PHARMACY & PHARMACEUTICS
B.Pharm., M.Sc.
University of Ife (Now Obafemi Awolowo University), Nigeria
1980 & 1983
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Faculty
Faculty
Emmanuel Oyekanmi Akala, R.Ph., Ph.D.
Professor of Pharmaceutics
Department/Office
- Pharmaceutical Sciences
School/College
- College of Pharmacy
Biography
Emmanuel O. Akala, R.Ph., Ph.D. is a Professor of Pharmaceutics, Chair of the Howard University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) and Director, of the Laboratory for Nanomedicine, Drug Delivery, and Pharmaceutical & Biopharmaceutical Drug Products Design.
With a diverse academic background, he trained as a pharmacist and immunization pharmacist (licensed in the U.S. and Nigeria) and specializes in conventional and novel drug delivery systems. He earned his B.Pharm. and M.Sc. (Pharmaceutics) from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria) and a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics from the University of Manchester, England, as a Commonwealth Scholar. He was also a DAAD Fellow in Germany and an NIH Postdoctoral Fellow in the U.S. At Howard University, he has obtained more than ten million dollars in research grants.
Professor Akala has held various academic and research roles in Nigeria, England, Germany, and the U.S. He leads an active research group focused on nanotechnology-based treatments for cancer and HIV/AIDS, integrating quality by design (QbD) and process analytical technology. At Howard University, he has secured over $10 million in research grants, including NIH and international funding.
A holder of three patents, he has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings. He has taught Pharm.D. and Ph.D. courses, mentoring numerous students and postdoctoral fellows, including participants in the Brazil Scientific Mobility Program. His interdisciplinary collaborations extend across the U.S., Germany, the UK, and Denmark.
Professor Akala has received multiple awards, including the 2013 Distinguished Howard University College of Pharmacy Alumni Award, the 2014 AACR Minority-Serving Institution Faculty Scholar Award, and the 2016 Washington DC Pharmacy Association NASPA Excellence in Innovation Award. Since 2013, he has served on the Advisory Group of the U.S. Pharmacopeia's Center for Pharmaceutical Advancement and Training and was appointed to the USP Expert Committee in 2015, contributing to the development of pharmaceutical standards.
Education & Expertise
Education
PHARMACEUTICS
Ph..D.
University of Manchester, Egland
1986
Biopharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology
DAAD RESEARCH FELLOW
Institute of Biopharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, University of Munster, Germany
1983
PHARMACEUTICS AND BIOENGINEERING
NIH Postdoctoral Fellow in Pharmaceutics and Bioengineering
University of Utah, USA.
1994-1997
Expertise
Professor of Pharmaceutics, Chair, Howard University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) and Director, Laboratory for Nanomedicine, Drug Delivery, and Pharmaceutical & Biopharmaceutical Drug Products Design. USP EXPERT COMMITTEE
Academics
Academics
Advances in Drug Delivery Systems - Ph.D.
This course explores the evolution of drug delivery systems, from conventional dosage forms (tablets, injections, creams) to advanced techniques such as gene delivery. Emphasizing the importance of optimizing drug concentration and duration at the site of action, the course covers key developments in pharmaceutical dosage form design, with a focus on the role of polymers in drug delivery. Students will examine synthetic polymers, nanotechnology, and molecular biology in the context of modern drug delivery, and learn how these innovations are transforming drug product design. The course encourages creative thinking about future applications and advancements in the field. Prior knowledge of drug formulation and pharmacokinetics is required.
Drug Stability and Packaging - Ph.D.
This course examines the critical role of stability and packaging in the development of pharmaceutical dosage forms. It emphasizes the importance of ensuring the chemical and physical stability of active ingredients and excipients to prevent issues like potency loss, toxic product formation, and bioavailability reduction. Students will explore the evolving definition of pharmaceutical packaging, focusing on its role in containing, preserving, protecting, and delivering drug products effectively to the patient. The course encourages students to stay ahead of emerging developments in the field, think creatively about future innovations, and engage with original research and review articles. A strong emphasis is placed on understanding the connection between packaging systems and drug delivery. Prior reading and independent study beyond the course material are encouraged for full mastery.
Nanotherapeutics - Ph.D.
