Dr. Rohan's research interests lies in the area of drug delivery and targeting. Several research topics are being pursued in her laboratory. The primary focus of the research in the lab is centered on the design of drug delivery systems for application in the areas of infectious disease and gynecologic oncology. One research program in the lab focuses on the development of microbicide products. Microbicides are topical drug delivery systems that can be used to prevent transmission of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). There are approximately 19 million new cases of STIs reported in the US each year with nearly half of these infections being in youths between the ages of 15 and 24. UNAIDS predicts that an additional 45 million people will become infected with HIV by the year 2010 unless prevention efforts are achieved. Men and women urgently need infection prevention technology that is within their personal control. Microbicides would provide such a technology. The research in Dr. Rohan's lab focuses on the development of potential delivery systems for use in microbicide products. They are currently studying the role of the chemical, physical, and biological properties of vaginal and cervical tissues and fluids in the development of vaginal and cervical products and developing in vitro model systems for use in the design of microbicide products. The lab currently collaborates with groups around the world to develop small molecules, peptides & proteins, as well as genetically altered bacteria as microbicide products. Other projects in the lab include the development and optimization of imaging techniques for sentinel node identification in cervical cancer as well as the development of novel delivery systems for chemotherapeutic agents.

1. Gupta, P., Lackman-Smith, C., Ratner, D., Rohan, L. C.,Patton, D., Bharat Ramratnam, B and Alexander M Cole. Antiviral Activity of Retrocycline RC-101, a Candidate Microbicide against Cell-Associated HIV-1. AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses 2012 Aug 27. PMID:22924614
2. Huang, Y, Lu, J, Gao, X, Li, J, Sun, M, Stolz, D, Venkataramanan R, Rohan L, Li S, PEG-Derivatized Embelins as a Dual Function Carrier for the Delivery of Poorly Water-Soluble Anti-Cancer Drugs. Bioconjug Chem. 2012 Jun 20. [Epub ahead of print]PMID:22681537
3. Gupta,P, Ratner,D., Ding,M., Patterson,B., Rohan,LC., Reinhart, TA., Ayyavoo,V, Huang, X., Patton, DL, Ramratnam,B and Cole, AM. Retrocyclin RC-101 blocks HIV-1 transmission across cervical mucosa in an Organ Culture. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2012 May 15 PMID: 22611520
4. Dezzutti,CS, Rohan, LC, Wang, L, Uranker K, Shelter C, Cost M, Lynam, JD, Friend, D. Reformulated Tenofovir Gel for use as a Dual Compartment Microbicide. J Antimicrob Chemother. 2012 May 11. [Epub ahead of print] PMID:22581908
5. Cost, MR, Dezzutti, CS, Clark, M, Akil, A Rohan, LC. Characterization of UC781/Tenofovir Combination Gel Products for HIV-1 Prevention. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2012 Jun;56(6):3058-66. Epub 2012 Mar 19. PMID:22430977
6. Ham A S., Rohan, L C., Boczar, A., Yang, L, Buckheit, KW, Buckheit, RW. Vaginal Film Drug Delivery of the Pyrimidinedione IQP-0528 for the Prevention of HIV Infection. Pharm Rsh. 2012 Mar 6. [Epub ahead of print] PMID:22392331
7. Moncla BJ, Pryke K, Rohan LC, Yang H. Testing of viscous anti-HIV microbicides using Lactobacillus. J Microbiol Methods. 2012 Feb;88(2):292-6. Epub 2011 Dec 24.PubMed PMID: 22226641; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3271802.
8. Rinehart MT, Drake TK, Robles FE, Rohan LC, Katz D, Wax A. Time-resolved imaging refractometry of microbicidal films using quantitative phase microscopy. J Biomed Opt. 2011 Dec;16(12):120510. PubMed PMID: 22191912; PubMed CentralPMCID: PMC3253752.
9. Wang L, Sassi AB, Patton D, Isaacs C, Moncla BJ, Gupta P, Rohan LC. Development of a liposome microbicide formulation for vaginal delivery of octylglycerol for HIV prevention. Drug Dev Ind Pharm. 2011 Dec [Epub ahead ofprint] PubMed PMID: 22149387.
10. Moncla, B. J.,Pryke, K., Rohan, L. C. Graebing, P. W. Degradation of Naturally occurring and engineered antimicrobial peptides by proteases. Advances in Bioscience and Biotechnology. 2011 Dec; 2(6). 404-408
11. Li M, Patton DL, Cosgrove-Sweeney Y, Ratner D, Rohan LC, Cole AM, Tarwater PM, Gupta P, Ramratnam B. Incorporation of the HIV-1 microbicide cyanovirin-N in a food product.. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2011 Sep 15. PMID:21926631
12. Mahalingam A, Jay JI, Langheinrich K, Shukair S, McRaven MD, Rohan LC, Herold BC, Hope TJ, Kiser PF.
Inhibition of the transport of HIV in vitro using a pH-responsive synthetic mucin-like polymer system. Biomaterials. 2011 Nov; 32(33):8343-55. Epub 2011 Aug 27. PMID: 21875751
13. Yang H, Parniak MA, Dezzutti C, Hillier SL, and Rohan, LC. A Thermodynamic Study of the Cyclodextrin-UC781 Inclusion Complex using HPLC Methods. Journal of Inclusion Phenomena and Macrocyclic Chemistry (30 July 2011), pp. 1-7.
