Brittany Givens Rassoolkhani
University of Kentucky, KY·Biomedical Engineering
Opioids are still the main treatment for pain after surgery, and they contribute to addiction and overdose deaths. Non-opioid local anesthetics exist, but the longest-acting option lasts only 72 hours.
- Fields
Biomedical Engineering
Materials Science
Pharmacology
- Topics
drug delivery
in situ forming implant
bupivacaine
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Dec 2026
What they work on
- Synthesize bupivacaine-loaded microparticles from PEGDA and hyaluronate acrylate and place them inside a PLGA in-situ forming implant that solidifies after injection.
- Achieve high bupivacaine loading so each injection needs less polymer, and test whether the layered design eliminates burst release in favor of steady, constant-rate (zero-order) release.
- Measure bupivacaine release from the implant at different pH levels, aiming to sustain release across a 168-hour post-operative window.
- Develop a biomimetic model of the orofacial region to evaluate how the implant forms, degrades and releases drug.
More about the research
Patients can have pain for up to 168 hours, or one week, after oral and facial surgery. A way to deliver a non-addictive anesthetic steadily for a full week could reduce the need for opioid prescriptions.
Why it matters
Patients recovering from oral and facial surgery could benefit from a week-long, non-opioid pain implant. If successful, an injectable implant that releases bupivacaine steadily for 168 hours could cut opioid prescriptions for acute pain. That may help lower addiction and overdose risk without leaving patients in pain.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
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The school
University of Kentucky: 34 labs on PI Pages, $528M a year on research, 319 research doctorates a year.
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