Dr. Mahira Zeeshan

Assistant Professor

mahira.zeeshan@cust.edu.pk

+92-51-111-555-666

PROFILE SUMMARY

Dr. Mahira Zeeshan has completed PhD degree in Pharmaceutics from “Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan”. She has been associated with academia and research for more than 5 years. Currently, she is working as an Assistant Professor, Faculty of Pharmacy at Capital University of Science and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan. Dr. Mahira’s research impact is >88 and her focus is on developing novel drug delivery strategies, exploring the world of nanopharmaceuticals with the preparation of several nanocarrier based drug targeting formulations, employing latest optimization techniques, synthezing ligand based polymeric systems, introducing computational work in pharmaceutics, Quality by Design approach and design of experiments, in-dept formulation characterization using latest in vitro techniques, cell-based assays and development of in vivo animal models to determine therapeutic efficacy of the nanoformulation. The research primarily focus on polymeric nanocarriers, synthesis of unique combinations of polymer-ligand complexes, colon drug delivery systems, and novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. Her research horizon expands from basic to advance research. She is keen to proceed her research in pharmaceuticals development and drug delivery systems for various diseases.

QUALIFICATION
PhD	Pharmaceutics	Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan	2022
PhD (HEC-IRSIP)	Pharmaceutics	Medizine 1, Universitätsklinikum, Erlangen, Germany	June 2021-Nov 2021
M.Phil	Pharmaceutics	Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan	2017
Pharm.D	Pharmaceutical Sciences	Riphah International University, Islamabad, Pakistan	2014

TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Assistant Professor	Faculty of pharmacy, Capital university of Science and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan	Since -Feb 2023
Assistant Professor/HoD	National Excellence Institute, Islamabad	Jan 2023 – Feb 2023
Teaching Assistant	Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan	2017 – 2022
PhD/HEC Scholar	Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan	2017 – 2022
Trainee Demonstrator	Riphah International University, Islamabad, Pakistan	May 2014 – Aug 2014

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Trainee Clinical/ Hospital Pharmacist	Maroof International Hospital, Islamabad, Pakistan	March 2013 – May 2014
Trainee Clinical/ Hospital Pharmacist	Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Islamabad, Pakistan	June 2012 – August 2012

MEMBERSHIP OF PROFESSIONAL BODIES
Registered Pharmacist	Punjab Pharmacy Council (PPC) Lahore

HONORS & AWARDS
1.	Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC) Indigenous Scholarship Award, MPhil and PhD
2.	Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC) International Research Support Initiative Program (IRSIP) Fellowship Program
3.	PhD Best Thesis Foreign Expert Report
4.	Gold Medal-MPhil (1st in batch)
5.	Gold-Medal-Pharm-D ((1st in batch)
6.	Musabiqat and Mumtaz Academic Scholarships-Riphah International University

RESEARCH AREA / INTERESTS

Formulation Design & Development, Sustained Drug Delivery system, Drug Targeting
Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, Nanomedicine, Nanopharmaceutics
Computational approach/ Softwares in formulation developement
In vitro cell culturing, flowcytometry, in vivo imaging
Inflammation, Cancer Disease Models

BOOKS CHAPTERS
1.	M. Zeeshan, M. Mukhtar, Q. U. Ain, S. Khan, H. Ali. “Nanopharmaceuticals: A boon to the brain-targeted drug delivery.” In Pharmaceutical Formulation Design-Recent Practices. IntechOpen, 2019.
2.	M. Mukhtar, M. Zeeshan, M. Saba, A. Saghir, and R. Ayub. “Functionalization of green synthesized bionanomaterials.” In Synthesis of Bionanomaterials for Biomedical Applications, pp. 187-207. Elsevier, 2023.

