Dr. Martin J. D'Souza
Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Director of Graduate Program
Director of Clinical Laboratory
Co-Director of the Center for Drug Delivery Research
Dick R. Gourley Chair of Pharmaceutics
Education
- B.S., Pharmacy, University of Bombay
- Ph.D., Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy
Research Background and Interests
The D’Souza nanotechnology laboratory mainly focuses on the design of novel patented technologies to deliver nano vaccines via the oral, buccal, parenteral and microneedle based transdermal route. Examples include: viral vaccines such as influenza vaccines, HIV and human papilloma vaccines (HPV); bacterial vaccines such as pneumonia, meningitis, TB and typhoid; and cancer vaccines, such as breast, melanoma, prostate, liver and ovarian.
Recently, we also have been involved in tissue bio-engineering- applications including the use of cell encapsulation and thermo-sensitive gels for transplantation of pancreatic cells in diabetes.
Courses
- PHA 337 Biopharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics
- PHA 375 Comprehensive Patient-Centered Care I
- PHA 527 Biotechnology
- PHA 538 Basic and Clinical Sciences Review
- PHA 744 Scientific Writing
- PHA 749 Introduction to Research
- PHA 807 Pharmaceutical Biotechnology
Teaching Philosophy
My love for teaching is what attracted me to academia in the first place. I am particularly pleased to see that students, who come in with little or no knowledge in a particular field, depart with a sound base. I hope to be able to foster the enhancement of knowledge necessary to enable students to become life-long learners. I also have been able to incorporate new technologies in the classroom in order to enhance the interactive learning environment that we find ourselves. I must say that with new innovations in teaching methodologies, this area will continue to be very exciting for me in the future. The classroom lectures are followed by in class activities such as problem solving exercises and breakout sessions, which results in a highly interactive learning process. I feel motivated to challenge students to think while focusing on practical learning as the ultimate goal.
News
NIH awards grant to pharmacy researcher to study how nanoparticles may help childhood epilepsy – The Den, 5/11/21
College of Pharmacy Joins National Effort to Transform Delivery of Medications to Curb Healthcare Spending – The Den, 10/13/21
How is a vaccine developed? A pharmacy professor explains – The Den, 4/14/20
Selected Publications
- PubMed
- Akalkotkar A, Chablani L, Tawde SA, D’Souza C, D’Souza MJ. (2015). Development of a microparticulate prostate cancer vaccine and evaluating the effect of route of administration on its efficacy via the skin. J Microencapsul. May 19:1-9.
- Addo RT, Yeboah KG, Siwale RC, Siddig A, Jones A, Ubale RV, Akande J, Nettey H, Patel NJ, Addo E, D’Souza MJ. (2015). Formulation and characterization of atropine sulfate in albumin-chitosan microparticles for in vivo ocular drug delivery. J Pharm Sci. May;104(5):1677-90.
- D’Souza B, Bhowmik T, Uddin MN, Oettinger C, D’Souza M. (2015). Development of cyclodextrin-based sustained release microparticles for oral insulin delivery. Drug Dev Ind. Pharm. Aug;41(8):1288-93.
- Ubale RV, Gala RP, Zughaier SM, D’Souza MJ. (2014). Induction of death receptor CD95 and co-stimulatory molecules CD80 and CD86 by meningococcal capsular polysaccharide-loaded vaccine nanoparticles. AAPS J. Sep;16(5):986-93.
- D’Souza MJ (2014) Editor, Nanoparticulate Vaccine Delivery Systems, Panstanford Publication (Book Editor, 2014)
- D’Souza MJ Tawde SA, Akalkotkar A, Chablani L, D’Souza M, Chiriva-Internati M. Nanotechnology in Vaccine Delivery. In: Giese M, Book Editor. Molecular Vaccines [Internet]. Springer International Publishing;2014 [cited 2014 Jun 17]. p. 727–41
- Patel N, Addo RT, Ubale R, Uddin MN, D’Souza M, Jobe L. (2014). The effect of antisense to NF-kB in an albumin microsphere formulation on the progression of left-ventricular remodeling associated with chronic volume overload in rats. J Drug Target. Nov;22(9):796-804.
- Enriquez GG, Rizvi SA, D’Souza MJ, Do DP. (2013) Formulation and evaluation of drug-loaded targeted magnetic microspheres for cancer therapy. Int J Nanomedicine. 8:1393-402.
- Uddin MN, Patel NJ, Bhowmik T, D’Souza B, Akalkotkar A, Etzlar F, Oettinger CW, D’Souza MJ. (2013). Enhanced bioavailability of orally administered antisense oligonucleotide to nuclear factor kappa B mRNA after microencapsulation with albumin. J Drug Target. 21(5):450-7.
- Ubale RV, D’Souza MJ, Infield DT, McCarty NA, Zughaier SM., (2013) Formulation of meningococcal capsular polysaccharide vaccine-loaded microparticles with robust innate immune recognition. J Microencapsul. 30(1):28-41
- Pandey A, Kurup A, Shrivastava A, Radhi S, Nguyen DD, Arentz C, D’Chuna N, Hardwick F, D’Souza MJ, Jenkins M, Grizzi F, Kast WM,Cobos E, Rahman R, Chiriva-Internati M, Chiaramonte R, Platonova N. (2012) Cancer testes antigens in breast cancer: biological role, regulation, and therapeutic applicability. Int Rev Immunol. 31(5):302-20.
- Bhowmik, T, D’Souza B., Uddin, M and D’Souza M.J., (2012) Oral delivery of microparticles containing plasmid DNA encoding hepatitis-B surface antigen. J Drug Target, 20, 364-71.
- D’Souza, B., Bhowmik, T., Shashidharamurthy, R., Oettinger C., Selvaraj, P, D’Souza, MJ (2012). Oral microparticulate vaccine for melanoma using M-cell targeting. J Drug Target, 20, 166-73.
- Tawde SA, Akalkotker A, D’Souza C, Chiriva-Internati M, Selvaraj P, D’Souza MJ (2012) Formulation of Oral Microparticulate Ovarian Cancer Vaccines, Vaccine, 17, 30 (38):5675-81
- Bozeman EN, Shashidharamurthy R, Paulos SA, Palaniappan R, D’Souza M, Selvaraj P. (2010) Cancer vaccine development: designing tumor cells for greater immunogenicity. Frontiers in Biosciences. 15:309-20
- Bumgarner GW, Shashidharamurthy R, Nagarajan S, D’Souza MJ, and Selvaraj P. (2009) Surface engineering of microparticles using a novel protein transfer for targeted antigen/drug delivery J. Controlled. Release, 2009;137(2):90-7
- Yeboah K., and D’Souza MJ. (2009) Evaluation of albumin microspheres as oral delivery systems for Mycobacterium tuberculosis vaccines. Journal of Microencapsulation, 26(2), 166-179
- Uddin AN, Bejugam NK, Gayakwad SG, Akther P, D’Souza MJ. (2009) Oral delivery of gastro-resistant microencapsulated typhoid vaccine. J Drug Target,17(7):553-60
- Lai Y.H. and D’Souza M.J. Formulation and evaluation of an oral melanoma vaccine. J. Microencapsulation, 2007, 24, (3), 235-252