St. John’s Doctoral Candidate Honored at National Pulmonary Conference

A doctoral student from St. John’s University’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences recently earned national recognition for her research into pulmonary drug delivery.

Mural Quadros, a Ph.D. candidate in Pharmaceutical Sciences concentrating in industrial pharmacy under the mentorship of Vivek Gupta, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, received both the Best Poster Award and the Best Three-Minute Thesis Award at the Workshop for Inhalation Products and Pulmonary Drug Delivery at Purdue University in Indiana from September 29 to October 1. 

The annual workshop brings together research experts and others from academia, industry, and regulatory agencies to discuss the latest advances in inhalation science and therapeutic development.

Mural’s research focused on improving lung cancer treatment by delivering medicine directly to the lungs. The approach enables faster results, achieves high drug concentrations at the site of the disease, and results in fewer side effects compared to traditional treatments. Dr. Gupta praised Mural’s research and its alignment with his laboratory’s mission.

“Mural presented her research on inhalable nanoparticles composed of biodegradable polymer and an anticancer drug for targeted lung cancer therapy—an effort that aligns with our lab’s broader mission of developing innovative pulmonary drug delivery systems,” Dr. Gupta said. “I am delighted to recognize her for her outstanding scientific presentation and communication.”

As Mural nears completion of her Ph.D., she plans to continue her work in formulation and drug delivery development within the pharmaceutical industry. She hopes to continue advancing therapies that improve patient outcomes and enhance quality of life.

In the meantime, she called her experience at the workshop “invaluable.”

“Interacting with leading scientists and professionals with deep expertise in inhalation science provided constructive feedback and new perspectives to strengthen my research,” Mural said. “Being recognized with these two awards is truly humbling. I am grateful to St. John’s and the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences for fostering a supportive environment that encourages innovation, collaboration, and research excellence.”