Executive Council

Stefano Salmaso is full professor of Pharmaceutical Technology since 2017 at the University of Padova. He was awarded the Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences at University of Padova in 2004. After completing his training at University of Paris-Sud XI and University of Strasbourg (2002), he held positions as assistant and associate professor at the University of Padova (2004-2017), and associate scientist at Northeastern University (Boston, 2005, 2008).
The activities of his research group focus on the engineering of smart colloidal systems (micelles, liposomes and polymersomes, polymeric and metallic nanoparticles) by combining responsive materials and functional agents for the selective delivery of drugs and biologics. The resulting systems possess peculiar interfacing abilities and matrix properties controlling their disposition and cargo release. His major contributions lay on the develop of therapeutic systems for cancer, eye disease and antimicrobial treatment, and vaccination. He has authored more than 90 papers in international peer-reviewed journals.
His research is supported by public bodies (University of Padova; FP-VII European grant, European Social Fund, ITN-Marie-Curie action, PRIN-MUR), Foundations (Cariparo, Cystic Fibrosis) and several biopharmaceutical national and international companies.
His commitment to train young scientists and guide them along the development of their career resulted in several PhD awardees now operating in academic and industrial sectors.
He is Editorial board member of the Journal of Controlled Release and OpenNano.

Pasquale Del Gaudio is Full Professor of Pharmaceutical Technology at the University of Salerno.
He graduated in Chemistry at the University of Salerno in 2001. In 2002 he was appointed an EC scholarship by Enantioselective Recognition EC Network at the University of Southampton (UK). In 2003 he moved to the University of Parma for a Ph.D. in Biopharmaceutics-Pharmacokinetics, that he earned in 2005. In 2006 he moved at the University of Salerno.
In 2018 he joined COST Association being part of the board of the AERoGELS (Advanced Engineering and Research of aeroGels for Environmental and Life Sciences) Cost Action.
His main research activities are focused on design, development of innovative controlled release dosage forms with special regards to microencapsulation and nanoencapsulation of drugs and phytotherapics; formulation of innovative controlled release dosage forms for the administration of drugs by alternative routes (pulmonary, loco regional and transdermal route); design and development of medical devices for wound healing; novel biodegradable drug delivery systems by 3D printing technologies.
He is the author of 3 patents and published over 80 papers in international peer-reviewed journals in the pharmaceutical and biomaterial field; he has presented more than 50 personal communications at national and international symposia.

Rossella Dorati earned her Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology from University of Pavia (Italy) in 2022.
She is currently Associate Professor in Pharmaceutical Technology, SSD CHIM/09, at University of Pavia (Italy), where she was previously enrolled as assistant professor since 2010. She worked as researcher at College of Pharmacy of University of Kentucky (USA) in 2005 and 2006, and at US Army Institute of Surgical Research, San Antonio (Texas) from 2015 to 2017.
Her research has focused on micro and nanoparticulate DDS made of biodegradable and biocompatibile polymers as carrier for protein, peptide, and siRNA. Recently, she dedicated much effort on localized delivery, extending her knowledge and experiences in the field of advanced formulations to reduce wound scarring, and being involved with granted projects aimed to transfer the scientific research into a product to market.
She also collaborate with the University of Milan in the design and production of medical devices and DDSs in a granted project on circular economy that exploits a raw material derived from a vegetable waste. She is author of 96 publications in international peer-reviewed journals (1878 citations, h-index 24 as indexed by Scopus on 01/2023) and inventor of four patents.

Silvia Pescina is Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Technology at the University of Parma. She graduated in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology in 2008 and defended her PhD in Biopharmaceutics-Pharmacokinetics in 2012. From 2012 to 2019 she was Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Parma. From October 2019 she is Docent (Adjunct Professor) in Drug Delivery at the University of Helsinki (Finland). She is currently Scientific and Technical Manager of Micro4Nano, an EU funded project (H2020-MSCA-RISE). She is co-author of 45 papers published in international peer-reviewed journals. Her research activity is mostly focused on ocular drug delivery, with emphasis on development and characterization of topical dosage forms, set-up of in vitro and ex vivo models for studying the ophthalmic delivery of conventional and biotech compounds, evaluation of chemical and physical absorption enhancers.

Michele Schlich is assistant professor of pharmaceutical technology and industrial pharmacy at University of Cagliari.
He obtained his PhD in Life, Environmental and Drug Sciences from the University of Cagliari in 2017, then moved to the Italian Institute of Technology (Genoa, Italy) for his post-doctoral studies in the laboratory of prof. Paolo Decuzzi.
During his training, he has been a visiting researcher at Semmelweis University Budapest (2011-2012), University College Cork (2015-2016) and the Italian biotech company Transactiva s.r.l. (2022).

His research is focused on the use of nanotechnology to overcome unfavorable properties of bioactive molecules, promoting their development as pharmaceutical products. His main interests are focused on:
- rational design, production, and characterization of lipid-based nanoparticles for delivery of biologics
- study of the interactions between nanoparticles, cells, and tissues
- formulation of nanocrystal suspensions to increase the bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs
- combination of nanomedicines with medical devices (e.g., needle-free jet injectors)

In the years 2018-2021 he served as delegate for the Pharmaceutical Technology Division in the executive council of the Young Group of the Italian Chemical Society. He is member of CRS – Italy Chapter since 2017.