Contact us
Address: Eftimie Murgu Square, No. 2, 300041, Timișoara
Phone: 0256494604
E-mail: trandafirescu.cristina@umft.ro
Staff of the Academic Department
Head of the Academic Department
Members
General presentation
The activity of the University Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Biochemistry is addressed to students enrolled in undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral programs:
- Pharmacy, Pharmacy (French-language) and Pharmacy (English language) study programs, 300 ECTS credits, 5-year duration.
- Medical Cosmetics and Cosmetic Product Technology study program, 180 ECTS credits, 3-year duration.
- Pharmacy Assistants study program (in Deva), 180 ECTS credits, 3-year duration.
- Master’s programs in Cosmetology and Dermopharmacy, Toxicology of Drugs and Psychotropic Plants, and Pharmaceutical Industry, 120 ECTS credits, 2-year duration.
- The Doctoral School of Pharmacy includes among its members: Prof. Cristina Trandafirescu and Prof. Marius Mioc.
Educational activity
The educational offer for undergraduate studies includes the following courses and practical laboratory work:
- Pharmaceutical and Therapeutic Chemistry – years III and IV, Pharmacy and Pharmacy (French-language) study programs.
- Pharmaceutical Biochemistry – year III, Pharmacy and Pharmacy (French-language) study programs.
- Therapeutic Chemistry – year II, Pharmacy Assistants study program (Deva).
- Descriptive and Metabolic Biochemistry – year II, Pharmacy Assistants study program (Deva).
- Chemistry of Cosmetic Ingredients – year I, Medical Cosmetics and Cosmetic Product Technology study program.
Chemistry of Cosmetic and Pharmaceutical Ingredients – year II, Medical Cosmetics and Cosmetic Product Technology study program. - Biochemistry – year II, Medical Cosmetics and Cosmetic Product Technology study program.
The educational offer also includes the following optional course:
- Principles of Molecular Design and Docking – Pharmacy, Pharmacy (English-language), and Pharmacy (French-language) study programs.
Books authored by the department’s staff (selection):
- Cristina Trandafirescu, Codruța Șoica, Ramona Pârvănescu, Cristina Pătruțescu, Chimie farmaceutică. Lucrări practice, Ed. Victor Babeș, Timișoara, 2025
- Cristina Trandafirescu, Roxana Racoviceanu, Marius Mioc, Roxana Ghiulai, Chimie farmaceutică. Lucrări de laborator, Ed. Victor Babeș, Timișoara, 2020
- Codruţa Şoica, Florin Borcan, Cristina Trandafirescu, Chimia şi acţiunea antisepticelor şi dezinfectantelor, Ed. Victor Babeş Timişoara, 2013
- Codruţa Şoica, Cristina Trandafirescu, Chimie Farmaceutică: Medicaţia aparatelor şi sistemelor. I, Ed. Victor Babeş, Timişoara, 2013
- Cristina Trandafirescu, Laura Sbârcea. Chimie farmaceutică. Chimioterapice antiinfecțioase, Ed. Mirton, Timișoara, 2011
- Codruţa Şoica, Chimie farmaceutică. Terapia cu antibiotice antibacteriene, Ed. Mirton, Timişoara, 2007
The Volunteering Program in Academic Development (VADA) is carried out within the department at UMFVBT, involving students in academic and research-related activities.
Scientific and research activity
The research activity of the members of the university department focuses mainly on optimizing the pharmacological properties of natural and synthetic substances:
- Design, synthesis, physico-chemical and biological evaluation of synthetic and semisynthetic compounds with potential pharmacological effects.
- Preparation and analysis of nanostructures and cyclodextrin complexes of pharmacologically active substances.
The department’s team is part of the Research Center for Experimental Pharmacology and Drug Design (X-Pharm Design), whose objective is to develop therapeutic agents with superior efficacy and a high safety profile through an interdisciplinary approach.
Research projects:
- National Project PD PN-III-P1-1.1-PD-2019-1078 “Synthesis and evaluation of new gold nanoparticle–triazole–triterpene bioconjugates used as active agents in malignant melanoma,” 2019–2022, project director: Lecturer Dr. Marius Mioc.
- Project 1EXP/1233/30.01.2020 LUPSKINPATH “Lupeol as a bioactive natural compound in the local treatment of wounds and inflammation from mild to severe pathologies: experimental evaluations and market pre-proposal,” 2020–2023, project director: Prof. Dr. Codruţa Şoica.
- BRIDGE Project, PN-III-P2-2.1-BG-2016-0354, “Betulin- and gold nanoparticle-based formulations for combating the skin aging process,” project director: Prof. Dr. Codruţa Şoica; members: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Cristina Trandafirescu, Lecturer Dr. Marius Mioc, Lecturer Dr. Roxana Ghiulai.
