Ana Aguiar Ricardo

Present – Research Fellow

2012 - MSc Biochemistry, University of Lisbon, Portugal

2010 - BSc Biochemistry, University of Lisbon, Portugal

Production of chitosan microparticles for controlled drug release by Supercritical Assisted Atomization (SAA)

In this work, microparticles are produced for the controlled release  of  drugs  and  biomolecules to  the  lungs  using  supercritical carbon dioxide (sc-CO₂) technology.  The composition, structural and morphological properties of particles, their particle size and  shape,  porosity,  pore size  diameter  and  pore  size  distribution  are  evaluated  by  FT-IR,  Morphologi G3, SEM, DSC, XRD and BET surface areas. In vitro studies at physiological pH and temperature in order to determine drug-release profiles are also performed. Andersen Cascade Impacto (ACI) is used to assess the aerodynamic properties of the microparticles.