Plenary speakers
Maria Blanco Prieto, University of Navarra, Spain
María Blanco-Prieto obtained a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Paris-Sud (France). Following that, she underwent post-doctoral training at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zürich, Switzerland. She then joined the University of Navarra, where she currently holds the position of Full Professor of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology. Her research focuses on the development of nanomedicines for cancer treatment (particularly childhood cancer), as well as tissue regeneration of the heart and brain through tissue engineering. Throughout her career, she has authored over 180 research papers and book chapters, 5 patents, and presented over 235 communications at scientific conferences, often as an invited speaker. Her contributions to drug delivery research have been recognized with numerous national and international awards. Maria is a member of the National Academy of Pharmacy of France and Galicia, and the Academy of Medicine of France. In 2021, she became a member of the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), and in 2022, she was elected as a member of the Academia Europaea. Since January 2023, she has been the President of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Sciences (EUFEPS).
Jörg Breitkreutz, University of Düsseldorf, Germany
Prof. Dr. Jörg Breitkreutz studied Pharmacy at the Westfälische WilhelmsUniversity (WWU) in Münster and received his doctorate degree in pharmaceutical technology from this university in 1996 for his work on drug or excipients interactions with polyethylene glycols investigated by Molecular Modelling technologies, supervised by Dr. Georg Heun and Prof. Dr. Rüdiger Gröning. After almost 2 years of industrial experience as the Head of Product Coordination at Thiemann Arzneimittel GmbH in Waltrop, Germany (subsidiary of Organon, The Netherlands) he went back to WWU Muenster for his habilitation on “Paediatric drug formulations” which he finalized in 2004. Shortly before that, he joined the Heinrich Heine University (HHU) Düsseldorf as Professor for Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmaceutics. Since 2011, he is the director of the Institute of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics at HHU. His research topics include drug development for special patient populations such as children and the elderly, orphan drugs and process analytical technologies. In 2010, he became president of APV and maintained this position until March 2024. Since April 2024 he is vice president. He also serves as a German delegate and the chair of the PaedForm Working Party at the European Directorate for Quality and Healthcare (EDQM) in Strasbourg, France.
Wolfgang Frieß, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany
Prof. Wolfgang Friess, M.Pharm, PhD is Professor for Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmaceutics at Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich. His research group is focusing on protein formulation, protein aggregation study and understanding of lyophilization process/ frozen bulk state (https://www.cup.uni-muenchen.de/pb/aks/friess/research-new/)
Chris Vervaet, Ghent University, Belgium
Soon to be added; https://www.ugent.be/fw/pharmaceutics/pharmtech/en/contact/team/vervaet
Grzegorz Garbacz, Physiolution, Wroclaw, Poland
Dr. habil. Grzegorz Garbacz is an expert in bio-predictive dissolution testing of oral medicines, analytical development, and the design of test devices capable of realistically simulating the human gastrointestinal tract. He has over 20 years of experience in pharmaceutics, biopharmaceutics, and pharmaceutical analytics. From 1999 to 2004, he studied Pharmacy at the Medical University of Wroclaw in Poland. In 2004, he joined the research group of Prof. Werner Weitschies, focusing on the construction and optimization of bio-relevant test models to simulate the mechanical and physical parameters of the gastrointestinal tract. This work led to his graduation in Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2005, his Ph.D. in 2010, and his habilitation in 2020. In 2024, he completed postgraduate MBA studies. Dr. Garbacz co-founded the pharmaceutical company Physiolution GmbH in 2009 and established its Polish branch, Physiolution Polska, in 2017. He is the co-author of over 70 scientific articles and more than 200 conference abstracts, contributing significantly to advancements in his field.
Invited speakers
Tomasz Baczek, Medical University of Gdańsk, Poland
Prof. Tomasz Bączek obtained M.Sc. degree in pharmacy from Medical University of Gdańsk, Poland in 1998, and in 2001 Ph.D. degree in pharmaceutical analysis. His Ph.D. thesis was focused on liquid chromatography and quantitative structure-retention relationships (QSRR). Then (in 2002-2003), he was a postdoctoral research associate in Barnett Institute at Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA, where he worked on proteomics. He received habilitation degree in 2007 and the title of professor from the President of the Republic of Poland in 2014. In 2012 he completed the science-innovation internship (within Top 500 Innovators governmental program) at Stanford University, CA, USA. Currently he is a head (since 2009) of the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the Medical University of Gdańsk, Poland as well as the rector’s representative (since 2020) for “Excellence Initiative – Research University” governmental program for top 10 the best Polish universities. His main research interest comprises: analytical chemistry, pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis, medicinal and biomolecular chemistry, separation sciences, proteomics and metabolomics.
