Marianna Foldvari

Dr. Foldvari’s research centers on the design of advanced drug delivery systems and biomolecular platforms aimed at enabling non-invasive, targeted delivery of therapeutic agents to specific tissues. Her work integrates the development of nano-enabled drug, protein and gene delivery technologies with fundamental studies of delivery mechanisms and cell interactions. The program emphasizes needle-free delivery via topical, transdermal, ocular, and intranasal routes, advancing innovative strategies for administering drugs, proteins, and nucleic acids. These efforts support translational applications in fields such as dermatology, ophthalmology, immunology and neurodegenerative diseases.

• Nanomedicine

• Pharmaceutics: liquid and semisolid dosage forms, colloids, dispersions, rheology

• Drug delivery systems development for macromolecules

• Formulation development

• Pharmaceutical technology

• Nanotechnology and nanoparticles

• Gene therapy

• Needle-free drug delivery

• Dermal and transdermal drug delivery

• Intranasal drug delivery, nose-to-brain delivery

• Ocular drug delivery and retinal targeting

• Confocal microscopy

• Electron microscopy

• Synchrotron SAXS/WAXS structural characterization

• Dermatological therapeutics

• Glaucoma and retinal diseases treatments

• Veterinary vaccines

• Neurodegenerative diseases

Dr. Marianna Foldvari is an internationally recognized leader and a former Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in pharmaceutics, bionanotechnology, and nanomedicine. Her Research Group is highly regarded for their work bridging fundamental and translational research.

• PhD Pharmaceutical Sciences (Dalhousie University)

• DPharmSci (Semmelweis Medical University)

• BSc Pharmacy (Semmelweis Medical University)

• Outstanding Faculty Mentor in Graduate Program Award

• WIN Research Leaders Award

• Honorary Award for Outstanding Lifetime Achievements in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology in Ontario

• AAPS Fellow

• The AFPC Pfizer Research Career Award

• YWCA Women of Distinction Award,

• Saskatchewan Top 25 Science Achievement Award

• Sabex Award of Innovation

• YWCA Women of Distinction Award Recipient (Entrepreneur/Innovator Category)

• Editorial Board Member of the Journal of Controlled Release, Associate Editor for Precision Nanomedicine and the Frontiers in Neuroscience, and for ten years served as Associate Editor for Nanomedicine: NBM.

• Grant reviewer on CIHR, NSERC, CFI, NIH and AAAS panels and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Global Health Initiatives review board.

• Co-Founding Director of the Canadian Society of Pharmaceutical Sciences (CSPS), American Society for Nanomedicine (ASNM) and the International Society of Nanomedicine (ISNM).

• Served as Board Member for Genome Prairie and was a Member of the Advisory Committee to the Prime Minister on Science and Technology.

• Dr. Foldvari is also a Member of Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology (WIN) and the Center for Bioengineering and Biotechnology (CBB).

• PHARM 124 - Pharmaceutics 1
  • Taught in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026
• PHARM 604 - Gene Therapy
  • Taught in 2021

* Only courses taught in the past 5 years are displayed.

• Moradi A, Bhatia AC, Behr K, Napekoski K, Foldvari M. (2025) In Vivo and Ex Vivo Evaluation of a Novel Method for Topical Delivery of Macromolecules Through the Stratum Corneum for Cosmetic Applications. Dermatologic Surgery. 9900:10.1097/DSS.0000000000004504

• Cirne AC and Foldvari M (2025) Pulmonary delivery of non-viral nucleic acid-based vaccines with spotlight on gold nanoparticles. WIREs Nanomedicine & Nanobiotechnology 17(1): e70000. doi: 10.1002/wnan.70000

• Hakim A, Guido B, Narsineni L, Chen DW and Foldvari M (2023) Gene therapy strategies for glaucoma from IOP reduction to retinal neuroprotection: Progress towards non-viral systems. Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews 196: 114781

• Novorolsky RJ, Kasheke GDS, Hakim A, Foldvari M, Dorighello GG, Sekler I, Vuligonda V, Sanders ME, Renden RB, Wilson JJ and Robertson GS (2023) Preserving and enhancing mitochondrial function after stroke to protect and repair the neurovascular unit: Novel opportunities for nanoparticle-based drug delivery. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience 17: 2023

• Narsineni L, Hakim A, Guido B and Foldvari M (2024) Evaluation of transfection with gemini nanoparticles for retinal neuroprotection in a dynamic microfluidic cell culture system. Precision Nanomedicine 7: 1264–1278

• Narsineni L, Chen DW and Foldvari M (2023) BDNF gene delivery to the retina by cell adhesion peptide-conjugated gemini nanoplexes in vivo. Journal of Controlled Release 359: 244–256

• Narsineni L, Nekkar P, Pham A and Foldvari M (2022) Peptide-modified gemini surfactants as delivery system building blocks with dual functionalities for glaucoma treatment: Gene carriers and amyloid-beta (Aβ) self-aggregation inhibitors. Molecular Pharmaceutics 19(8): 2737–2753

• Huh H, Chen DW, Foldvari M, Slavcev R and Blay J (2022) EGFR-targeted bacteriophage lambda penetrates model stromal and colorectal carcinoma tissues, is taken up into carcinoma cells, and interferes with 3-dimensional tumor formation. Frontiers in Immunology 13: 957233. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.957233

• Goonewardene KB, Popowich S, Gebhardt S, Gunawardana T, Gupta A, Kurukulasuriya S, Karunarathna R, Liu M, Chow-Lockerbie B, Ayalew L, Ahmed KA, Kamali H, Tikoo SK, Foldvari M, Willson P, Boire J, Roberts K, Ambrose N, Simonson C and Gomis S (2021) Aerosol delivery of synthetic DNA containing CpG motifs in broiler chicks at hatch under field conditions using a commercial-scale prototype nebulizer provided protection against lethal Escherichia coli septicemia. Poultry Science 100(3): 100934

• Narsineni L and Foldvari M (2020) Dicationic amino substituted gemini surfactants and their nanoplexes: Improved synthesis and characterization of transfection efficiency and corneal penetration in vitro. Pharmaceutical Research 37(7): 144. doi: 10.1007/s11095-020-02836-6

• Taheri-Araghi S, Chen DW, Kohandel M, Sivaloganathan S and Foldvari M (2019) Tuning effects of cationic to anionic charge ratio and helper lipids on non-viral gene delivery system: A theoretical and experimental study on gemini nanoparticles. Nanoscale 11: 1037–1046

• Chen DW, Narsineni L and Foldvari M (2018) Multipotent stem cell-derived retinal ganglion cells in 3D culture as tools for neurotrophic factor gene delivery system development. Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine 21: 102045

• Chen DW and Foldvari M (2018) Retinal multipotent stem cell derived “MiEye” spheroid 3D culture model for preclinical screening of non-viral gene delivery systems. Precision Nanomedicine 1(2): 106–123. doi: 10.29016/180711.1