Rodrigo Cristofoletti, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Pharmaceutics
College of Pharmacy
Developing new medicines is a long and uncertain process, partly because what works in the lab does not always translate to outcomes in patients. Rodrigo Cristofoletti’s research concentrates on bridging that gap, developing models that better predict how drugs will behave in the human body before they reach clinical trials.
Cristofoletti’s work combines advanced laboratory systems with computational modeling to improve how drugs are tested and evaluated. His research centers on creating human-relevant models — such as organoids and organ-on-a-chip systems — that replicate how tissues like the gut, lung, liver and brain function. These systems allow scientists to study how drugs are absorbed, distributed and metabolized under conditions that more closely resemble human biology. In addition, his laboratory uses these in vitro models to investigate host-pathogen interactions during infectious diseases and to study key processes in developmental biology. As his research shows, improving the “prediction of human biology and patient outcomes” is critical for making drug development more efficient and effective.
A defining feature of his program is the integration of these experimental systems with quantitative modeling approaches. By combining laboratory data with computational tools, his work translates early findings into predictions about how drugs will perform in patients. This approach supports more informed decision-making by researchers, industry and regulatory agencies, helping reduce the risk of failure in later stages of development.
Cristofoletti’s research spans a wide range of applications, from improving how oral medications are absorbed to understanding how lung diseases affect drug delivery and how cancer treatments perform across different tumor types. His work also contributes to developing new antimicrobial therapies, addressing urgent public health needs by supporting the design of more effective treatments.
Cristofoletti’s growing influence in the field, as Department of Pharmaceutics chair Stephan Schmidt noted, reflects a program that is transforming how drug absorption, distribution, metabolism and toxicity are evaluated.
Through his work, Cristofoletti is advancing a new generation of tools and methods that make drug development more predictive, efficient and aligned with human biology, ultimately helping bring safer and more effective therapies to patients.