Dr. Jianqin Lu Receives AACP Pharmaceutics Research Award

Jianqin Lu, PhD, an assistant professor of pharmaceutics and pharmacokinetics at the University of Arizona R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy, received the Pharmaceutics Research Award from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP).

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“Receiving this award means my research work has been recognized in the broader area of pharmacy and may have the potential to make a positive impact in cancer patients,” said Dr. Lu, who is a member of the Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center, BIO5 Institute and UArizona Cancer Center.

The award recognizes members of the AACP Pharmaceutics Section for their intellectual contributions in peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Lu received the award for his contributions to a project that uses novel nanotechnology as a targeted drug delivery platform to treat aggressive tumors, such as colorectal cancer and melanoma, with fewer harmful side effects and better therapeutic outcomes. 

“A large number of traditional therapeutic agents, such as chemotherapeutics, are facing tall delivery challenges such as off-target toxicities and inadequate efficacy, which greatly limited their clinical application,” Dr. Lu said. “As a pharmaceutics and pharmacokinetics researcher, I aim to capitalize on innovative nanotechnology to develop safer and more effective drug delivery systems to address these limitations to maximize their therapeutic potential.”

Dr. Lu joined UArizona in 2019. The Lu Laboratory applies synthetic chemistry, nanoparticle engineering and tumor immunology to develop nanotherapeutics to address unmet needs in cancer therapy. 

“The research environment in the R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy is outstanding, supportive, inclusive and collaborative, all of which has helped me do my research to the best of my ability,” he said. “I am appreciative of the search committee, department chair Xinxin Ding, PhD, associate dean for research Nathan Cherrington, PhD, and Dean Rick Schnellmann, PhD, for their trust, support and guidance over the past three years.”

The AACP was founded in 1900 and is the national organization representing pharmacy education in the U.S. Their mission is to lead and partner with members to advance pharmacy education, research, scholarship, practice and service to improve societal health.