With a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics, Dr. Hasham Shafi’s research, conducted at CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, India, and the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Kashmir, India, primarily focuses on addressing challenges related to the poor solubility/bioavailability of drugs and engineering target-based drug delivery systems. Holding Bachelors and Master’s degrees in Pharmaceutical Sciences with a specialization in Pharmaceutics from the University of Kashmir, Dr. Shafi’s journey includes three years of valuable experience as a Junior/Senior Research fellow at the Department of Nanotechnology (University of Kashmir) and the Department of Pharmaceutics (Birla Institute of Science and Technology). He is also a registered pharmacist at the Pharmacy Council of India. As part of his Ph.D. fellowship program, Dr. Shafi investigated the co-delivery of DPIs of antibiofilm agents with antitubercular drugs to overcome drug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis. His work delved into Mtb’s ability to form biofilms using various biomaterial matrices as a carbon source, resulting in impermeability to antitubercular drugs and contributing to drug resistance. Dr. Shafi successfully engineered a biofilm assay mimicking the in vivo mycobacterial biofilm niche to screen various biofilm-disrupting agents. In a collaborative doctoral research program, he explored the role of SOCS proteins in tuberculosis pathogenesis and investigated host-directed strategies using IFN-γ and calcitriol. Additionally, he contributed to research examining the potential of DPIs of pteromanid analogs as adjunct therapy in tuberculosis. Expertise: Dr. Shafi’s expertise spans a diverse range of skills in formulation development, particularly dry powder inhalations (DPIs) and Fast Dissolving Delivery Systems. His proficiency includes analytical/bioanalytical method development for small molecules, characterization techniques, preclinical ADME, in vitro studies, microbiology, and in vivo studies, including those in BSL3 settings.
research interests
1. DPI as a targeted drug delivery approach. 2. Role of Biofilms in Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis. 3. Host-directed strategies for Tuberculosis. 4. Drug discovery 5. PK/PD 6. Fast-dissolving drug delivery systems 7. Engineering Biomaterials 8. Physical Pharmaceutics
