A good deal of the field of nanomedicine is focused on delivering drugs to specific sites within the body, such as specific organs or cancer tumors. While many nanomedicines have well developed targeting mechanisms, they often are best delivered a small amount at a time. Yet, continuous slow-release of nanomedicines has typically required the use of polymer matrix implants that don’t degrade very gracefully.
Now researchers at Northwestern University have developed an unusual new liquid material that, after being injected, assembles into a gel containing drug nanocarriers that can then release themselves at a pre-defined rate. Since the material breaks down into the drug vesicles, nothing remains after all of the medicine is delivered.
The researchers envision the technology being used for targeted chemo delivery as well as for administration of vaccines without patients having to come back for boosters. In reality, a lot of people would benefit from slow and continuous targeted nanomedicines that are highly effective without causing injury to the rest of the body.
In animals, the researchers successfully demonstrated the drug delivery method for over a month into cells within lymph nodes. In addition to being used to deliver drugs, the researchers already showed that their approach can be used to deliver imaging agents.
Open access study in Nature Communications: ARTICLESustained micellar delivery via inducible transitionsin nanostructure morphology…
Via: Northwestern…
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