Breakthroughs Can’t Wait: What if Medicines Delivered Through the Skin Were More Precise?

Audra Stinchcomb, PhD, RPh, FAAPS, FAIMBE, of the School of Pharmacy is working to ensure drug delivery through the skin is safe and effective and just the right dose.

By UMB Office of Communications and Public Affairs
September 4, 2025

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Making Drug Delivery Through Skin Safer and Smarter

Audra Stinchcomb, PhD, RPh, FAAPS, FAIMBE, professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, is focused on researching transdermal and topical drug delivery, microneedle-enhanced delivery, and translational research models for public-private partnerships. She has developed a research program that revolves around the examination of the mechanisms and optimization of skin permeation and microneedle-enhanced skin permeation. The microneedle research focus has been on formulations for improved permeation rate and micropore lifetime, utilizing animal studies translated to human subject studies.

She is also concerned with ensuring compounded drugs — specially made, often to avoid allergies or sensitivities — delivery consistent dosages over long periods of time.

In a new video Q&A, Stinchcomb discusses her work.

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At the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), groundbreaking discoveries happen every day — transforming medicine, improving health, and shaping the future. From changing legal policy to pioneering treatments to cutting-edge scientific breakthroughs, UMB researchers are tackling real-world challenges and making a lasting impact on lives everywhere.

Check out the “Breakthroughs Can’t Wait: Changing the Future Today” series of videos, and dive into inspiring stories of innovation from across UMB’s seven schools. See how scientists, doctors, and experts are addressing today’s most pressing issues — fueled by the critical support of government funding that drives progress forward.

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