NJIT doctoral students receive recognition at poster c...( Giuseppe Di Benedetto and Micaela Ca...)

Giuseppe Di Benedetto and Micaela Caramellino, two doctoral students in NJITs graduate chemical engineering program, recently received recognition at a student poster event organized for developing efficient and robust approaches to manufacture nano- and micro-sized drug particles. The New Jersey section of the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering was the sponsor.

In recent years, the pharmaceutical industry has recognized that new technologies and methods must be developed to design, optimize, scale-up, and control processes involved in the manufacture of drug products, said Piero Armenante, PhD, research advisor of both students and director of NJITs pharmaceutical engineering program. One promising area of technological research is the development of novel methods to manufacture nano- and micro-size drug particles. Such small particles offer the advantage of being more rapidly and efficiently taken up by the body because of their smaller size and increased surface area.

Di Benedetto, who grew up in Newark, but now lives in Little Falls, received the highest score of all participants by demonstrating how the equipment that he assembled, comprising pumps, small-scale reactors, tanks and other laboratory equipment, could make two small liquid streams collide, producing nano and micro-sized particles. Prior to this competition Di Benedetto has presented his results at two sessions of the November 2007 meeting of the American Institute of Chemical Engineering (AIChE). His work was also presented at the 2007 Biennial North American Mixing Forum Conference.

Caramellino of Nutley presented her research project, in which she explained how she used a high shear device to fragment micro particles. Her research was also presented last November at the AIChE meeting.

Next fall, both students will travel to Boca Raton, all expenses paid, to compete in ISPEs larger national competition. Grants from the Engineerin
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