head of
- Center for Structured Particulate Systems (C-SOPS) Site Leader Mayagüez
- Department of Chemistry Graduate Coordinator 2003 - 2011
- Junta Examinadora de Quimicos, PR Member 1998 - 2003
Analytical & Pharmaceutical Lab - a C-SOPS research lab
The group's research has been successfully transferred to commercial continuous manufacturing, as our students developed the PAT methods implemented at Janssen Ortho, LLC in Gurabo, Puerto Rico, while the mixing process was developed by Dr. Fernando J Muzzio and his team at Rutgers.
We are part of the Center for Structured Organic Particulate Systems (C-SOPS), a self-sustaining research center created with the support of the National Science Foundation's Engineering Research Centers program.
Our group is called the Analytical & Pharmaceutical Group since students are equally encouraged to learn about analytical chemistry and pharmaceutics, and present in both pharmaceutical and chemical meetings. The research activities are important as a means to develop human resources in support of Puerto Rico’s pharmaceutical industry, and at the same time contribute to the development of new methods to analyze intact pharmaceutical materials. The group’s projects include innovative research efforts, and also a number of activities to encourage the transfer of knowledge and methods to pharmaceutical manufacturing sites.
The mission of the Analytical & Pharmaceutical group is: “Facilitate the development and implementation of Quality by Design manufacturing by supplying scientists, Near Infrared and Raman Spectroscopic methods to the pharmaceutical industry”.
At this time, many of our former group members are working in the pharmaceutical industry in Process Analytical Technology, Near Infrared, and Raman Spectroscopy. Our Ph.D. students are being hired by industries to advance PAT and lead projects similar to those they worked with in our research group.
Research & Action:
Our group is dedicated to analyzing samples on an “as-is” basis without dissolving or affecting the sample. To achieve this goal we work with near infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy and collaborate with a wide scientific community. Dr. Romañach is site leader for the Engineering Research Center for Structured Organic Particulate Systems (ERC-SOPS, http://ercforsops.org/), and most of our collaborations are with researchers from the ERC but our research community has no bounds and extends to Catalunya, Valencia, Copenhagen, and Cartagena, and we are always ready to expand.
I am very happy to be in this Department, and very grateful to those professors that gave me the opportunity to come to Mayagüez. Times may be tough, but when the “going gets tough, the tough get going”; there are too many exciting contributions for us to do, and no time for complaining. We still have wonderful students, true rough diamonds for us to polish and make shine. We foresee many good opportunities, and are actually looking for new undergraduate and graduate students to join our group.
I had the pleasure of serving as Graduate Coordinator from January 2003 – July 2011. During that time our Ph.D. program was approved, and grew to 62 students.
UPR-Mayagüez was the first University where the great potential of Near Infrared Spectroscopy was first recognized by Dr. Owen H. Wheeler, who taught in our University from 1958 – 1976 and who wrote the following articles:
O.H. Wheeler, Near Infrared Spectra of Organic Compounds, 1959, Chem. Rev., 629 – 666.
O.H. Wheeler, Near Infrared Spectra A neglected field of Study, Journal of Chemical Education, 1960, 37(5), 234 -236.
Courses Taught:
QUIM 5205 (taught every three semesters) - This course discusses the use of analytical chemistry in service to pharmaceutical development and manufacturing. A number of lectures have been developed to present drug development and research, cGMP’s, pharmaceutical manufacturing, HPLC assay development and validation, dissolution testing, polymorphism, polarized light microscopy, mid and near infrared spectroscopy, and the use of these analytical methods to understand pharmaceutical materials. This course has been taught six (6) times to 95 undergraduate and graduate students from the chemistry, chemical engineering, and industrial biotechnology programs. This course does not have a text book, instead a number of journal articles and “primary” reference materials are used. The course prerequisites are: completion of QUIM 3055 or QUIM 3065, and QUIM 3450 or QUIM 3072, and QUIM 4041 or authorization of the Director of the Department.
QUIM 6835 - Chemometrics- (every three semesters) - Design of analytical methods and experiments, development of models for process understanding, and use of methods to obtain information from chemical systems.
QUIM 3055 (Analytical Chemistry)- this is a fast paced course that includes quantitative chemical analysis and instrumental analysis taught to chemical engineering and industrial biotechnology. The course is taught with special emphasis on Process Analytical Technology (PAT), and from the point of view of chemical engineering and industrial biotechnology.
QUIM 8995 - (every three semesters) Special Topics in Solid State Vibrational Spectroscopy - Analysis of solids through diffuse reflectance near infrared spectroscopy and chemical imaging as well as Raman spectroscopy.
Calle Post 259 Norte,
Edificio de Quimica en Recinto Universitario de Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR 00681-9000
United States of America