Sandra Cvijić, University of Belgrade, Serbia
Sandra Cvijić (maiden name: Grbić) is a professor at the Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Cosmetology, University in Belgrade-Faculty of Pharmacy, Serbia. She holds a PhD in Medical Sciences – Pharmacy (2011) and Specialization in Pharmaceutical Technology (2015) from the University of Belgrade-Faculty of Pharmacy. She has authored or co-authored more than 150 publications and presentations at national and international scientific meetings. She participated in several national and international projects. Her research interest has to do with biopharmaceutical characterization of drug substances/drug products, modeling and simulation of drug absorption and disposition, drug substances/products performance in specific populations, bioperformance dissolution testing, in vitro-in vivo correlation, formulation and characterization of oral and inhalation drugs.
Adam Haimhoffer, University of Debrecen, Hungary
Adam Haimhoffer is the assistant professor of Pharmaceutical Technology at the University of Debrecen. Adam has published several papers about improving the bioavailability of drugs. He is an expert in the science of cyclodextrin, cyclodextrin polymer, and gastro-retentive dosage forms. After getting his Degree in Pharmacy from the University of Debrecen in 2018, he spent half a year as a research assistant in the Department of Drug Science and Technology at the University of Turin. After that, he continued his research in gastro-retentive dosage forms and cyclodextrin obtaining his Ph.D. in 2022. His areas of science include production optimisation through experimental design and the development of continuous manufacturing technologies. Over the years, he has participated in many scientific conferences and participated in several domestic and international research projects.
Klemen Korasa, KRKA, tovarna zdravil, d.d., Novo mesto, Slovenia
Dr. Klemen Korasa works as Head Pharmaceutical technology in Slovenian pharmaceutical company Krka, d. d., Novo mesto, where he is responsible for formulation and process development. He has a wide knowledge of different process analysers (e.g., NIR and Raman spectroscopy, SFT, and image analysis) applicable in design, development, and optimisation of pharmaceutical processes. In 2019, he completed his Ph.D. research, focusing on the applicability of PAT tools in monitoring of pellet coating process. He is an author of several patent applications describing innovative pharmaceutical solutions and scientific publications focusing mainly on PAT tools applicability.
Lea Knez, University Clinic Golnik & University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
Assist. prof. Knez is a clinical pharmacist practicing, researching and teaching in the field of clinical pharmacy and oncology with great dedication and enthusiasm. She currently holds a joint position as a consultant clinical pharmacist at the University Clinic Golnik and as an assistant professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, which allows to share her passion for clinical pharmacy and oncology with a wider audience.
Jasmina Lovrić, University of Zagreb, Croatia
Jasmina Lovrić is a full professor at the Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, University of Zagreb Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry. She graduated and received her PhD form the University of Zagreb Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry. During her PhD studies, she spent three years at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. She completed her postdoc at International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) in Trieste, Italy. Her research activities focus on the development of innovative ophthalmic formulations.
Tomasz Osmałek, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poland
Prof. Tomasz Osmałek is the Head of The Department of Pharmaceutical Technology at Poznan University of Medical Sciences (Poland), and the vice-dean for science and pharmaceutical engineering studies at the faculty of pharmacy and supervises Polish Student Chapter of International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE). Initially, his research focused on the photochemical properties of drugs and spectral analysis of macrocyclic compounds used in the treatment of skin cancer using photodynamic therapy. Currently, he conducts studies in the field of design and evaluation of oral modified release dosage forms and topical formulations, including semi-solids as well as transdermal 3D printed microneedle systems. He is the author of over 60 publications, supervisor of more than 30 diploma theses and 4 PhDs. He cooperates with Queen’s University Belfast, University of Central Florida, Rutgers University, Riga Stradiņš University, Université de Lorraine and the universities of Szeged and Debrecen.
Odon Planinšek, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
Odon Planinšek is a full professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Technology at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana. His research primarily focuses on the development of solid dosage forms, such as tablets and granules, as well as other patient-friendly formulations, including prefilled straws designed for pediatric use, oral/buccal films, and orodispersible tablets. He consistently strives to think outside the box, approaching challenges from unique perspectives that others might overlook. He enjoys experimenting and embraces the risk-taking involved in exploring innovative approaches. In addition to his role as a university professor, where he lectures and mentors students. Professor Planinšek is deeply committed to pursuing innovation with the goal of protecting intellectual property. This dedication has led him to co-author several granted patents, primarily related to solid dosage forms.
Katarina Vučičević, University of Belgrade, Serbia
Professor Katarina Vučićević teaches pharmacokinetics and clinical pharmacy across master’s, doctoral, and specialization studies, and supervises PhD research in pharmacokinetics at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Belgrade. She completed postdoctoral training in pharmacometrics as a Fulbright scholar at the University of California, San Francisco. Her research focusses on the variability in clinical outcomes. She is dedicated to tailor the dosing regimens to patients needs and improve treatment outcomes by integrating complex population PK/PD models into clinical practice. Currently, she is principal investigator of optYmAb research project funded by the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia which focuses on biologics in inflammatory bowel diseases. She was the president of the Scientific Committee for the 8th Congress of Pharmacists of Serbia with international participation. She is a member of the International Association of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring and Clinical Toxicology.
Maja Kus, Novartis, d.o.o., Slovenia
Soon to be added.