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Center for Targeted Drug Delivery

»Center for Targeted Drug Delivery

The Center for Targeted Drug Delivery develops innovative cell- and tissue-targeted drug delivery technologies for preclinical studies and first-in-class human clinical trials, addressing unmet needs in therapeutic development. Through collaborative, interdisciplinary research, the Center advances therapeutic strategies that enhance efficacy, minimize toxicity, and improve patient outcomes.

Innovative technologies that enhance the targeted delivery of therapeutic agents are becoming increasingly essential across the healthcare sector. Advanced drug delivery systems now enable precise, localized delivery of small-molecule drugs and biomolecules, maximizing benefit while minimizing side effects. Established to drive these breakthroughs, the CTDD brings together leading experts in biomedical, pharmaceutical, and materials science to develop next-generation delivery technologies.

The CTDD advances research and education in cardiovascular, neurological, and oncological conditions, with faculty funded by the NIH and publishing in top journals including Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, Nature Communications, Molecular Pharmaceutics, and Journal of Neuroinflammation. The team holds deep expertise in cancer and brain-targeted drug delivery.

Our mission is to discover and apply innovative strategies to design, develop, and evaluate new approaches for improving the targeted delivery of therapeutic agents. The Center also supports educational initiatives that provide hands-on research training for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as postdoctoral fellows, and offers mentorship for early-career faculty in the field of targeted drug delivery.

 

Dermatology Times Features Chapman Research

Dermatology Times featured Kaur’s collaboration uncovering cell-surface keratin-1 as a promising TNBC target and advancing peptide-based strategies for precision drug delivery. The growing impact of CTDD researchers and their cross-disciplinary approaches are accelerating innovation and informing new therapeutic directions for aggressive cancers. Read the story here. 

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Developing PDCs

Confocal microscopy reveals cell-surface expression of Keratin 1 on TNBC cells, highlighted at the membrane edge. Overlaid is the cyclic peptide designed in the Kaur Lab’s PDC project, which binds this target with high specificity to enhance chemotherapy delivery.

Members

Through collaborative and interdisciplinary research, the Center advances therapeutic strategies that enhance efficacy, minimize toxicity, and improve patient outcomes. The team brings established expertise in cancer, renovascular, and brain-targeted drug delivery. Disease areas of interest include:

    • Breast Cancer
    • Melanoma
    • Alzheimer’s Disease
    • Polycystic Kidney Disease
    • Cardiovascular Diseases

Kamaljit Kaur, Ph.D.
Andrew Lyon, Ph.D.
Surya Nauli, Ph.D.
Keykavous Parang, Pharm.D., Ph.D.
Rachita Sumbria, Ph.D.
Gennady Verkhivker, Ph.D.Gennady Verkhivker, Ph.D.
Sun Yang, Ph.D.

 

Accomplishments

Dr. Rachita Sumbria receives 1.71 M from NIH-National Institute on Aging (NIA) for research on targeted Alzheimer’s disease (AD) therapeutics.

https://blogs.chapman.edu/pharmacy/2024/06/27/national-institute-on-aging-awards-grant-to-dr-rachita-sumbria-for-alzheimers-disease-theraputics/


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Highlighted Publications

Shih-Jing Yao, Farideh Amirrad, Elmira Ziaei, Azam Saghaeidehkordi, Moom R Roosan, Kiumars Shamloo, Ajay Sharma, Rachita K Sumbria, Surya M Nauli, Christopher G Bunick, Kamaljit Kaur, Surface keratin 1, a tumor-selective peptide target in human triple-negative breast cancer, Sci. Rep., 2025, 15, 21644:1-15. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40595898/.

Ayan K Barui, Farideh Amirrad, Vansh Goel, Sharareh Ohadi, Rajasekharreddy Pala, Ashraf M Mohieldin, Andromeda M Nauli, Surya M Nauli, Application of bioactive materials primary cilia as a novel delivery vehicle, Bioact. Mater.2025, 51:70-82.  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40463394/

Kimberly Nellenbach, Emily Mihalko, Seema Nandi, Drew W Koch, Jagathpala Shetty, Leandro Moretti, Jennifer Sollinger, Nina Moiseiwitsch, Ana Sheridan, Sanika Pandit, Maureane Hoffman, Lauren V Schnabel, L Andrew Lyon, Thomas H Barker, Ashley C Brown, Ultrasoft platelet-like particles stop bleeding in rodent and porcine models of trauma, Sci. Transl. Med.2024, 16 (742):eadi4490.  

Shirley Tong, Shaban Darwish, Hanieh Hossein Nejad Ariani, Kate Alison Lozada, David Salehi, Maris A Cinelli, Richard B Silverman, Kamaljit Kaur, Sun Yang, A small peptide increases drug delivery in human melanoma cells, Pharmaceutics, 2022, 14, 1036.  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35631623/

Saghar Mozaffari, David Salehi, Parvin Mahdipoor, Richard Beuttler, Rakesh Tiwari, Hamidreza Montazeri Aliabadi, Keykavous Parang. Design and application of hybrid cyclic-linear peptide-doxorubicin conjugates as a strategy to overcome doxorubicin resistance and toxicity. Eur. J. Med. Chem., 2021, 226, 113836. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejmech.2021.113836.

Rudy Chang, Abrar Al Maghribi, Victoria Vanderpoel, Vitaly Vasilevko, David H Cribbs, Ruben Boado, William M Pardridge, Rachita K Sumbria, Brain Penetrating Bifunctional Erythropoietin-Transferrin Receptor Antibody Fusion Protein for Alzheimer's Disease, Mol. Pharmaceutics2018, 15(11):4963-4973.  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30252487/

Contact Us
Kamaljit Kaur
Kamaljit Kaur, Ph.D.
Director, Center for Targeted Drug Delivery