This course explores the diverse field of nanotechnologies, focusing on their applications in drug delivery, disease diagnosis, and treatment. Students will study the design, production, and application of nanostructures, devices, and systems at the nanometer scale, with an emphasis on biomedical uses. Topics include the evolution of nanoparticles from the first generation (liver targeting) to the fourth generation (theranostics), which combine drug delivery, molecular targeting, and diagnostic capabilities. Students will gain an understanding of nanoparticles made from materials such as polymers, gold, and quantum dots, and their potential in areas like cancer and HIV/AIDS treatment. The course encourages creative thinking about future innovations in pharmaceutical nanoscience, with reference to original research and review articles. Prior independent study beyond course materials is recommended for mastery.
Pharmaceutics 1 & 2- Ph.D.
The design of this course is based on the integration of the study of physicochemical principles of pharmacy with the study of formulation and preparation of pharmaceutical dosage forms. The integration is done within each main class of pharmaceutical dosage forms. The study of the physicochemical principles of pharmacy serves as a prelude to the materials on dosage form design covered in each section. Thus the applications of the knowledge of the physicochemical principles of pharmacy to the rational formulation, preparation/compounding, quality control, stability, packaging and storage of pharmaceutical dosage forms follow directly after the study of the physicochemical principles for each module (i.e. each major class of dosage forms).
Principles of Drug Formulation - Ph.D.
The design of this course is based on the integration of the study of physicochemical principles of pharmacy with the study of formulation and preparation of pharmaceutical dosage forms. The integration is done within each main class of pharmaceutical dosage forms. The study of the physicochemical principles of pharmacy serves as a prelude to the materials on dosage form design covered in each section. Thus the applications of the knowledge of the physicochemical principles of pharmacy to the rational formulation, preparation/compounding, quality control, stability, packaging and storage of pharmaceutical dosage forms follow directly after the study of the physicochemical principles for each module (i.e. each major class of dosage forms).
Biopharmaceutics - Pharm.D.
Grant Proposal Writing - Ph.D.
Pharmaceutical Calculations 1 & 2 - Pharm.D.
Research for Ph.D. and Pharm.D.
Research
Research
Specialty
Nanomedicine, Drug Delivery, and Pharmaceutical & Biopharmaceutical Drug Products Design , Quality by design (QbD), Statistical Experimental Design, Computer Optimization. Sterile Dosage Forms, Tabletting, CapsuleFunding
NIH/NCI
NIH/NIAID
Accomplishments
Accomplishments
1983-1986 Commonwealth Scholar, University of Manchester, England
1994-1996 NIH (Fogarty International Center) Post Doctoral Fellow, University of Utah
2003-Present: NIH, NSF and DoD and other Agencies Grant Review Consultancy
2013 – Present Appointed Member of USP Center for Pharmaceutical Advancement and Training Advisory Group
2013 Howard University School of Pharmacy Alumni Distinguished Faculty Award.
2013 Top Reviewer in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences.
2013 Top Reviewer in the Journal of Nanomedicine
2014 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Minority-Serving Institution Faculty Scholar in Cancer Research Award
2015-Present Appointed Chair of IACUC at Howard University
2015-Present Appointed a Member of United States Pharmacopeia (USP) General Chapters Dosage Forms Expert Committee (USP Expert Committees are responsible for developing and revising USP standards that comprise its compendia: the USP and the NF, USP Compou
2016 Washington DC Pharmacy Association NASPA Excellence in Innovation Award
Published Articles and Presentations
Reema Puri, Solomon A. Berhe and Emmanuel O. Akala. "pH-Sensitive Polymeric Nanoparticles Fabricated By Dispersion Polymerization for the Delivery of Bioactive Agents”. Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, 2017, 5, 1-28
Oluwaseun Ogunwuyi, Namita Kumari, Kahli A. Smith, Oleg Bolshakov, Simeon Adesina, Ayele Gugssa, Winston A. Anderson , Sergei Nekhai and Emmanuel O. Akala. “Antiretroviral Drugs-Loaded Nanoparticles Fabricated by Dispersion Polymerization with Potential for HIV/AIDS Treatment” Infectious Diseases: Research and Treatment 2016, 9:21-32
Emmanuel O. Akala, Simeon Adesina and Oluwaseun Ogunwuyi. “Computer Optimization of Biodegradable Nanoparticles Fabricated by Dispersion Polymerization”. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 13 (1); 47- 63(2016).
Simeon K Adesina, Uchechukwu Ezeonyebuchi and Emmanuel O Akala. “The effect of formulation variables on drug loading of antitubercular drugs in nanoparticle formulations”. Materials Research Express, Volume 2, Number 9 (2015) 095403
Simeon K. Adesina and Emmanuel O. Akala. “Nanotechnology Approaches for the Delivery of Exogenous siRNA for HIV Therapy”. Mol. Pharmaceutics, 2015, 12 (12), pp 4175–4187
Oluwaseun Ogunwuyi, Simeon Adesina and Emmanuel O. Akala. D-optimal mixture experimental design for stealth biodegradable crosslinked docetaxel-loaded poly-ε-caprolactone nanoparticles fabricated by dispersion polymerization. Pharmazie 70: 165–176 (2015)
Kahli A. Smith, Xionghao Lin, Oleg Bolshakov, James Griffin, Xiaomei Niu, Dmytro Kovalskyy, Andrey Ivanov, Marina Jerebtsova, Robert E. Taylor, Emmanuel Akala, Sergei Nekhai. Activation of HIV-1 with Nanoparticle-Packaged Small Molecule Protein Phosphatase-1-Targeting Compound Scientia Pharmaceutica 2015; 83: 535–548
Simeon K. Adesina, Alesia Holly, Gabriela Kramer-Marek, Jacek Capala, Emmanuel O. Akala. Polylactide based Paclitaxel-loaded Nanoparticles Fabricated by Dispersion Polymerization: Characterization, Evaluation in Cancer Cell Lines, and Preliminary Biodistribution Studies. Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Volume 103, Issue 8, August 2014, Pages: 2546 – 2555
Simeon K. Adesina, S.A. Wight, Emmanuel O. Akala. Optimization of the fabrication of novel stealth PLAbased nanoparticles by dispersion polymerization using D-optimal mixture design. Drug Development and Industrial Pharmacy, Vol.40, No.11 (1 November 2014): 1547-1556.
Oleg Bolshakov and Emmanuel O. Akala. MS-Monitored Conjugation of Poly(ethylene glycol)Monomethacrylate to RGD Peptides. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 40385 - 40395
Akala EO, Okunola O. Novel stealth degradable nanoparticles prepared by dispersion polymerization for the delivery of bioactive agents Part I. Pharm Ind 2013;75(7):1191-1196.
Akala EO, Okunola O. Novel stealth degradable nanoparticles prepared by dispersion polymerization for the delivery of bioactive agents Part II. Pharm Ind 2013;75(8):1346-1352
Emmamuel O. Akala, Pornruedee Wiriyacoonkasem, and Gaofeng Pan. Studies on in vitro availability, degradation, and thermal properties of naltrexone-loaded biodegradable microspheres. Drug Development and Industrial Pharmacy, 37; 673-684 (2011)
E. O. Akala “Strategies for Transmembrane Passage of Polymer-Based Nanostructures” in Polymer-Based Nanostructures: Medical Applications. Pages 16-80. Pavel Broz (ed.) Royal Society of Chemistry Series 9: Series Editors: Harry Kroto, Paul O'Brien, and Harold Craighead Cambridge, UK 2010.
E. Akala, H. Wang, Adedayo Adedoyin. Disposition of Naltrexone after Intravenous Bolus Administration in Wistar Rats, Low Alcohol Drinking Rats and High Alcohol Drinking Rats Neuropsychobiology 2008;58:81-90
W. Yin, E. Akala, and R. Taylor, Design of naltrexone-loaded hydrolyzable crosslinked nanoparticles. International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 244(1-2); 9-19(2002)
R. Groning, S. Weyel, E. Akala, E. Minkow and N. Lambow, “Computer-Controlled Release ofOxprenolol from Capsules Using Gas Producing Cells and Electronic Circuits”, Pharmazie 54(7); 510-513(1999)
E. O. Akala, P. Kopeckova and J. Kopecek, Novel pH Sensitive Hydrogels with Adjustable Kinetics of Swelling. Biomaterials 19; 1037 - 1047(1998).
E. O. Akala, Hydrolysis of Linear Copolymers with Pendant N, O-diacyhydroxylamine Moieties, Pharm. Pharmacol Lett. 8(3); 129-132(1998)
Cyprian O. Onyeji, Adebola O. Osilana, Festus A. Ogunbona and Emmanuel O. Akala, Chloroquine Bioavailability Following Rectal Administration in Man. Eur. J. Pharm. Biopharm. 42; 204-207(1996)
E. O. Akala and R .Groning. Studies on the characteristics of some rectal absorption enhancers using three-dimensional solubility parameters. Pharm. Res. 12(9);S-291(1995).
Book Chapter: Emmanuel O. Akala “Chapter 7.3: Effect of Packaging on Stability of Drugs and Drug Products” in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Handbook: Regulations and Stability (2008). Edited by Shayne Cox Gad. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Hoboken, NewJersey. ISBN: 978-0-470-25959-7
Book Chapter: Akala, E. O. “Oral Controlled Release Solid Dosage Forms” in Theory and Practice of Contemporary Pharmaceutics, Edited by Tapash K. Gosh and Bhaskara R Jasti (CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton, FL). (ISBN: 0415288630, March 1, 2005), pp. 333 - 366
Emmanuel O. Akala, Gerunda B. Hughes and Tracey L. Rogers “Reinforcing concepts by studying experts: an integrated approach to the teaching of pharmaceutics” Journal of Pharmacy Teaching 11(2); 13-33 (2004)
Patent:(1). E. Akala, S. Adesina, Biodegradable Stealth Polymeric Particles Fabricated Using the Macromonomer Approach by Free Radical Dispersion Polymerization. United States Patent Application Publication Number US 2012/0129797 A1. Publication Date: 2012 (Already granted by the Patent Office).
Patent:Akala, E., Okunola, A., Stealth Polymeric Particles for Delivery of Bioactive and Diagnostic Agents. United States Patent Application Publication Number US 2012/0129798 A1. Publication Date: (2012)). (Already granted by the Patent Office).
Patent:Jindrich Kopecek, Pavla Kopeckova, Emmanuel O. Akala, Ping-Yang Yeh, and Karel Ulbrich (Inventors). Patent (1998): “Novel pH-Sensitive Hydrogels with Adjustable Swelling Kinetics for Colon-Specific Delivery of Peptides and Proteins” Patent Number: WO9801421 (Already granted by the Patent Office).
The publications and patents shown above are selected from several publications.
Emmanuel O. Akala and Simeon K. Adesina, “Fabrication of polymeric core-shell nanostructures” in Nanoscale Fabrication, Optimization, Scale-up and Biological Aspects of Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology 2017, Alexandru Mihai Grumezescu (ed.) Chapter 1 pp 1-49
Reema Puri, Simeon Adesina, Emmanuel Akala Cellular uptake and cytotoxicity studies of pHresponsive polymeric nanoparticles fabricated by dispersion polymerization J Nanosci Nanomed. 2(1):1-18 (2018)
Funmilola A. Fisusi and Emmanuel O. Akala. Drug Combinations in Breast Cancer Therapy. Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, 2019, 7, 3- 23
Yvonne Abbey Berko and Emmanuel O. Akala. Computer Optimization of Stealth Biodegradable Polymeric Dual-Loaded Nanoparticles for Cancer Therapy using Central Composite Face-Centered Design. Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, 2020, 8, 108-132
Funmilola Fisusi, Nailah Brandy, Jingbo Wu and Emmanuel O. Akala. Studies on Polyethylene Glycol-Monoclonal Antibody Conjugates for Fabrication of Nanoparticles. J Nanosci Nanomed Vol.4 No.2, 2020, 1-9
Anthony Hickey, Emmanuel Akala, Lawrence Block, John Hammond, Munir Hussain, Brent Kleintop, Nancy Lewen, June Liang, Jolyon Mitchell, Norbert Maurer, Myke Scoggins, Timothy Shelbourn, Thomas Tice, Katherine Tyner, Eloise Welfare (All members of the Joint Subcommittee of the United States Pharmacopeia Expert Committees on Dosage Forms, Chemical Analysis, Physical Analysis, and Excipients; and Kahkashan Zaidi, United States Pharmacopeia. Perspectives on Quality Attributes of Drug Products Containing Nanomaterials. Pharmaceutical Technology, Volume 2019 Supplement, Issue 5, pg 12–15 (Pharmaceutical Technology APIs, EXCIPIENTS, AND MANUFACTURING 2019 PharmTech.com).