Byrn brings pharmaceutical expertise to new degree

Stephen R. Byrn, Ph.D., is Charles B. Jordan Professor of Medicinal Chemistry in the Department of Industrial and Physical Pharmacy at Purdue University. He was instrumental in helping create the new degree in biotechnology innovation regulatory science offered through ProSTAR.

Byrn set in motion the development of the field of solid state chemistry of drugs with his books and papers on the subject, the first of which were published in the mid-1970s. He has also taught over 100 short courses on solid state chemistry and pharmaceutical solids and has educated over 50 Ph.D. students and postdoctoral fellows.

Byrn has received numerous grants, including one of the first 13 NIH Centers for AIDS Research. He is cofounder of Purdue’s graduate programs in regulatory and quality compliance, which are now offered through the College of Technology and ProSTAR at Purdue. He is also cofounder of the Purdue-Kilimanjaro School of Pharmacy Sustainable Medicines Program in Moshi, Tanzania, which includes a master’s degree program in industrial pharmacy and manufacturing.

Within the profession, Byrn has served as chair of the Pharmaceutical Sciences Advisory Committee to the FDA and chaired several United States Pharmacopeia committees. He is cofounder of SSCI, Inc. (Solid State Chemical Information), a Current Good Manufacturing Practices research and information company now owned by Aptuit. Byrn is an elected fellow of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) and has received several awards for his research and entrepreneurial activities including the first AAPS David Grant Award for Research Achievement in Physical Pharmacy.

The Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences dedicated its Septebmer 2010 special issue to Byrn. His current research interests include strategies for accelerated drug development and the use of synchrotron X-rays for pharmaceutical research.