Current Pharmaceutical Design - Volume 16, Issue 21, 2010

Delivery of therapeutically relevant agents such as anti-cancer drugs, proteins, genes, siRNA, growth factors, etc has evolved tremendously through rational pharmaceutical design starting from drug discovery to delivery strategies. As diverse are the array of agents to be delivered and their applications, so are the formulations designed. The complexities in developing suitable delivery formulations are unforeseen. For in Read More

Numerous types of nanoparticles are being designed for systemic and targeted drug delivery. However, keeping nanoparticles in blood for sufficiently long times so as to allow them to reach their therapeutic target is a major challenge. Upon administration into blood, nanoparticles are quickly opsonized and cleared by the macrophages, thereby limiting their circulation times. Surface-modification of nanoparticles by PE Read More

The clinical dosage formulation of Paclitaxel and Docetaxel, Taxol® and Taxotere®, while having high efficacy, can cause serious side effects due to the adjuvant used. We have developed a system of nanoparticles (NPs) of biodegradable copolymer, poly(lactic acid)-d-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (PLA-TPGS), for Docetaxel formulation to achieve enhanced, sustainable and controlled chemotherapeutic effectiv Read More

Leukemia therapeutics are aiming for improved efficacy by targeting molecular markers differentially expressed on cancerous cells. Lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-1) expression on various types of leukemia has been well studied. Here, the role and expression of LFA-1 on leukemic cells and the possibility of using this integrin as a target for drug delivery is reviewed. To support this rationale, experimental re Read More

Paclitaxel appears to be a potential substrate of the multidrug resistance protein p-glycoprotein, thus preventing itself from entry into the brain and penetrating blood-brain barrier poorly. In this study, the main objective was to design paclitaxel formulation using PLGA-based nanoparticles with different additives and surface coatings to facilitate the paclitaxel transport through MDCK cell monolayer. PLGA-based nanoparticles of Read More

DNA condensation, endosomal escape of DNA/polymeric complexes, and unpacking of DNA are the key steps in the process of non-viral gene delivery. Amongst these steps, currently the unpacking of the DNA cargo from the DNA/polymeric nanocomplexes is the most challenging and arguably the most crucial if one wants to achieve high gene transfection with minimum cytotoxicity in the target cell. In this report we re Read More

Gene therapy is a potential medical solution that promises new treatments and may hold the cure for many different types of diseases and disorders of the human race. However, gene therapy is still a growing medical field and the technology is still in its infancy. The main challenge for gene therapy is to find safe and effective vectors that are able to deliver genes to the specific cells and get them to express inside the c Read More

In order to reduce systemic toxicity and effectively deliver macromolecular drug into tumor cells, a system termed “ATTEMPTS” (antibody targeted, [protamine] triggered, electrically modified prodrug-type strategy) was developed in our laboratory. This approach was adapted from our previously reported heparin/protamine-based system for controlled delivery of protease drugs such as tissue- specific plasminogen activ Read More

Dry powder inhalation has good potential to be an alternative route of drug administration, especially for the treatment of lung and systemic diseases. However, typically only a small fraction of the dose can be delivered to the lower airways. Continuous effort on the drug formulation is undergoing to improve the deep lung deposition. Key properties of the drug and carrier particles and their relationships with the particle Read More

The formulation and fabrication methods for several types of tissue engineering scaffolds with drug delivery capabilities are presented in this review. Tissue engineered constructs are temporary substitutes developed to treat damaged or lost tissue. One key component of such constructs is scaffolds that are often developed to mimic the extra cellular matrix (ECM). As natural ECM contains biomolecules to support proper g Read More