Story of Pharmacy Biochemistry undergraduate, student at the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto – University of São Paulo (USP), Brazil.
I am a Pharmacy Biochemistry undergraduate student at the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto – University of São Paulo (USP), Brazil. I had always wanted the opportunity to travel and to do research in another country particularly the United States. I was so pleased this past spring when I heard that I was awarded a Scholarship from University of São Paulo to spend three months this summer conducting scientific research at Professor Michniak-Kohn’s laboratory and the Center for Dermal Research CDR /NJ Center of Biomaterials at Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey. I arrived this past May and will leave at the end of August. The summer scientific project involves the study of the pharmacological activity of siRNA contained in a topical formulation for the treatment of melanoma. I am responsible for conducting the cytotoxicity assays using the novel liposomal formulation being developed here at CDR for topical siRNA delivery.
During my time off on the weekends I have gone to New York, Washington DC and Niagara Falls. My only regret is that the summer to date has been so rainy. I am hoping that it will be sunny and warm for my last week in August before I fly back to Brazil. That week I am planning to visit Boston and also spend some time at the New Jersey beach.
My research in Brazil involves the development of a topical pharmaceutical formulation containing a glycoalkaloid extract from Solanum lycocarpum A. St.-Hil for the treatment of skin cancer. I have worked in the Pharmacognosy and the Pharmaceutical technology laboratories since 2012. My research interests generally lie in drug delivery, development of cosmetic formulations, and the use of natural products for skin applications.