Drug Delivery: Approaches and Technologies for Delivering Therapeutics

  • HMX

Registration Deadline: January 6, 2026

Registration Deadline: February 24, 2026

Group Enrollment Option A program that is a popular choice for organizations and institutions to purchase in bulk.

Deadline Approaching Enroll now to secure your seat.

Understand advances in drug delivery systems – and the implications for patient care.

  • Online; Instructor-Paced

Lessons are released weekly and remain available until the course ends.

 

Available Start Dates

January 13

March 3

$1,025

Multi-course bundle pricing is also available across enrollment periods.

Certificate

Earn a Certificate of Completion upon successfully completing all coursework.

10 Weeks, 1-2 Hours/Week

Most people can expect to spend around 15–20 hours total, but this depends on your baseline knowledge and how carefully you take notes.

  • Online; Instructor-Paced

Lessons are released weekly and remain available until the course ends.

 

Available Start Dates

January 13

March 3

$1,025

Multi-course bundle pricing is also available across enrollment periods.

Certificate

Earn a Certificate of Completion upon successfully completing all coursework.

10 Weeks, 1-2 Hours/Week

Most people can expect to spend around 15–20 hours total, but this depends on your baseline knowledge and how carefully you take notes.

On This Page

Overview

The range of systems and approaches that can be used to deliver therapeutics is growing and advancing at an incredible rate. Learning about these advances in drug delivery has important implications for anyone working in health care and related sectors.  

Explore the latest drug delivery systems and approaches for treating and preventing diseases in this advanced HMX course. You will cover several key aspects of drug delivery, including different systems for delivering therapeutics to achieve local and systemic effects, methods for modifying drugs, and materials and technologies that enhance the delivery of drugs to their target sites.  

Learning Objectives

  • Learn about drug delivery systems and approaches to drug delivery
  • Learn about materials and technologies that are used in drug delivery
  • Get an inside look at some novel and emerging drug delivery systems and technologies
  • Learn how improved drug delivery can lead to better health care and patient experience and outcomes

Who Should Participate

Pharmaceutical professionals or researchers; professionals in related sectors; health care professionals

Overview

The range of systems and approaches that can be used to deliver therapeutics is growing and advancing at an incredible rate. Learning about these advances in drug delivery has important implications for anyone working in health care and related sectors.  

Explore the latest drug delivery systems and approaches for treating and preventing diseases in this advanced HMX course. You will cover several key aspects of drug delivery, including different systems for delivering therapeutics to achieve local and systemic effects, methods for modifying drugs, and materials and technologies that enhance the delivery of drugs to their target sites.  

Learning Objectives

  • Learn about drug delivery systems and approaches to drug delivery
  • Learn about materials and technologies that are used in drug delivery
  • Get an inside look at some novel and emerging drug delivery systems and technologies
  • Learn how improved drug delivery can lead to better health care and patient experience and outcomes

Who Should Participate

Pharmaceutical professionals or researchers; professionals in related sectors; health care professionals

Questions?

Have questions about HMX courses, enrollment, or learning options? Contact our team by email—we’re happy to assist.

About the Course

HMX online courses bring complex material to life through engaging biomedical visualizations, clinical applications, and true-to-life scenarios paired with lectures from Harvard Medical School faculty and leading experts. 

Who Should Enroll

This advanced course is appropriate for pharmaceutical or research professional looking to advance expertise in contemporary drug delivery systems and approaches; professionals in health care and related sectors who would like to stay up-to-date with the latest advancements in drug delivery technologies and methodologies, learners experienced in essential drug delivery concepts that want to improve  knowledge and understanding of cutting-edge systems and innovative approaches.

Course Format

Most people can expect to spend around 15–20 hours total, but this depends on your baseline knowledge, how carefully you take notes, and how seriously you take the assessments. Lessons from the courses are released toward the beginning of the course session and remain available until the courses end, so you can work at your own pace. There is a final exam at the end of each course that can be taken at any time during the multi-week final exam period. The flexible course format makes this an ideal choice for working professionals.

Additional Course Information

For information around payments and policies, please review our frequently asked questions.

Overview of Drug Delivery

  • What is Drug Delivery?
  • The Promise of Drug Delivery

Drug Delivery Systems

  • Overview of Drug Delivery Systems
  • Local Administration for Systemic Effect
  • Local Administration for Local Effect
  • Systemic Administration for Systemic Effect
  • Systemic Administration for Local Effect
  • Clinical Linkage: Closed Loop Systems

Selected Approaches to Drug Delivery

  • Overview of Drug Delivery Approaches
  • Enhancing Permeation
  • Modifying Drugs by Attachment to Polymers
  • Manipulating Existing Drug Transport Mechanisms
  • Utilizing Vectors to Deliver Drugs
  • Remote Triggering
  • Clinical Linkage: Recent Advances in Drug Delivery Systems

Materials and Systems

  • Overview of Materials and Systems
  • Polymeric Materials
  • Non-polymeric Materials
  • Triggerable Materials
  • Microparticles vs. Nanoparticles
  • Hydrogels
  • Biocompatibility
  • Clinical Linkage: Developing New Drug Delivery Systems

Wrap-up

  • The Future of Drug Delivery

This course builds on foundational science by exploring complex concepts through engaging biomedical visualizations, clinical applications, and real-world scenarios. To fully benefit from the material, we recommend prior knowledge of basic biology, chemistry, and pharmacology. This is an advanced course; for those who require more background in pharmacology, we offer Pharmacology: Essentials

Your progress throughout the course will determine your eligibility for a Certificate of Completion from Harvard Medical School. Earning a certificate requires significant effort; learners must complete all course material by the course end date in order to qualify.

