Preshita Desai, B. Pharm., Ph.D.

• Ph. D. (Tech.) – Pharmaceutics, 2016
  Institute of Chemical Technology, India
• M. Pharmacy – Pharmaceutics, 2012
  Institute of Chemical Technology, India
• B. Pharmacy - Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, 2010
  Institute of Chemical Technology, India

• Design and interpretation of clinical trials, online Coursera certification, Johns Hopkins University, USA, 2017
• Initiating and planning projects, online Coursera certification, University of California - Irvine, USA, 2017

• Research scientist, post-doctoral fellow, 2017-2022
  Western University of Health Sciences, College of Pharmacy, California, USA

• UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI) Visiting Fellow, 2012-2013
  University of Bradford, UK

Strategic designing, development, optimization, scale up and characterization of novel pharmaceutical formulations, nanotechnology based targeted delivery systems, specialized formulation for controlled drug delivery and/or bioavailability enhancement, tumor treating fields, cancer chemoprevention and treatment, neurodegenerative diseases.

• Co-Investigator – ‘Preparation of disulfiram, sulfasalazine lipid nanoformulations and analysis of mouse plasma samples’, NIH R-01 Grant subaward, 2022
• Principal Investigator – ‘AACR-Novocure tumor treating fields research fellowship: tumor treating fields triggered targeting of nanoparticles in cancer’, American Association of Cancer Research (AACR), 2019-2022.

• '2019 DDTR-CRS OrDD Best Oral Delivery Paper’ for Desai P, Thakkar A, Ann D, Wang J, Prabhu S. Loratadine self-microemulsifying drug delivery systems (SMEDDS) in combination with sulforaphane for the synergistic chemoprevention of pancreatic cancer. Drug Deliv Transl Res. 2019 Jun;9(3):641-651, 2020
• Research Highlight Talk, 43rd CRS Annual Meeting and Exposition, USA, 2016
• OMICS International Best Young Researcher Award, Italy, 2015
• Ranbaxy Science Scholar Award in the field of Pharmaceutical Sciences, India, 2014

• American Association of Cancer Research (AACR)
• American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP)
• American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS)
• Controlled Release Society (CRS)

Granted Patents

• Indian patent 356157 (2822/MUM/2015): Novel targeted lipid bioconjugates and delivery systems thereof , 2021
• Indian patent 323787 (1108/MUM/2012): Pharmaceutical composition for bioenhancement of active agents, 2019

Applied Patent

• US patent: 62/596,380: Lipid emulsified drug delivery systems for chemoprevention and treatment of cancer, 2018

Publications – Peer Reviewed

• P. Desai, S. Prabhu. Drug loaded nanoparticle targeting of pancreatic cancer using tumor treating fields (TTFields). Cancer Research, 81(13), LB023, 2021 DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.AM2021.
• P. Wagh*, P. Desai*, J. Wang, S. Prabhu. Nanotechnology-Based Celastrol Formulations and Their Therapeutic Applications. Frontiers in Pharmacology,12, 673209, 2021 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.673209. (*Equal Authorship)
• P. Desai, N. Thumma, P. Wagh, S. Zhan, D. Ann, J. Wang, S. Prabhu. Cancer chemoprevention using nanotechnology-based approaches. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 11, 323, 2020 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2020.00323.
• P. Desai, K. Wang, D. Ann, J. Wang, S. Prabhu. Efficacy and pharmacokinetic considerations of loratadine nanoformulations and its combinations for pancreatic cancer chemoprevention. Pharmaceutical Research, 37(2), 21, 2019 DOI: 10.1007/s11095-019-2737-x.
• P. Desai, A. Thakkar, D. Ann, J. Wang, S. Prabhu. Loratadine self microemulsifying drug delivery systems (SMEDDS) in combination with sulforaphane for the synergistic chemoprevention of pancreatic cancer. Drug Delivery and Translational Research, 9(3), 641-651, 2019, DOI: 10.1007/s13346-019-00619-0 (2019 DDTR-CRS OrDD Best Oral Delivery Paper Award)
• P. Desai, N. Thumma, J. Wang, S. Prabhu. Self-microemulsifying drug delivery systems (SMEDDS) containing novel compounds in combination with gemcitabine: bioavailability enhancement and synergistic anticancer efficacy studies for pancreatic cancer management. Cancer Research, 79(13), 2165, 2019, DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.AM2019-2165
• P. Desai, D. Ann, J. Wang, S. Prabhu. Pancreatic cancer: recent advances in nano-formulation based therapies. Critical ReviewsTM in Therapeutic Drug Carrier Systems, 36 (1), 59-91, 2019, DOI: 10.1615/CritRevTherDrugCarrierSyst.2018025459
• A. Thakkar, P. Desai, S. Chenreddy, J. Modi1, A. Thio, W. Khamas, D. Ann, J. Wang, S. Prabhu Novel nano-drug combination therapeutic regimen demonstrates significant efficacy in the transgenic mouse model of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. American Journal of Cancer Research, 8(10), 2005-2019, 2018.
• P. Desai, A. Thakkar, J. Wang, S. Prabhu. Self-microemulsifying drug delivery systems (SMEDDS) containing novel compounds for the chemoprevention of pancreatic cancer. Cancer Research, 78 (13), 2238, 2018. DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.AM2018-2238
• P. Desai, S. Mapara, V. Patravale. Crystal engineering: upcoming paradigm for efficacious pulmonary drug delivery. Current Pharmaceutical Design, 24(21), 2438-2455, 2018. DOI: 10.2174/1381612824666180518080948
• P. Desai. Insights of Pharmaceutical Co crystals. Biomedical Journal of Scientific and Technical Research, 3(3), 1-2, 2018. DOI: 10.26717/BJSTR.2018.03.000899
• P. Desai, V. Patravale. Curcumin co-crystal micelles - multifunctional nanocomposites for management of neurodegenerative ailments. Journal of Pharmaceutical Science; pii: S0022-3549(17)30836-5. 2017. DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2017