Pharmaceutics MDPI

15/01/2026

🔥 Hot Off the Press!

📄 Gelatin-Based Rapid Blue Light-Irradiation In Situ Gelation Hydrogel Platform for Combination Therapy in Brain Tumors 💊
👩‍🔬 Huang et al.

💥 Highlights:
1. A gelatin methacryloyl (Gelatin MA) hydrogel was developed that achieves rapid gelation within 2-5 minutes under blue light irradiation, allowing for stable gel formation in situ within a complex physiological environment.
2. The hydrogel successfully encapsulating chemotherapy drugs (Epirubicin and Cisplatin) and a photothermal agent (polypyrrole-coated graphene oxide, PPy@GO). The system demonstrates sustained, stimulus-responsive drug release in tumor conditions (acidic pH and presence of collagenase) and generates significant heat upon near-infrared (NIR) laser irradiation.
3. In a mouse model of glioblastoma, the combination treatment using the drug-and-PPy@GO-loaded hydrogel along with radiotherapy (RT) and laser-induced photothermal therapy (PTT) resulted in complete tumor regression and significantly prolonged median survival to over 65 days, compared to 36 days for the control group, without notable systemic toxicity.

📢 Implications:
1. The in situ gelling system offers a promising clinical strategy for localized, post-surgical adjuvant therapy for brain tumors. It can be applied directly into the tumor resection cavity to bypass the blood-brain barrier, delivering high local concentrations of therapeutic agents to eradicate residual cancer cells and prevent recurrence.
2. The ability to integrate chemotherapy, photothermal therapy, and radiotherapy into a single platform provides a powerful synergistic approach. This multi-pronged attack on cancer cells may enhance overall therapeutic efficacy and help overcome the drug resistance commonly observed in aggressive tumors like glioblastoma.
3. The platform's design is versatile and biocompatible, suggesting its potential for broader applications beyond brain cancer. It could be adapted as a localized drug delivery system for treating other solid tumors or for different biomedical purposes, such as in tissue engineering, where sustained release of agents is required.

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Background/Objectives: Glioblastoma (GBM) is a fatal tumor in the central nervous system (CNS) with a poor prognosis.

15/01/2026

The Special Issue has been extended!

We invite you to contribute to the Special Issue entitled "Advanced Research on Transdermal Drug Delivery". 💉
Guest Editor: Dr. Guilan Quan, Dr. Tingting Peng, Dr. Anqi Lu and Prof. Dr. Xin Pan

1️⃣ paper has been published in the Special Issue, welcome to read at: https://brnw.ch/21wZ7xA

15/01/2026

⭐ New Special Issue!

📚 Targeted Degradation of Proteins and Organelles
🧑‍🔬 Prof. Dr. Longping Wen

🔗 https://brnw.ch/21wZ6nH

15/01/2026

🚀 Highly Cited Paper Alert!

📄 Increasing Bioavailability of Trans-Ferulic Acid by Encapsulation in Functionalized Mesoporous Silica 💊
👨‍🔬 Petrișor et al.

Read more at:

Two types of mesoporous materials, MCM-41 and MCM-48, were functionalized by the soft-template method using (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) as a modifying agent. The obtained mesoporous silica materials were loaded with trans-ferulic acid (FA). In order to establish the morphology and structu...

14/01/2026

🔥 Hot Off the Press!

📄 In Vitro Skin Models as Non-Animal Methods for Dermal Drug Development and Safety Assessment 💊
👩‍🔬 Costa Gagosian et al.

💥 Highlights:
1. Extrapolation from animal skin models poorly predicts clinical outcomes.
2. A spectrum of in vitro human skin models, built from defined cell types and sources, reproduces key in vivo characteristics and supports longer cultures.

📢 Implications:
1. Validated in vitro skin models can replace animal testing while improving translational relevance and ethics.2. Emerging biofabrication and microphysiological technologies enable more complex, human-relevant systems.

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Research on in vitro skin models has advanced remarkably, driven by a better understanding of the skin and the search for more ethical and efficient methods. The development of these models was initially motivated by the need for reduced animal testing and a faster and more ethical approach for the ...

14/01/2026

📢 We are delighted to announce that Prof. Dr. Ke Ding from Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), China, will serve as a Keynote Speaker for the 5th Medicinal Chemistry Symposium ( 2026): New Trends in Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, which will be held in , China, from May 14 to 17, 2026.