Are you ready to elevate your educational journey and maximize the investment in your future?

You can bundle up to five courses. Bundle discounts apply to all courses selected. A bundle can consist of courses in the same upcoming enrollment period or the following enrollment period.

Two-course bundle: 25% discount 
Three-course bundle: 30% discount 
Four-course bundle: 35% discount
Five-course bundle: 40% discount

View all bundle-eligible programs. 

Limited program fee assistance is available for participants who qualify. Please email learn@hms.harvard.edu for more information.

Group Enrollments

HMX courses are ideal for organizations looking to train teams or larger groups. Group pricing is available, making it a cost-effective investment in team development.

Faculty

HMX courses are led by Harvard Medical School faculty, working in collaboration with a multi-disciplinary team of experts in biomedical visualization, assessment, and the science of learning to create a unique learning experience that will stay with you.

Michael Agus, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School / Pediatric Endocrinologist and Pediatric Critical Care Physician, Boston Children’s Hospital

Katharine Garvey, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School / Pediatric Endocrinologist, Boston Children’s Hospital

Ana Jaklenec, PhD, Research Scientist and Principal Investigator, MIT

Jeffrey Karp, PhD, Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Robert Langer, ScD, David H. Koch Institute Professor, MIT / Faculty, Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology

Xueguang Lu, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, MIT

Morteza Sarmadi, MSc, PhD candidate, MIT

Garry Steil, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School / Physiologist and Research Engineer, Boston Children’s Hospital

C. Giovanni Traverso, MB, BChir, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School / Gastroenterologist, Brigham and Women’s Hospital

ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTORS

Yang Li, PhD, Research Fellow, Boston Children’s Hospital

Wei Zhang, PhD, Instructor in Anesthesiology, Boston Children’s Hospital

Course Quiz

Are you ready for an advanced course? We recommend knowledge of basic chemistry, biology, and physics, as well as knowledge of key pharmacology concepts. Gauge your knowledge of pharmacology by taking this short quiz.

From Our Learners

Hear from HMX students as they share their experiences learning online with Harvard Medical School.

"The course was exceptionally well-structured, divided into modules that covered a wide range of valuable concepts and insights."

Explore Related Programs

Bundle courses together for discounted pricing.

HealthXcelerate: Strategy, Policy, and Systems

Build a comprehensive understanding of the U.S. health care system and the patient's experience.

  • HealthXcelerate
  • Online; Self-Paced
  • Group Enrollment Option
  • Registration Deadline Approaching:

Dates: Enroll by January 14, 2026 for the next program session starting January 21, 2026

For: Health care professionals throughout the industry seeking better understanding of the health care system

Pharmacology Essentials

Gain essential pharmacology knowledge to prepare for the future of health care.

  • HMX Online Learning
  • Online; Instructor-Paced
  • Group Enrollment Option
  • Registration Deadline Approaching:

Dates: -

For: Health care professionals working in roles such as R&D, product management and strategy, sales, and marketing

Clinical Drug Development: Clinical Trial Methodologies and Innovations

Learn how therapeutics are assessed during clinical drug development.

  • HMX Online Learning
  • Online; Instructor-Paced
  • Group Enrollment Option
  • Registration Deadline Approaching:

Dates: -

For: Pharmaceutical professionals or researchers; professionals in related sectors; health care professionals

Clinical Development Strategies: Beyond Clinical Trials

Learn to improve clinical trial design and performance, and think beyond trial outcomes to facilitate the success of products throughout their development lifecycles.

  • Executive Education
  • Online; Self-Paced

Dates: -

For: Leaders of clinical trials; Experienced technical professionals in clinical trial functions

Executive Program for Senior Life Sciences Leaders

In the rapidly evolving landscape of life sciences, significant transformations are underway, propelled by digitalization, evolving advancements in artificial intelligence, demographic shifts, escalating cost pressures, critical scientific breakthroughs, and the emergence of formidable competitors.

  • Executive Education
  • Blended

Dates: -

For: Professionals poised at the intersection of innovation, leadership, and strategy within the life sciences industry.

Foundations of Clinical Research

Launch your clinical research career with essential training in study design, biostatistics, epidemiology, and statistical analysis. This program is designed for health care professionals with limited or no prior experience in clinical research.

  • Postgraduate Certificate
  • Live Online

Dates: -

For: The Foundations of Clinical Research program is designed for medical and health professionals with an advanced degree who seek to build foundational skills in clinical research. No prior research experience is required.

Global Clinical Scholars Research Training

Develop advanced clinical research skills through this rigorous, blended learning experience that prepares clinicians and clinician-scientists worldwide to design, conduct, and communicate impactful health care research.

  • Postgraduate Certificate
  • Blended

Dates: -

For: Designed for faculty-level clinicians or clinician-scientists with advanced degrees such as an MD, PhD, MBBS, DMD, DDS, PharmD, or DNP. Successful candidates typically have at least one abstract, publication, or peer-reviewed article.

Request Information

Interested in learning more about this program? Sign up for details.

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Program Topics