Robert Thorne, PhD, is an assistant professor in pharmaceutical sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he also serves as a trainer in the Neuroscience, Cellular & Molecular Pathology, and Clinical Neuroengineering Training Programs. Prior to joining the faculty in 2010, he was a postdoctoral fellow and later instructor (2008-2010) in the Department of Physiology & Neuroscience at the NYU School of Medicine. His postdoctoral work with Dr. Charles Nicholson focused on the diffusion of macromolecules and nanoparticles in the central nervous system (CNS), providing the first in vivo brain data on protein and nanoparticle diffusion as well as identifying several key factors affecting large molecule distribution.

Dr. Thorne received a BS in chemical engineering from the University of Washington and a PhD in pharmaceutics from the University of Minnesota, where he pioneered the study of nasal pathways for CNS delivery with Dr. Bill Frey. Dr. Thorne’s research is focused on two primary goals: (i) To identify the factors affecting the diffusion of proteins, genes, viral vectors and nanoparticles inside the developing, adult and pathologic CNS and (ii) To identify the pathways and mechanisms allowing substances to enter the CNS following intranasal administration, a promising alternative route for CNS drug delivery.

Dr. Thorne is a founding member and part of the inaugural steering council for the International Brain Barriers Society, and the 2014 vice chair-elect (chair-elect, 2016) for the ‘Barriers of the CNS’ Gordon Research Conference, one of the premier meetings in the field of brain barriers science and CNS drug delivery.