Nina Mertz

Teaching

I am teaching (lab exercises and classes) in the Pharmaceutical Physical Chemistry II course (Bachelor level) at Pharma School.

Current research

My current project involves a promising strategy for infection prophylaxis and improvement of post-operative pain control following joint replacement that is focused on local delivery of drugs such as antibiotics and NSAIDs at the surgical site. The drug delivery systems investigatied in this project are primarily in situ formed prodrug suspensions and liquid crystalline phases. Besides minimizing systemic toxicity and maximizing the local drug concentration in the surgical tissue, it is equally important to maintain therapeutic drug concentrations over prolonged periods of time. Therefore, injectable depot formulations enabling localized and sustained delivery of two or more loaded drugs are of high interest. Thus, to improve the outcomes of joint arthroplasties and facilitate patients’ rehabilitation and recovery, there is a need for such efficient drug delivery systems that are able to maintain and sustain therapeutic levels of antibiotics, local anesthetics, and anti-inflammatory agents at the surgical site.

Primary fields of research

My primary area of research concern parental depot formulations for intra-articular injection and the physicochemical characterization of such drug delivery systems. My work also involves the investigation of release mechanisms and kinetics from in situ formed controlled drug delivery systems.