JOURNAL PUBLICATIONS
1.	M. Zeeshan, H. Ali, S. Khan, S.A. Khan, B. Weigmann. “Advances in orally-delivered pH-sensitive nanocarrier systems; an optimistic approach for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.” International journal of pharmaceutics, 558, pp. 201-214, 2019.
2.	M. Zeeshan, H. Ali, S. Khan, M. Mukhtar, M. I. Khan, M. Arshad. “Glycyrrhizic acid-loaded pH-sensitive poly-(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles for the amelioration of inflammatory bowel disease.” Nanomedicine, Vol. 14, No. 15, pp. 1945-1969, 2019.
3.	Q. U. Ain, M. Zeeshan, S. Khan, H. Ali. “Biomimetic hydroxyapatite as potential polymeric nanocarrier for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.” Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A, Vol. 107, No. 12, pp. 2595-2600, 2019.
4.	M. Mukhtar, M. Zesshan, S. Khan, G. Shahnaz, S. A. Khan, H. S. Sarwar, R. A. Pasha, and H. Ali. “Fabrication and optimization of pH-sensitive mannose-anchored nano-vehicle as a promising approach for macrophage uptake.” Applied Nanoscience, Vol. 10, pp. 4013-4027, 2020.
5.	M. Mukhtar, E. Pallagi, I. Csóka, E. Benke, Á. Farkas, M. Zeeshan, K. Burián, D. Kókai, and R. Ambrus. “Aerodynamic properties and in silico deposition of isoniazid loaded chitosan/thiolated chitosan and hyaluronic acid hybrid nanoplex DPIs as a potential TB treatment.” International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, Vol. 165, pp. 3007-3019, 2020.
6.	E. Sana, M. Zeeshan, Q. Ain, A. U. Khan, I. Hussain, S. Khan, E. Lepeltier, and H. Ali. “Topical delivery of curcumin-loaded transfersomes gel ameliorated rheumatoid arthritis by inhibiting NF-κβ pathway.” Nanomedicine, Vol. 16, No. 10, pp. 819-837, 2021
7.	F. Sabir, M. Zeeshan, U. Laraib, M. Barani, A. Rahdar, M. Cucchiarini, and S. Pandey. “DNA based and stimuli-responsive smart nanocarrier for diagnosis and treatment of cancer: Applications and challenges.” Cancers, Vol. 13, No. 14 3396, 2021.
8.	M. Barani, M. Zeeshan, D. K. Neyestanaki, M. A. Farooq, A. Rahdar, N. K. Jha, S. Sargazi, P. K. Gupta, and V. K. Thakur. “Nanomaterials in the management of gram-negative bacterial infections.” Nanomaterials, Vol. 11, No. 10, pp. 2535, 2021
9.	F. Sabir, M. Qindeel, M. Zeeshan, Q. U. Ain, A. Rahdar, M. Barani, E. González, and M. A. Aboudzadeh. “Onco-receptors targeting in lung cancer via application of surface-modified and hybrid nanoparticles: A cross-disciplinary review.” Processes, Vol. 9, No. 4, 621, 2021.
10.	M. Zeeshan, A. Atiq, Q. U. Ain, J. Ali, S. Khan, and H. Ali. “Evaluating the mucoprotective effects of glycyrrhizic acid-loaded polymeric nanoparticles in a murine model of 5-fluorouracil-induced intestinal mucositis via suppression of inflammatory mediators and oxidative stress.” Inflammopharmacology, Vol. 29, pp. 1539-1553, 2021.
11.	M. Zeeshan, H. Ali, Q. U. Ain, M. Mukhtar, R. Gul, A. Sarwar, and S. Khan. “A holistic QBD approach to design galactose conjugated PLGA polymer and nanoparticles to catch macrophages during intestinal inflammation.” Materials Science and Engineering: C, Vol. 126, pp. 112183, 2021.
12.	M. Barani, M. R. Hajinezhad, S. Sargazi, M. Zeeshan, A. Rahdar, S. Pandey, M. Khatami, and F. Zargari. “Simulation, in vitro, and in vivo cytotoxicity assessments of methotrexate-loaded pH-responsive nanocarriers.” Polymers, Vol. 13, No. 18, pp. 3153, 2021.
13.	M. Mukhtar, E. Fényes, C. Bartos, M. Zeeshan, and R. Ambrus. “Chitosan biopolymer, its derivatives and potential applications in nano-therapeutics: A comprehensive review.” European Polymer Journal, Vol. 160, pp. 110767, 2021.
14.	K. Lechner, M. Zeeshan, M. Noack, H. Ali, M. F. Neurath, and B. Weigmann. “Small but powerful: will nanoparticles be the future state‐of‐the‐art therapy for IBD?.” Expert Opinion on Drug Delivery, Vol. 19, No. 3, pp. 235-245, 2022.
15.	M. Zeeshan, Q. U. Ain, A. Sunny, F. Raza, M. Mohsin, S. Khan, B. Weigmann, and Hussain Ali. “QbD-based fabrication of transferrin-anchored nanocarriers for targeted drug delivery to macrophages and colon cells for mucosal inflammation healing.” Biomaterials Science, 2023.

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