A researcher in the College of Pharmacy has won an award to study using tiny needles to deliver drugs to the elderly.

Nicole Brogden, faculty associate in the Division of Pharmaceutics and Translational Therapeutics, received a new investigator award from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) this month. Her project, “Microneedles as a novel means to individualize drug delivery in an aging population,” was one of only 17 selected from around the country.

Brogden will use the $10,000 award to study how the skin responds to and restores itself to microneedle treatment in people over 65 years of age. Findings are expected to help practitioners understand how different skin types respond to microneedle treatment, allowing for more tailored delivery techniques.

The AACP award is given annually to provide start-up funding for new pharmacy faculty’s research programs.

“For me, the most exciting part about being a ‘new investigator’ is having the opportunity to forge new paths and expand my research interests into areas that I’ve not had the opportunity to explore previously,” Brogden says. “Having a ‘blank slate,’ so to speak, will allow me to really grow and expand as both a clinical pharmacist and a pharmaceutical scientist as I pursue new collaborations and research directions. This is one of the rare opportunities in a research career when re-inventing oneself is both expected and encouraged, and I’m excited to be in the midst of that process.”

Brogden earned her undergraduate and doctor of pharmacy degrees at the UI, and her doctorate last year from the University of Kentucky.