Innovative Drug Delivery Systems
Overview
We have developed two novel drug delivery systems that improve upon current bolus delivery strategies. The first prepares and uses a multi-layer polymeric microstructure “smart” delivery system for controlled release of therapeutics. The second is a magnetic drug delivery device for localized treatment of internal diseases and disorders.
Market Opportunity
There is an urgent need for microencapsulation and phase-separation techniques that slow the release of therapeutics from wet-spun microfiber-based drug delivery systems, to prevent rapid drug “burst.” The first of our novel drug delivery systems not only releases therapeutics with micron-scale accuracy, but controls the rate of release.
Numerous therapeutics demonstrate optimal absorption or activity at specific sites in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Yet safe, effective pill retention within a desired region of the tract remains an elusive goal. Our second novel drug delivery system is a magnetic pill that allows for increased residence time in a particular region of the GI tract, greatly improving the therapeutic benefit of many orally administered pharmaceuticals. Controlling GI residence could also enable oral administration of therapeutics currently administered by injection, increasing both cost savings and patient comfort.
Innovation and Meaningful Advantages
Therapeutic delivery performance with our “smart” delivery method is significantly better than with current bolus delivery strategies. The stable delivery system can be physically manipulated and easily shaped, and it delivers controlled release of therapeutics while maintaining mechanical strength. It can be used with any type of drug/agent (protein, small molecule, hydrophobic/philic) and administered by any route (oral, transdermal, etc.) and in any formulation with conventional pharmaceutical excipients.
Our use of wet spinning to produce such polymer fibers has many advantages: it can be done at ambient temperatures; can be used with water-soluble drugs and a broad range of bioactive agents; and is most similar to microsphere encapsulation techniques. Other potential applications include production of surgical sutures, dialysis devices, therapeutic implants, wound dressings, and tissue engineering scaffolds for regenerative medicine.
Our magnetic pill can enable the clinician to monitor the force exerted by the pill on the tissue and to locate the pill within the test subject in real time. In the past, magnetic localization methods required analysis of a secondary biomarker (e.g., blood measurement, bioavailability) and even then, it was unclear if the results were directly correlated with localization of the magnetic delivery system. Our method noninvasively monitors and regulates attractive forces between the magnetic pill and an external magnet, while visualizing internal dose motion in real time using biplanar videofluoroscopy. The magnetic pill localization system also provides the tools for fundamental investigations into site-specific delivery of therapeutics. It should be clinically useful in diagnosing and treating disorders of the GI tract; the lung epithelium; and the inner surface of kidney tubules, blood vessels, uterus, vagina, urethra, and respiratory tract.
Collaboration Opportunity
We are interested in exploring 1) startup opportunities with investors in the drug delivery space; 2) research collaborations with leading pharmaceutical companies to develop our methods of drug delivery; and 3) licensing opportunities for drug delivery companies.
Principal Investigator
Edith Mathiowitz, PhD
Professor of Medical Science
Professor of Engineering
Brown University
Brown Tech ID #2035 and #2023
edith_mathiowitz@brown.edu
https://vivo.brown.edu/display/emathiow
Contact
Neil Veloso
Executive Director, Brown Technology Innovations
neil_veloso@brown.edu
IP Information
2016-01-19; US9238011; published.
2014-07-15; US8776802; published.
Publications
Azagury A, Fonseca VC, Cho DY, Perez-Rogers J, Baker CM, Steranka E, Goldenshtein V, Calvao D, Darling EM, Mathiowitz E. Single Step Double-walled Nanoencapsulation (SSDN). Journal of Controlled Release. 2018 June 08;280;11-19. doi.org/10.1016/j.jconrel.2018.04.048.
Laulicht B, Gidmark NJ, Tripathi A, Mathiowitz E. Localization of magnetic pills. PNAS. 2011 Feb 08;108(6);2252-2257. doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1016367108.