Summer Undergraduate Research Internship

Pharmaceutical sciences focus on the physiology and chemistry controlling drug therapeutic action in modern medicine. Often confused with pharmacy practice, pharmaceutics is distinct in its research and development emphasis, contributing important technologies and scientific bases for drug delivery to patients. Over half of newly discovered drug candidates cannot be commercialized without further drug delivery and formulation assistance. Researchers trained in pharmaceutics integrate a broad working knowledge of diverse scientific disciplines: from fundamental studies of drug physiochemical properties and bioactive molecules to mechanisms of various physiological processes that impact drug delivery to specific biological sites of action and, therefore, their therapeutic effectiveness. Increasing awareness of the complexity of the drug delivery process in living systems means that researchers in pharmaceutics today must maintain breadth and depth in physical chemistry, cellular and molecular biology, organic chemistry, mathematics, bioengineering, and nanotechnology in order to solve research problems that require integration of basic science concepts from multiple disciplines with medical applications. 

Research at the PHCEU:

Research in our department covers a broad spectrum of areas including drug delivery, gene therapy, cell-based delivery, immunotherapeutics and vaccines, precision medicine, and theranostics. Innovative drug delivery is a major focus of research in our department. We develop advanced carriers with a variety of unique features for delivery of small molecule drugs, vaccines, peptides, proteins and imaging agents for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes. Our interdisciplinary research enterprise is at the interface of materials science and chemistry, cellular and molecular biology and clinical translation. The areas of research emphasis in our department includes, but are not limited to, design and development of polymer-based therapeutics, drug delivery approaches to overcome antimicrobial resistance, delivery of macromolecular therapeutics for treatment of brain tumors, cell therapy and cell sheet tissue engineering, design of immunotherapeutics for cancer treatment, nanomedicine, vaccine development and diagnostics.  Faculty and students in our department work in close collaboration with the Departments of Biomedical Engineering, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medicinal Chemistry, School of Medicine, and The Huntsman Cancer Institute among other local, national and international organizations. 

Research Facilities:

The Department of Molecular Pharmaceutics occupies space in The Skaggs Pharmacy Institute at the College of Pharmacy, The Biomedical Polymers Research Building, and The Sorenson Molecular Biotechnology Building.  These buildings are all proximal to the Health Sciences Center and Health Sciences Library.  All department space is well equipped for graduate research containing facilities for chemical synthesis, molecular biology, protein chemistry, cell culture, and small animal surgery.  The Department also possesses multiple cold rooms, darkrooms, modern computing facilities, several shared instrument rooms, offices, and conference rooms. There are three research centers affiliated with the Department of Molecular Pharmaceutics: Center for Controlled Chemical Delivery, Utah Center for Nanomedicine and the Cell Sheet Tissue Engineering Center. These research centers led by faculty from the department provide a strong globally recognized training environment.

Purpose of the Program and the Activities Offered:

The Department’s Undergraduate Summer Research Internship is a ten-week program during which time students conduct independent research under the supervision of faculty members applying chemical, biological and mathematical principles to contemporary problems involving drugs and related molecules. Participants receive basic instruction in laboratory and research techniques, learn first-hand the use of specialized laboratory instrumentation, and learn how to effectively search and study the scientific literature. The program is designed to provide maximum independence but sufficient guidance to ensure that students will obtain a complete research experience. The research labs at PHCEU have close interaction and multiple collaborations with other units at the University of Utah including the Colleges of Science and Engineering, the School of Medicine as well as The Huntsman Cancer Institute. This provides a unique opportunity for undergraduate students to experience a multidisciplinary and translational research environment. In addition to the laboratory projects, the program director will organize weekly journal clubs for students and is available to provide scientific and social support during their stay.

As part of this program, we will also organize social activities including hiking and summer BBQ that facilitate the integration of undergraduate students with the broader community. The University of Utah is located in Salt Lake City at the foot of the Wasatch Mountains. Opportunities for a variety of summer recreational activities are abundant, including hiking, mountain climbing, boating, and fishing. Ten national parks are within a day's drive from the University.

At their option, participants may enroll as University of Utah students for the summer and receive academic credit for their research work. In such case tuition will not be covered by the program. Participants will obtain valuable exposure to scientific research which will enable them to more clearly evaluate career and educational choices.