Professor of Pharmacy UI Recommends the Utilization of Nanotechnology to Increase the Level of Safety, Comfort, and Effectiveness of Drugs
In the current era of science and technology advances, pharmaceutical products are growing rapidly, both in terms of dosage forms and types of drug delivery systems using a variety of pharmaceutical technologies. The development of pharmaceutical products is a long process, starting from the discovery of new drug active substances, the design of new product formulas, product quality design, and preclinical and clinical studies.
The development of products into pharmaceuticals is begun with pre-formulation studies which contain considerations in planning dosage forms. From these studies, it is known that not all active drug substances are easily dissolved and absorbed into the systemic circulation. There are things from the intrinsic characteristics of the active substance itself that affect its physicochemical and biopharmaceutical aspects.
“To overcome drug problems related to formulations and products, an advanced drug delivery system can be developed using pharmaceutical nanotechnology with more optimal drug delivery routes,” said Prof. apt. Silvia Surini, M.Pharm.Sc., Ph.D., at her inauguration ceremony as Professor of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Indonesia (FF UI), on Saturday (10/12).
According to her, pharmaceutical nanotechnology is a promising solution to increase the safety, comfort, and effectiveness of drugs. The research that has been conducted indicates that the use of nanotechnology in developing the latest pharmaceutical products with advanced drug delivery systems is urgently needed to produce the latest pharmaceutical products that are safe, convenient, effective, and innovative.
“The participation of the pharmacy industry in Indonesia in research on the development of nano-pharmaceutical products is highly recommended. It is deemed so in order to produce many innovations and accelerate the development of nanotechnology-based pharmaceutical formulas and products that can be scientifically justified to ensure product safety and effectiveness,” said Prof. Silvia.
After this presentation, she was officially inaugurated as a Tenured Professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Indonesia (FF UI). The ceremony of the inauguration was led by Secretary of the Professor Council (DGB) UI Prof. Dr. drg. Indang Trihandini, M.Kes., at Balai Sidang, UI Campus, Depok, and broadcast virtually via UI Teve Youtube channel.
At the inauguration, which took place this morning, there were Member of Regional Representatives Council of the Republic of Indonesia (DPD RI), Dr. Muhammad Hilmy; Deputy Governor of West Sumatra Dr. Ir. Audy Joinaldy, S.Pt, M.Sc, MM, IPM, ASEAN.Eng .; Chairman of National Police Commission Dr. Irjen (Pur) Benny Mamoto; Vice Chancellor of President University Handa Abidin, SH, LLM, Ph.D .; Professor of Universitas Negeri Malang, Prof. Dr. Nurul Murtadho, M.Pd .; Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy of UHAMKA Dr. apt. Hadi Sunaryo; Head of Pharmacology and Toxicology Research Group, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Dr. Kurnia Agustini, M.Si., Apt.; National Standardization Body/National Accreditation Committee, apt. Neni Widyana, S.SI., M.S.E.; Indonesian Ambassador to Riyadh (2010–2014) Gatot Abdullah; Vice Chancellor III for Student Affairs UI (1994-2002) Drs. apt. Umar Mansur, M.Sc.; and Dean of the Faculty of Humanities UI (2013–2021) Dr. Adrianus Laurens Gerung Waworuntu, MA.
Prof. Silvia is a Member of the Academic Senate at Universitas Indonesia who currently also serves as the Chair of Pharmaceutical Technology Research Group (KBI) FF UI. Besides that, Prof. Silvia has also served as the Head of the Postgraduate Study Program of FF UI in 2018-2020 and the Manager of Education and Student Affairs FF UI in 2014-2018. Prof. Silvia earned her bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA) Universitas Indonesia in 1997. Still at the same faculty and campus, she graduated from Pharmacist Professional Program in 1998. She managed to get a Ph.D from the Department of Pharmaceutics, Hoshi University, Tokyo, Japan, in 2005.
She received Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) for the process of making a quarantine-rich extract from bitter melon (Momordica charantia L.) using the Ionic Liquid-Ultrasound Assisted Extraction method (2022), isolating method for polymer mucilage polysaccharides from seaweed (Gracilaria verrucosa) as a superdisintegrant (2021), and pregelatinized esterification of cassava starch propionate as a coating material for pharmaceuticals (2013).
Several titles of Prof. Silvia’s scientific works in pharmaceutical science are Andrographolide-Loaded Ethosomal Gel for Transdermal Application: Formulation and In Vitro Penetration Study (2022), Promising Chitosan-Alginate Combination for Rifampicin Dry Powder Inhaler to Target Active and Latent Tuberculosis (2022), Study of Valproic Acid Liposomes for Delivery Into The Brain Through an Intranasal Route (2022), Development of Transfersomal Emulgel to Enhance The Permeation Of Berberine Chloride For Transdermal Delivery (2022), and Design of Tea Tree Oil-Loaded Nanostructured Lipid Carriers: Preparation and In Vitro Antifungal Activity (2022).
