Transdermal and Intradermal Delivery of Therapeutic Agents: Application of Physical Technologies

Skin, once thought to be an impenetrable barrier, is an extremely active organ capable of interacting with its environment. Advancements in science combined with the need for diverse drug delivery modalities have introduced a variety of transdermal and intradermal products for existing drugs at a fraction of the cost of new drug development. Interest in drug delivery systems is growing as the delivery of many drugs continues to be a problem due to safety, stability, and compliance issues. This is especially true for the increased number of biologic medicines, which include peptides, proteins, and nucleic acids. Transdermal delivery is an important part of such systems, and the use of physical enhancement methods to penetrate the skin barrier is where the field is headed. This book reviews the strategies available for the delivery of compounds into and through the skin. It also focuses on technological developments in the domain of nanotechnology that can be exploited to enhance the transdermal delivery of drugs.

About the Author

Dr. Ajay K. Banga is Professor and Department Chair in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Mercer University, Atlanta, Georgia. He also holds an Endowed Chair in transdermal delivery systems. His research expertise is in non-traditional approaches for transdermal drug delivery, especially for water soluble drugs including small conventional molecules and macromolecules. Dr. Banga has a Ph.D. in pharmaceutics from Rutgers University, New Jersey.

Dr. Banga has over 220 publications and scientific abstracts to his credit. His laboratory is funded by several start up and leading pharmaceutical companies. Dr. Banga currently serves on the Editorial Board of 7 journals, as Associate Editor for one journal, and has served as the Editor-in-Chief (2002-07) for a drug delivery journal. He has written two books in the areas of delivery of proteins and transdermal delivery. He has served on over 30 thesis/dissertation advisory committees and as a referee for over 28 journals. He is a Fellow of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists.