From Molecules to Medicine: Structural Insights into Drug Delivery and Product Design

ABSTRACT

Modern medicine and vaccine development continue to innovate, characterized by a high complexity of molecular structures and dynamics. While these new and evolving modalities and drug delivery systems advance the treatment of diseases for patient benefit, they also present challenges due to the intricate interplay among chemistry, biology, and engineering. Therefore, interdisciplinary learning and the utilization of advanced structural and biophysical tools become critical for exploring the fundamental mechanisms behind the pharmaceutically relevant behaviors. This is essential for overcoming physiochemical barriers and understanding the biophysical models that govern how drugs penetrate physiological barriers to reach transcellular and intracellular targets. This presentation will illustrate examples of how advanced spectroscopy and imaging tools can investigate drug stability and delivery of current generation chemical modalities, biological therapeutics, and vaccines. Specifically, we will elaborate on the molecular assembly and interactions of polymer-, lipid-, and peptide-based drug delivery systems. Additionally, the subcutaneous delivery of high-concentration biologics as combination drug products presents significant benefits for patients, but it also introduces challenges related to protein aggregation and high viscosity in the molecular crowding environment. We will share innovations in suspension formulations aimed at achieving higher protein concentrations. Overall, we hope these examples will elucidate some of the challenges in pharmaceutical sciences and foster collaborations within and across the communities for effective problem-solving.

BIOGRAPHY

Yongchao Su is a Senior Principal Scientist at Merck & Co., Inc., with a decade of expertise spanning discovery, formulation, and analytical roles. He is enthusiastic about connecting fundamental understanding with drug product design by elucidating the molecular mechanisms of drug stability and delivery. Yongchao has authored over 140 peer-reviewed articles (IF = 43) in chemistry, biophysics, and pharmaceutical sciences, and holds several patents, including high concentration liquid and suspension formulations of pembrolizumab, a monoclonal antibody drug for the best-selling modern medicines. Yongchao obtained his PhD in Chemistry with Mei Hong (now at MIT Chem) from Iowa State University in 2011, followed by a three-year postdoctoral training at MIT Chemistry with Robert G. Griffin. In line with his industrial role at Merck, he holds academic positions as an Adjunct Professor at Purdue University, Adjunct Associate Professor at University of Texas at Austin, and Professor of Practice at the University of Connecticut. Yongchao is a member of the Editorial Advisory Boards for Molecular Pharmaceutics, Pharmaceutical Research, and Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and the current Editor-in-Chief of AAPS Open (Springer Nature). Dr. Su was elected a Fellow of American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientist (FAAPS) in 2025.