Page 14 - AWARDS PROGRAM 2020

AAPS FELLOWS 14 Tao L. Lowe, Ph.D. University of Maryland Tao Lowe, Ph.D., is an international expert in pharmaceutical sciences, especially in biomaterials, drug delivery, nanotechnology, transport across biological barriers, and regenerative medicine. She was a Coulter Foundation Early Career Award in Translational Research awardee and is the first and only endowed professor in the School of Dentistry at the University of Maryland. Lowe pioneered periocular hydrogel technology for ocular drug delivery. She invented novel nanoparticles with different architectures and properties to increase the penetration and sustained release of drugs across the blood brain barrier to treat diseases in the brain. She created thermo-responsive and biodegradable biomaterials for 2D/3D cell sheet/cell harvesting without using enzymes for bone and cartilage tissue regeneration. Her lab was the first to develop LC/MS/MS method for detecting levonorgestrel in rat plasma and apply the method to develop long-lasting injectable contraceptives that can fill the market gap of 6-12-month contraception. Her prominence as a leading expert is supported by her outstanding record of >45 papers, edited books and book chapters, 8 issued and 2 pending patents, >190 conference presentations, >90 invited talks worldwide, and >$14 M extramural funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of Defense (DOD), Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and Coulter. Lowe is extremely dedicated to education and has empowered thousands of students, postdocs, and fellows with interdisciplinary knowledge, critical thinking, independent research, and teamwork capability to succeed in their careers. Her impact on others further extends to the global scientific community. She serves on international editorial boards and is a reviewer for >50 peer-reviewed journals and >90 grant panels of NIH, National Science Foundation, DOD, Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Education, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, UK Research and Innovation, and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich Research Commission. She has served on >70 committees with leadership roles for a variety of professional societies including AAPS, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Biomedical Engineering Society, Society for Biomaterials, Controlled Release Society, and Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. She also chaired the AAPS Nanotechnology focus group. 2020 PharmSci 360 AWARDS PROGRAM