Hayat Onyuksel, professor of pharmaceutics and bioengineering, was honored by the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists for outstanding contributions to her field.

Onyuksel was one of 24 scientists recognized for “remarkable scholarly and research contributions to the pharmaceutical sciences.”

She is the fourth UIC professor to be named an AAPS fellow.

Onyuksel’s research addresses drug solubility and safety problems using a nanotechnology-based targeted drug delivery approach.

Using nanotechnology, she can deliver the drug specifically to the disease site. Her work in animal models has shown that this targeted approach increases drug action while significantly decreasing side effects. Her work forms the basis for future nanomedicines to treat cancers, rheumatoid arthritis and Alzheimer’s disease.

In 2006, Onyuksel received a one-year grant from the Illinois Department of Public Health to continue her work to develop a drug for Alzheimer’s disease. There is no effective treatment for the disease, which affects about 5 million Americans.