Brief biography
Dr. Afsaneh Lavasanifar
Dr. Afsaneh Lavasanifar’s area of expertise is pharmaceutics and drug delivery. She is a professor in the Pharmaceutical Sciences division of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Alberta and has a joint appointment with the Department of Chemical and Medical Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering at the same university. She is also the Scientific Chief Officer and Vice President of Meros Pharma, a spinoff company based on the technology developed in her lab. Her research has been funded by grants from Natural Science and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC), Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR), Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI); Alberta Innovates Health Solutions (AIHS) and Alberta Cancer Foundation (ACF).
Dr. Lavasanifar has more than 160 peer reviewed manuscripts in highly ranked journals in pharmaceutical sciences, 3 book chapters, several abstracts, numerous conference presentations and invited talks in national and international conferences. She is the main inventor or co-inventor in 12 different issued or pending patent applications. She is currently the Associate Editor of Molecular Pharmaceutics and ACS Bio & Med Chem Au.
Education
Ph.D. Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Alberta
Pharm.D, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran university of Medical Sciences
Academic Experience
July 2011- Present
2009 - present
2005 - 2011
2001 - 2005
1992 - 1996
2011
2018
Visiting Scientist, University of Louisville, KY, USA
Visiting Scientist, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Huston, TX, USA
Professor, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Alberta
Adjunct Professor, Chemical and Material Engineering, University of Alberta
Associate Professor, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Alberta
Assistant Professor, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Alberta
Lecturer, Pharmacy, Dr Beheshti University of Medical Sciences
Courses Taught
PHARM 331 Pharmaceutics I
Principles of pharmaceutical dosage forms. Factors affecting the physical and chemical behavior of drug products. Rationale underlying the formulation and compounding techniques of pharmaceutical preparations.
PHARM 361 Pharmaceutics II
Physicochemical principles of pharmaceutical dosage forms. Factors affecting the physical and chemical behavior of drug products and dosage forms. Rationale underlying the formulation and quality control of pharmaceutical preparations.
PHARM 610 Advanced Drug Delivery Systems
The focus of this course is on the design and development of novel delivery systems for various treatment and diagnostic applications. A particular attention will be paid to the physicochemical principles behind the development of different drug delivery systems, their biological application and significance. Emphasis is given to polymer based systems and assembled nano-carriers for the delivery of therapeutic drugs, proteins, vaccines and genes. Prerequisite: Consent of Faculty.