🎤 Prof. Ke Ding serves as the Executive Deputy Director of the National Key Laboratory of Small Molecule Regulation of Life Processes at the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, CAS. His research focuses on innovative drug discovery (medicinal chemical biology), particularly addressing critical clinical challenges such as cancer and drug resistance through the design and synthesis of novel small-molecule modulators. He has successfully led the development and approval of two Class 1 innovative drugs, olverembatinib and liuetinib, with five additional drug candidates advancing into clinical studies globally. Prof. Ding has authored over 270 international publications and holds more than 80 granted patents worldwide, with multiple patents successfully translated into practice.

✨ Don't miss the opportunity to interact with Prof. Ding!
📝 Submit your abstracts here before 16 January: https://brnw.ch/21wYWTm

14/01/2026

⭐ New Special Issue!

📚 Precision Local Drug Delivery: From Formulation Design to Local Bioavailability Assessment
🧑‍🔬 Dr. Jie Shen

🔗 https://brnw.ch/21wZ4bw

14/01/2026

🚀 Highly Cited Paper Alert!

📄 Liposomal Iron Oxide Nanoparticles Loaded with Doxorubicin for Combined Chemo-Photothermal Cancer Therapy 💊
👨‍🔬 Park et al.

Read more at:

Iron oxide nanoparticle (IONP) possesses unique advantages over other nanoparticles in the use of cancer imaging and therapy. Specifically, it has drawn great attention in the emerging research field of photothermal cancer therapy. Herein, we developed doxorubicin (DOX)-loaded liposomal IONP (Lipo-I...

13/01/2026

🔥 Hot Off the Press!

📄 Chemotherapy-Induced Hematological Toxicity in Patients with Renal or Hepatic Impairment 💊
👩‍🔬 Nies et al.

💥 Highlights:
1. Cohort: real-world data from 7,747 chemotherapy patients (UPOD, 2011–2024); organ impairment was primarily mild.
2. Overall, renal and hepatic impairment was associated with higher risk of severe hematologic toxicity (neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, anemia; HRs 1.25–1.66).
3. Regimens containing cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, etoposide, melphalan, or methotrexate were particularly sensitive to organ impairment.

📢 Implications:
1. Mild renal/hepatic impairment could lead to an increase in chemotherapy hematologic toxicity.
2. Dosing guidance should consider mild to moderate impairment, not only severe dysfunction.
3. Larger multicenter studies are needed to validate findings and inform evidence-based dose adjustments.

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Background/Objectives: Hematological toxicities (i.e., neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and anemia), are common chemotherapy complications and may be exacerbated by renal or hepatic impairment due to altered drug exposure. This study assessed the association between renal and hepatic impairment and he...

13/01/2026

The Special Issue has been extended!

We invite you to contribute to the Special Issue entitled "Development of Vectors for Drug and Gene Delivery via the Nasal Route". 🧬➡️👃🏻
Guest Editors: Dr. Flávia Nathiely Silveira Fachel and Dr. Roselena Silvestri Schuh

2️⃣ papers have been published in the Special Issue, welcome to read at: https://brnw.ch/21wZ3ux

13/01/2026

🌟 Scholar Visit Highlight
Our colleagues, Seungwoo Jeong and Sujin Jeon from MDPI Korea, had the pleasure of meeting our Editorial Board Members, Prof. Dr. Sung-Joo Hwang, Professor Emeritus, and Prof. Dr. Seong-Hoon Jeong from Yonsei University.

Professor Hwang has taught pharmaceutical sciences for 35 years and has previously served as President of leading academic societies, including the Korean Society of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology (KSPST) and the Korean Society of Food, Drug and Cosmetics Regulatory Sciences (KFDC).

They encouraged our active participation in academic events organized by the KSPST, such as the upcoming Science Day Symposium, Formulation Technology Workshop, and Annual General Assembly & Academic Conference. We deeply appreciate their willingness to serve as a bridge between MDPI and the society, helping to foster a strong and cooperative relationship.

A huge thank you to Professors Hwang and Jeong for their dedication!

13/01/2026

⭐ New Special Issue!

📚 Nanomedicines for Immunotherapy
🧑‍🔬 Dr. Mengyu Chang

🔗 https://brnw.ch/21wZ2hS