Technological Resources

Laboratory tablet press; manual capsule filling machines; microspheres production equipment; mixers and mills; freeze dryer; high pressure homogenizer (HPH); analytical instruments such as Z-sizer, DSC and TGA, HPLC, rotational and capillary viscometer, tensiometer, UV-Vis and FTIR spectrophotometer, TGA / FTIR interface; equipment for technological tests of solid pharmaceutical forms (dissolver, disruptor, durometer, friability tester, flow tester), Franz cells (permeation assays).

ERC Sector

LS7, PE4, PE5