19^th European Organic Chemistry Congress

Drug Design and Chemical Engineering

Chemical Engineering is a branch of engineering that applies physical sciences (physics and chemistry), life sciences (microbiology and biochemistry), together with applied mathematics and economics to produce, transform, transport, and properly use chemicals, materials, and energy.

Important aspect of drug delivery is site at which drug must be released. Drugs delivery agents are designed according to chemical nature of the site at which it has to be delivered. Examples include drugs designed for stomach. These drugs are encapsulated in such a polymer which is sensitive to pH. The protective polymer which encapsulated the drug dissolves at a rate which is dependent on pH (acidity) of its environment (stomach). The drug delivery can be tuned by controlling the rate of dissolution of polymer. The polymer dissolution process is nothing more than hydrolysis of the polymer. Being a chemical reaction, its rate of reaction (rate of dissolution) can be controlled. A whole branch of chemistry is dedicated to this study, Chemical kinetics. Thus, knowledge of chemical engineering is essential in such designs.