The laboratory has been equipped in the first stage with equipment that were generously donated by Tabuk Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Co. these include manufacturing equipment used in pharmaceutical mixing, granulation, drying, coating and tableting processes as well as testing and analytical equipment. Future collaboration with the pharmaceutical manufacturing companies and funding agencies is expected to improve the research infrastructure and capacity.
The laboratory focuses on developing and testing excipient biocompatible and/or biodegradable materials for pharmaceutical formulation with emphasis on functional excipients working on improving solubility, dissolution rate, permeability and targeted delivery of drug molecules to specific segments of the gastrointestinal tract as well as different tissues and organs in the body. Another aspect of excipient development the laboratory is attempting to address is the development of processing aids. These are excipient materials with improved processability including excellent flow and flow promoting properties and excellent compactability that are highly valuable aid in high speed pharmaceutical manufacturing is another.
In addition, the laboratory's area of research include the development and optimization of manufacturing technologies and the application of statistical optimization techniques in pharmaceutical development in accordance with the "Quality by Design" approach that is adopted by local, regional and international regulatory agencies.
The laboratory provides a significant addition to HMCSR and UJ research capabilities providing researchers and graduate students with facilities and technical support to fulfill their academic mission of research and a link to industrial partners.