Xueying Ge, MS, PhD
Porous Liquids:Integrating Porosity and Fluidity for Enhanced Drug Delivery
Abstract
Imagine trying to dissolve oil in water—that’s what it’s like delivering most modern medicines in the body. Over 70% of approved drugs don’t dissolve well, meaning they struggle to move through the bloodstream and reach where they’re needed. In my project, I created a new kind of material called a porous liquid—a flowing liquid that contains tiny holes capable of holding drug molecules. Unlike solid nanocarriers that are quickly cleared by the body, our porous liquid stays in circulation longer and avoids getting trapped in the liver or eaten by immune cells. It can carry hard-to-dissolve drugs more efficiently, improving how long they last in the body and how much of the drug stays available in the bloodstream. This breakthrough could lead to safer and more effective ways to deliver medicines for cancer, lung disease, and other conditions where current drug delivery systems fall short.
Receiving the PhRMA Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship in Drug Delivery empowers me, as a synthetic chemist, to translate chemical synthesis and molecular design into real therapeutic impact. It strengthens my confidence and accelerates my path toward an independent career in drug delivery.