14. Isaacs, C, Xu,W, Merz, G, Hillier, SL, Rohan, LC, Wen, G. Digallate Dimers of (-)-Epigallocatechin Gallate Inactivate Herpes Simplex Virus. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. 2011 Sep 26. PMID:21947401
15. Sassi AB, Bunge KE, Hood BL, Conrads TP, Cole AM, Gupta P, Rohan LC. Preformulation and stability in biological fluids of the retrocyclin RC-101, a potential anti-HIV topical microbicide.. AIDS Res Ther. 2011 Jul 29; 8:27. PMID:21801426
16. Akil A, Parniak M, Dezzutti C, Moncla B, Cost M, Li M, Rohan LC. Development and Characterization of a Vaginal Film Containing Dapivirine, a Non-nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor (NNRTI), for prevention of HIV-1 Sexual Transmission. Drug Delivery and Translational Research. 2011 1:209-222.
17. Wang L, Schnaare RL, Dezzutti C, Anton P, Rohan, LC. Rectal Microbicides: Clinically relevant approach to design of rectal specific placebo formulations. AIDS Research and Therapy. 2011 March 7:8-12. PMID 21385339
18. Sassi, A.B., M.R. Cost, A.L. Cole, A. M. Cole, D.L. Patton, P. Gupta, Rohan, LC. Formulation Development of Retrocyclin-1 (RC-101) as an anti-HIV vaginal microbicide. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. 2011 May 55(5): 2282-9. PMID 21321138
19. Mahalingam A, Simmons A, Ugaonkar S, Watson K, Dezzutti C, Rohan LC, Buckheit R., Kiser P. Vaginal microbicide gel for the delivery of IQP-0528, a pyrimidinedione analog with a dual mechanism of action against HIV-1. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2011 April 55(4): 1650-60. PMID 21245437
20. Garg S, Goldman D, Krumme M, Rohan LC, Smoot S, Friend D. Advances in development, scale up and manufacturing of microbicide gels, films, and tablets. Antiviral Research. Volume 88 Supplement 1 (December 2010) S19-S29. PMID:21109064
21. Cole AM, Patton DL, Rohan LC, Cole AL, Cosgrove-Sweeney Y, Rogers NA, Ratner D, Sassi AB, Lackman-Smith C, Tarwater P, Ramratnam B, Ruchala P, Lehrer RI, Waring AJ, Gupta P. The formulated microbicide RC-101 was safe and antivirally active following intravaginal application in pigtailed macaques. PLoS One. 2010 Nov 29; 5(11):e15111. PMID:21124745
22. Rohan, LC, Moncla BJ, Kunjara, RP, Cost M, Huang Y, Gai, F, Billotto,N, Lyman, JD, Pryke, K, Graebing P, Hopkins N, Rooney J, Friend, D. and Dezzutti CS,. In vitro and Ex vivo Testing of Tenofovir shows it is Effective as an HIV-1 Microbicide. PloS ONE Volume 5, Issue 2 (February 2010), e9310
23. Ham, A. S., M. Cost, P. Graebing, D. L. Patton, M. Lederman, Rohan L.C. Targeted Delivery of PSC-RANTES for HIV-1 Prevention using Biodegradable Nanoparticles. Pharmaceutical Research. Volume 26, Issue3 (2009), Page 502.
24. Yang, H, M. A. Parniak, C. E. Isaacs, S. L. Hillier, L. C. Rohan. Characterization of Cyclodextrin inclusion complexes of the Anti-HIV Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor UC781. The AAPS Journal. Volume 10. Issue 4 (2008). Page 606.
25. Mu, Y, Klamerus, M.,Miller, T, Rohan, LC., Graham, SH, Poloyac, SM. Intravenous Formulation of HET0016 for Selective Inhibition of Rat Brain 20-Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic Acid (20-HETE) Formation. Drug Metabolism and Disposition. 36(11): 2324-30 (2008 Nov)
26. Fader A. N., R. P. Edwards, M. Cost, A. Kanbour-Shakir, J. Schwartz, J. Kelley, P. Comerci, J. Sukumvanich, R. P. Sumkin, L. C. Rohan. Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy in Early Stage Cervical Cancer: Utility of Intraoperative versus Postoperative Assessment. Gynecologic Oncology. 111(1):13-7 (2008 Oct)
27. Sassi, A, C. Isaacs, B. Moncla, P. Gupta, S. L. Hillier, L. C. Rohan. Effects of physiological fluids on physical chemical characteristics and activity of topical vaginal microbicide products. Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. 97 (8):3123-39 (2008 Aug)
28. Isaacs, C. E., W. Xu, J. H. Jia, L. C. Rohan, G. Wen, S. L. Hillier. Epigallocatechin Gallate Inactivates Clinical Isolates of Herpes Simplex Virus. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. 52(3):962-970 (2008)
29. Patton, D.L., S. Y. T. Cosgrove, J. E. Balkus, L. C. Rohan, B. J. Moncla, M. A. Parniak, S. L. Hillier. Preclinical Safety Assessments of UC781 Anti-HIV Topical Microbicide Formulations. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. 51: 1608-1615. (2007)
30. Gupta, P, D. Dampf, B. K. Patterson, L. Rohan, M. Parniak, C. E. Isaacs, S. L. Hillier. Use of Frozen-thawed Cervical Tissues in the Organ Culture System to Measure anti-HIV activities of candidate microbicides. AIDS Research & Human Retroviruses. 22(5):419-24, (2006 May)