- PII-C5-TC-2017 “Synthesis and preliminary analysis of new 3-mercapto-1,2,4-triazole derivatives with potential antitumor effect,” project director: Lecturer Dr. Marius Mioc.
- National Project TE PN-II-RU-TE-2014-4-0422 – “Innovative in silico modeling strategies of compound promiscuity evaluated in high-throughput biological assays,” 2014–2016, member: Univ. Assistant Dr. Marius Mioc.
- Bilateral RO-HU Project, Contract 674–2013, “Evaluation of modern pharmaceutical formulations obtained by complexing pentacyclic triterpenes with functionalized polysaccharide derivatives,” project director: Prof. Dr. Codruţa Şoica; member: Lecturer Dr. Cristina Trandafirescu.
- PN II, 665/2013, “Impact assessment of UV radiation and antitumor therapy on dermal fibroblasts and in experimental skin cancer,” project director: Prof. Dr. Cristina Dehelean; member: Prof. Dr. Codruţa Șoica.
- Bilateral RO–France – RO-FR 789/30.06.2014, “Nanostructures with aurones, chalcones, and standardized plant extracts: development of a new prototype of anti-inflammatory and chemopreventive agent,” project director: Prof. Dr. Diana Antal; member: Prof. Dr. Codruța Șoica.
- Bilateral RO–France 791/30.06.2014, “Obtaining micro-crystals of pentacyclic triterpenes and studying their modifications,” project director: Lecturer Dr. Mirela Nicolov; member: Prof. Dr. Codruța Șoica.
- PN-II-110/2014, “Advanced recovery of useful products from used catalyst wastes (REMACAT),” UMFT lead: Prof. Dr. Georgeta Simu; member: Prof. Dr. Codruța Șoica.
- PN II code 1257/2007, “Study of the implementation of vegetal antitumor bioproducts of triterpenic type through nanostructure formation in skin therapies, by efficacy/toxicity analysis,” project director: Prof. Dr. Cristina Dehelean; member: Prof. Dr. Codruţa Şoica.
- AT 173/2007, “Elaboration of bioproducts with triterpenic compounds and cyclodextrins and their efficacy/toxicity analysis in skin pathologies,” project director: Prof. Dr. Cristina Dehelean; member: Prof. Dr. Codruţa Şoica.
- PN II PHYTOMEDAS, INOVARE Project 69/2007, project director: Prof. Dr. Cristina Dehelean; member: Prof. Dr. Codruţa Şoica.
- ET 35/2006, “Biotechnologies for the preparation of bioproducts using the valorization of vegetal indicators of metals from soil,” project director: Prof. Dr. Monica Butnariu (USAMVBT); member: Prof. Dr. Codruţa Şoica.
- Bilateral RO–China Project 198/2009 – “Antioxidant activity of Chinese materia medica and its chemical composition,” project director: Prof. Dr. Cristina Dehelean; member: Prof. Dr. Codruţa Şoica.
Representative publications:
- Mioc, M.; Gruin, S.; Gogulescu, A.; Bătrîna, O.; Jorgovan, M.; Mara, B.-I.; Șoica, C. Targeting Anti-Apoptotic Bcl-2 Proteins with Triterpene-Heterocyclic Derivatives: A Combined Dual Docking and Molecular Dynamics Study. Molecules 2025, 30, 3919.
- Colibăşanu D, Groza V, Occhiuzzi MA, Grande F, Udrescu M and Udrescu L (2025) Drug repositioning pipeline integrating community analysis in drug-drug similarity networks and automated ATC community labeling to foster molecular docking analysis. Front. Bioinform. 5:1666716. doi: 10.3389/fbinf.2025.1666716
- Prodea A, Munteanu A, Jorgovan M, Batrina O, Mioc M, Soica I, Trandafirescu C and Soica C (2025) Triterpenes in breast cancer: a systematic review of preclinical evidence in rodents. Front. Pharmacol. 16:1623772. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1623772
- Pârvănescu, R.; Trandafirescu, C.; Musuc, A.M.; Ozon, E.A.; Culita, D.C.; Mitran, R.-A.; Stănciulescu, C.-I.; Șoica, C. Comparative Physicochemical and Pharmacotechnical Evaluation of Three Topical Gel-Cream Formulations. Gels 2025, 11, 532.
- Pârvănescu, R.D.; Păpurică, M.; Alexa, I.O.; Dehelean, C.A.; Șoica, C.; Moacă, E.A.; Ledeți, A.; Voicu, M.; Coricovac, D.; Trandafirescu, C. The Potential of Amphiphilic Cyclodextrins as Carriers for Therapeutic Purposes: A Short Overview. Pharmaceutics 2025, 17, 1086.
- Mara, B.-I.; Mioc, A.; Deveseleanu-Corici, L.-N.; Șoica, C.; Cseh, L. Novel Compounds Featuring a Thiophene Carboxamide Scaffold: Synthesis, Characterization and Antiproliferative Evaluation. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26, 6823.
