With a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics, Dr. Hasham Shafi’s research, conducted at CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, India, and the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Kashmir, India, primarily focuses on addressing challenges related to the poor solubility/bioavailability of drugs and engineering target-based drug delivery systems. Holding Bachelors and Master’s degrees in Pharmaceutical Sciences with specialization in Pharmaceutics from the University of Kashmir, Dr. Shafi’s journey includes three years of valuable experience as a Junior/Senior Research fellow at the Department of Nanotechnology (University of Kashmir) and the Department of Pharmaceutics (Birla Institute of Science and Technology). He is also a registered pharmacist at the Pharmacy Council of India.

As part of his Ph.D. fellowship program, Dr. Shafi investigated the co-delivery of DPIs of antibiofilm agents with antitubercular drugs to overcome drug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis. His work delved into Mtb’s ability to form biofilms using various biomaterial matrices as a carbon source, resulting in impermeability to antitubercular drugs and contributing to drug resistance. Dr. Shafi successfully engineered a biofilm assay mimicking the in vivo mycobacterial biofilm niche to screen various biofilm-disrupting agents. In a collaborative doctoral research program, he explored the role of SOCS proteins in tuberculosis pathogenesis and investigated host-directed strategies using IFN-γ and calcitriol. Additionally, he contributed to research examining the potential of DPIs of pteromanid analogs as adjunct therapy in tuberculosis.

Expertise: Dr. Shafi’s expertise spans a diverse range of skills in formulation development, particularly dry powder inhalations (DPIs) and Fast Dissolving Delivery Systems. His proficiency includes analytical/bioanalytical method development for small molecules, characterization techniques, preclinical ADME, in vitro studies, microbiology, and in vivo studies, including those in BSL3 settings.