New method can improve drug delivery in implants

An innovative biomaterial discovery by researchers at the University of Toronto in collaboration with Ripple Therapeutics Inc., has established a method that yields better control over drug release profiles in implants and has the potential to disrupt the classical drug delivery market.

Normally, drug molecules are incorporated inside biodegradable or non-degradable polymer shells and slowly release therapeutics, often with difficult to control release profiles. In this study, researchers were able to directly use the drug molecules as the delivery vehicle itself, greatly improving the fabrication process and preparation of therapeutic delivery for the clinic.

“The goal of the research and its demonstrated applications, is to build a robust system that can be utilized in the delivery of numerous classes of drug molecules,” says Professor Paul Santerre (Dentistry, BME), the University’s corresponding author of this research. “In this study, we used corticosteroids to generate structures which self-assemble on their own to form fibers, rods, nanoparticles and other forms. These robust forms surface erode in a controlled manner, delivering drug with near first order control for over weeks to months without the aid of a secondary matrix. This is a paradigm shift for the field.”

Corticosteroids are often used clinically to remedy inflammation. For example, they are found in common commercial products such as asthma inhalers, and areas of regenerative medicine such as those in ocular repair, the application described in the article. Aside from inhalation as the route of delivery, these molecules can also be delivered to localized areas in the human body through implants or tissue engineering – where a bio-degradable material traditionally encapsulates the molecules and slowly releases them over time.

In theory this is a great idea, but clinical translation is faced with challenges.

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