- Minodora Andor, Claudia Temereancă, Laura Sbârcea, Adriana Ledeți, Dana Emilia Man, Cristian Mornoș, Amalia Ridichie, Denisa Cîrcioban, Gabirlea Vlase, Paul Barvinschi, Angela Caunii, Renata-Maria Văruț, Cristina Maria Trandafirescu, Valentina Buda, Ionuț Ledeți, Matilda Rădulescu, Host-Guest Interaction Study of Olmesartan Medoxomil with beta-cyclodextrin derivatives, Molecules, 2024, 29, 2209.
- Alexandra Prodea, Andreea Milan, Marius Mioc, Alexandra Mioc, Camelia Oprean, Roxana Racoviceanu, Roxana Negrea-Ghiulai, Gabriel Mardale, Ștefana Avram, Mihaela Bălan-Porcărașu, Slavița Rotunjanu, Cristina Trandafirescu, Irina Șoica, Codruța Șoica, Novel betulin-1,2,4-triazole derivatives promote in vitro dose-dependent anticancer cytotoxicity, Processes, 2024,
- Colibășanu, D.; Ardelean, S.M.; Goldiș, F.-D.; Drăgoi, M.-M.; Vasii, S.-O.; Maksimović, T.; Colibășanu, Ș.; Șoica, C.; Udrescu, L. Unveiling Drug-Drug Interactions in Dental Patients: A Retrospective Real-World Study. Dent. J. 2025, 13, 255.
- Mioc, M.; Mioc, A.; Racoviceanu, R.; Ghiulai, R.; Prodea, A.; Milan, A.; Barbu Tudoran, L.; Oprean, C.; Ivan, V.; Șoica, C. The Antimelanoma Biological Assessment of Triterpenic Acid Functionalized Gold Nanoparticles. Molecules 2023, 28, 421.
- Mioc, M.; Milan, A.; Malița, D.; Mioc, A.; Prodea, A.; Racoviceanu, R.; Ghiulai, R.; Cristea, A.; Căruntu, F.; Șoica, C. Recent Advances Regarding the Molecular Mechanisms of Triterpenic Acids: A Review (Part I). Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23, 7740.
- Mioc, M.; Prodea, A.; Racoviceanu, R.; Mioc, A.; Ghiulai, R.; Milan, A.; Voicu, M.; Mardale, G.; Șoica, C. Recent Advances Regarding the Molecular Mechanisms of Triterpenic Acids: A Review (Part II). Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23, 8896.
- Mioc, M.; Mioc, A.; Prodea, A.; Milan, A.; Balan-Porcarasu, M.; Racoviceanu, R.; Ghiulai, R.; Iovanescu, G.; Macasoi, I.; Draghici, G.; et al. Novel Triterpenic Acid-Benzotriazole Esters Act as Pro-Apoptotic Antimelanoma Agents. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23.
- Milan, A.; Mioc, A.; Prodea, A.; Mioc, M.; Buzatu, R.; Ghiulai, R.; Racoviceanu, R.; Caruntu, F.; Şoica, C. The Optimized Delivery of Triterpenes by Liposomal Nanoformulations: Overcoming the Challenges. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23.
- Alexandra Prodea, Alexandra Mioc, Christian Banciu*, Cristina Trandafirescu*, Andreea Milan, Roxana Racoviceanu, Roxana Ghiulai, Marius Mioc, Codruța Șoica, The role of cyclodextrins in the design and development of triterpene-based therapeutic agents, International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2022, vol. 23, issue 2, Art. No 736.
- Daliana Minda, Alexandra Mioc, Christian Banciu, Codruța Șoica, Roxana Racoviceanu, Marius Mioc, Ioana Macașoi, Ștefana Avram, Adrian Voicu, Andrei Motoc, Cristina Trandafirescu, Cyclodextrin dispersion of mebendazole and flubendazole improves in vitro antiproliferative activity, Processes, 2021, vol. 9, issue 12, article no 2185.
- Roxana Racoviceanu, Cristina Trandafirescu, Mirela Voicu, Roxana Ghiulai, Florin Borcan, Cristina Dehelean, Claudia Watz, Zoltan Aigner, Rita Ambrus, Dorina Elena Coricovac, Denisa Circioban, Alexandra Mioc, Camelia Alexandrina Szuhanek, Codruța Șoica, Solid polymeric nanoparticles of albendazole: Synthesis, physico-chemical characterization and biological activity, Molecules, 2020, vol. 25, article no 5130.
- Cristina Trandafirescu, Ionuț Ledeți, Codruța Șoica, Adriana Ledeți, Gabriela Vlase, Florin Borcan, Cristina Dehelean, Dorina Coricovac, Roxana Racoviceanu, Zoltan Aigner, Albendazole-cyclodextrins binary systems. Thermal and spectral investigation on drug-excipient interaction, Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry, 2019, vol. 138, issue 5.