DM

Debadatta Mohapatra

Indian Institute of Technology BHU, University of Toronto, Biju Patnaik University of Technology

ORCID iD 0000-0003-3044-8706
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About

My academic training has provided me with a strong interdisciplinary foundation in pharmaceutics, nanomedicine, herbal drug development, and cancer biology, with a continuous focus on the rational design of novel drug delivery systems. During my pharmacy education, I developed a keen interest in the formulation development of novel drug delivery systems, particularly to address limitations in solubility, bioavailability, and biological barriers. I developed expertise in formulation development, physicochemical characterization, analytical method development & validation, and in vitro & in vivo therapeutic evaluation. During my M. Pharm., I initiated independent research in formulation by addressing the delivery challenges of disulfiram, a poorly water-soluble drug. Using a Quality-by-Design (QbD) approach, I developed and optimized a microemulsion and microemulsion-based gel for oral and topical melanoma therapy and comprehensively evaluated their pharmaceutical properties and therapeutic activity. In the Junior Research Fellow (JRF Project Fellow, DBT Twinning project) research work at IIT (BHU), I have worked on the phytochemical and pharmacological evaluation (antioxidant and antimicrobial activities) of bioactivity-guided fractions of medicinal plants of Tripura. My doctoral research at IIT (BHU), Varanasi, India, focused on the QbD-based development of solid dispersions and ultra-deformable nanovesicular transgelosome phytoformulations of Piper longum for melanoma therapy, integrating formulation science with in vitro and in vivo syngeneic transplantable tumor models, and pharmacokinetic evaluation. I also developed and characterized a range of advanced nanoformulations, including carbon dots, transferosomes, liposomes, phytosomes, and metallic nanoparticles, for cancer therapy and targeted drug delivery. These works resulted in multiple peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, and national research awards, and strengthened my ability to conduct independent, hypothesis-driven research with translational relevance. My postdoctoral research at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, focuses on evaluating small-molecule therapeutics and advanced drug-delivery systems for ocular neovascularization/angiogenesis in age-related macular degeneration (nAMD), and related diseases. Using clinically relevant laser-induced and genetically engineered mouse models of choroidal neovascularization, I investigated the therapeutic efficacy of novel ophthalmic formulations. This training has enabled me to transition into ocular disease biology and acquire expertise in animal disease models, ocular imaging, intravitreal delivery, and molecular and histological analyses. Recently, research on a topical ophthalmic nanoemulsion for nAMD was published in the “International Journal of Pharmaceutics”, and another review on nanoemulsions was selected for the cover of the “Pharmaceutics” Journal. Alongside my research, I actively engage in scientific writing, peer review, editorial activities, mentoring, and professional development activities. I have authored 29 international publications, two books, six book chapters, and filed a US patent on a “novel topical drug delivery composition”, contributing significantly to translational pharmaceutical research. My research has been recognized through high citation impact and multiple awards. including “best research paper”, “best poster presentation” awards.

Employment

  • University of Toronto Postdoctoral Researcher
    2024 - 2025
  • Indian Institute of Technology BHU PhD Research Scholar
    2019 - Present

Education

  • Biju Patnaik University of Technology B.Pharm & M.Pharm
    2012 - 2018

Projects & Funding

Projects & funding information is unavailable.

Publications (35)