Beatriz Behrend is a Ph.D. student in the Molecular Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery division of the College of Pharmacy at The University of Texas at Austin. She holds a master's degree (2023) and a professional Pharmacy degree (2021) from the University of Valparaíso, Chile. Beatriz also has teaching experience as a Teaching Assistant in Pharmaceutics at UT Austin and as a Lecturer at the University of Valparaíso.
Beatriz has experience optimizing various manufacturing techniques, including spray drying, milling, and currently, Kinetisol, to develop dry powder formulations for inhalation, utilizing these particle engineering strategies to enhance aerosol performance. For her master's thesis, she developed a swellable gelatin-based dry powder inhaler formulation that efficiently delivered medication to the lungs. Beatriz is also a key contributor to ongoing research exploring the application of Kinetisol technology for producing dry powders for inhalation in a solventless manner and is a co-inventor on a recently filed patent application related to this work. This research holds potential for advancing the use of Kinetisol to enhance pulmonary drug delivery for poorly soluble and temperature-sensitive compounds.