Visiting Lecturer Series – Dr. S. Rahima Benhabbour

Ultra-Long-Acting Delivery Systems: Engineering the Next-Generation Multi-Purpose Prevention Technologies (MPTs)

Lecture Takeaways

The main takeaways are as follows:

• How to address two significant global unmet needs—HIV and unintended pregnancy—with a single product.
• The use of innovative technologies to develop drug delivery devices tailored to women’s needs and end-user preferences.
• Preclinical results in various animal models (mouse, sheep, macaque) evaluating safety, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy, along with the current stage of development and future directions.

Biography

Dr. S. Rahima Benhabbour is an Associate Professor in the Lampe Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at UNC/NCSU. Her lab (https://benhabbour.web.unc.edu/) focuses on applying cutting-edge engineering and chemistry tools to develop next-generation drug delivery technologies for disease treatment and prevention.

Dr. Benhabbour is the inventor on seven patents and has received numerous awards and honors, including the Alexander R. Matzuk Award, CRS Member of the Year Award, CRS Young Investigator Award, David Sokal Innovation Award, BME Faculty Research Award, and the Eshelman Institute for Innovation Award, among others.

She is also the Founder and Director of AnelleO, Inc. (https://anelleo.com/), a UNC spinoff company pioneering a 3D-printed intravaginal ring platform technology to address unmet needs in women’s health. As an entrepreneur, she has been recognized with several accolades, including the Chancellor’s Faculty Entrepreneurship Award, selection as the university’s nominee for the J&J WiSTEM2D competition, and the NIH SEED Program Award (AnelleO).

No sign-up is required. For more information, contact the iBEST coordinator at ibest@torontomu.ca.