Dr. Prausnitz and his colleagues carry out research on biophysical methods of drug delivery using microneedles, ultrasound, and other approaches.

Microscopic needles have been fabricated in the Prausnitz lab in collaboration with Dr. Mark Allen for use as minimally invasive, painless devices for drug and vaccine delivery across the skin. Research continues to improve microneedle design and fabrication for delivery into skin with controlled kinetics and ease of patient use. Collaborative projects with collaborators at Emory University address delivery of drugs, especially for diabetes with Dr. Eric Felner, and vaccines with Dr. Richard Campans.

Ultrasound has been shown to drive molecules, such as drugs, proteins and DNA, into living cells. Despite in vivo demonstrations of targeted drug delivery and enhanced gene transfection, ultrasound’s effects are difficult to control due in part to an incomplete understanding of its mechanism of action. The Prausnitz lab carries out experimental studies to determine the mechanism by which molecules enter cells, which is largely due to transient disruption of the cell membrane that reseals by active cellular processes, and the mechanism by which ultrasound can kill cells, with emphasis on developing strategies to enhance or inhibit cell death for diverse applications.

Drug delivery to the eye is difficult, especially to treat retinal diseases such as macular degeneration in the back of the eye. In collaboration with Dr. Henry Edelhauser at Emory University, the Prausnitz lab is developing novel drug delivery methods using microneedles and other technologies to target drugs to the back of the eye, especially for sustained release over time. In collaboration with Dr. Aurelie Edwards at Tufts University, the Prausnitz lab carries out theoretical modeling of drug transport processes in the eye.

Other methods of transdermal drug delivery are being studied in the Prausnitz lab too. In collaboration with Dr. Mark Allen, devices and methods are being developed to cause thermal ablation of the skin to increase transdermal permeability. In collaboration with Dr. Pete Ludovice, the effects of pore-forming magainin peptides on skin are being studied as a novel approach to enhancing transdermal delivery. Finally, in collaboration with Dr. Silvija Staprans at Emory University, microdermabrasion is being adapted to increase skin permeability to deliver vaccines and drugs into the skin.  

In addition to training graduate students in the laboratory, Dr. Prausnitz is actively involved with teaching undergraduate students in the classroom. His core courses are introductory classes on mass and energy balances and thermodynamics. An elective course developed by Dr. Prausnitz is entitled “Effective Communication for Professional Engineering,” which addresses oral and written communication in the context of a case study of the nicotine patch. Biweekly presentations by invited professionals ranging from bench scientists to patent attorneys to business executives to press reporters prepare students to communicate effectively to a diversity of audiences. Another elective course co-developed with Dr. Andy Bommarius is entitled “Drug Design, Development and Delivery,” which provides an overview of pharmaceuticals with an emphasis on chemistry and engineering fundamentals in the context of a series of case studies evaluated and presented by the students.