Graduate Programs on Nanotechnology in Pharmaceutical Sciences

摘要

Nanotechnology is a muhidisciplinary field of discovery. Scientists working in many disciplines, including physics, chemistry, material sciences, electrical engineering, electronics, computer sciences, biosciences and pharmaceutical sciences, are contributing significantly to the development of nanotechnology at large. Nano is really too big. Nanotechnology is a developing science and it has innumerable applications. Every day new and newer applications are being discovered. No field in the sciences will be left untouched by nanotechnology. Our previous study presented at NIST conference in 2008 showed that there are very few pharmacy schools in United States who offer courses in nanotechnology even at undergraduate levels. There is a significant need for developing graduate programs in pharmaceutical sciences for nanotechnology and its applications in pharmaceutical sciences. There is a significant need for nano workforce, especially in the field of nano drug delivers' systems, and other related areas in pharmaceutical sciences. It is expected that by 2015 the total workforce needed for nano technology industries will be more than 2 million people. A major chunk of this will also be employed by the pharmaceutical industry. Nanotechnology has developed many new vistas in pharmaceutical researches and a large number of researchers will be needed to pursue and develop this area of research. This paper discusses the need for the graduate program on nanotechnology in pharmaceutical sciences and provides guidelines in developing this program. We envisage that there can be specialization in various fields such as nanoparticulate drug delivery systems, nano characterization and nano formulations, nano toxicology, and nano safety.