Guenther Hochhaus, Ph.D., a professor of pharmaceutics in the University of Florida College of Pharmacy, was presented the Charles G. Thiel Award for Outstanding Research and Discovery in Respiratory Drug Delivery on May 2 at the Respiratory Drug Delivery 2022 conference in Orlando. The award recognizes scientists who have made significant developments in the science and technologies surrounding respiratory drug delivery.
Hochhaus joined the UF College of Pharmacy in 1987, and he has been a highly accomplished researcher during his tenure. His research evaluates anti-asthma drugs in the body (pharmacokinetics) to understand the relationship between the drug properties and the pharmacodynamic effect. His work linking pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic approaches with a rational drug delivery design has been a powerful tool in streamlining drug development for inhalation drugs. He has published more than 225 publications and secured over $8 million in grant funding during his career.
Hochhaus is a well-respected mentor and has dedicated his career toward sharing his knowledge with others. He has mentored more than 100 graduate students, interns and postdocs during his tenure at UF. His efforts have earned him several high-profile awards, including the University of Florida College of Pharmacy’s 2021 Doctoral Dissertation Mentoring Award and the 2019 American College of Clinical Pharmacology’s Bristol-Myers Squibb Mentorship in Clinical Pharmacology Award.
“The Charles G. Thiel Award for Outstanding Research and Discovery in Respiratory Drug Delivery is the premier award for researchers involved in the design and development of orally inhaled and nasal drug products worldwide,” Hochhaus said. “For me, it was a great honor to receive this award and have our research team recognized for their new pharmacometrics approaches to streamline approval of generic inhalation products.”
The award is named in honor of Charles G. Thiel for his foundational work in the development and commercialization of the Metered Dose Inhaler. His co-invention in 1956 represented a seismic shift in the way pulmonary drugs are delivered. The Thiel Award is presented at Respiratory Drug Delivery meetings to scientists who have pioneered significant developments in one or more aspects of science and technology surrounding respiratory drug delivery.