Maximilian Stapf

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About

After completing his pharmacy studies at the University of Würzburg and earning his state examination, he gained hands-on experience in both public and hospital pharmacy settings. This foundational period included practical training in clinical research and regulatory affairs at Novartis, where he developed an early interest in the scientific and regulatory aspects of drug development.

His passion for research led him back to academia, where he spent over four years as a research fellow and PhD candidate at the University of Würzburg’s Institute for Pharmacy and Food Chemistry. There, he specialized in bioanalytics and clinical pharmacy, focusing on the development and validation of LC-MS/MS methods for drug quantification in biological matrices. His work was highly collaborative, involving partnerships with several German universities and the University Hospital of Würzburg. These projects tackled topics such as antibiotic prophylaxis and the optimization of oral antitumor therapies, often requiring ethical submissions and complex pharmacokinetic modeling.

Topic

Pharmacokinetics of ampicillin/sulbactam and clindamycin in platelet-rich fibrin, healthy and necrotic bone tissue of patients undergoing maxillofacial surgery

Abstract (plain language summary):

This dissertation looks at how certain antibiotics – specifically ampicillin/sulbactam and clindamycin – spread and work in different parts of the body during jaw surgery. The research focuses on how well these drugs reach healthy bone, dead (necrotic) bone, and platelet-rich fibrin (a healing material made from the patient’s own blood). The goal is to better understand how these medications can prevent or treat infections during oral and maxillofacial surgeries, especially in patients with serious bone conditions like osteonecrosis of the jaw. The study also develops models and lab methods to measure and predict how these antibiotics behave, aiming to make treatments safer and more effective.

Abstract (Scientific audience)

This dissertation investigates the pharmacokinetics of ampicillin/sulbactam and clindamycin in plasma, necrotic and healthy jawbone tissue, and platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) in patients undergoing maxillofacial surgery. The work includes the development and validation of LC-MS/MS bioanalytical methods for quantification in complex biological matrices, and the construction of a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model to predict drug distribution in target tissues. The study highlights interindividual variability in drug penetration, challenges in antibiotic prophylaxis amid increasing resistance, and the role of PRF not only in wound healing but also as a potential local drug delivery matrix. These findings contribute to a more rational and individualized approach to antibiotic use in oral surgical interventions, especially for high-risk populations with osteonecrosis of the jaw.

Publications