A drug with three active ingredients that are released in sequence at specific times: Thanks to the work of a team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), what was once a pharmacologist’s dream is now much closer to reality. With a combination of hydrogels and artificial DNA, nanoparticles can be released in sequence under conditions similar to those in the human body.
It is becoming much more common for patients to be treated with several different medications. It is often necessary for the patient to take them at fixed intervals – a limitation that makes everyday life difficult and increases the risk of doses being skipped or forgotten.
Oliver Lieleg, Professor of Biomechanics and a member of the Munich School of BioEngineering at TUM, and doctoral candidate Ceren Kimna have now developed a process that could serve as the basis for medications containing several active ingredients that would reliably release them in the body in a pre-defined sequence at specified times. “For example, an ointment applied to a surgical incision could release pain medication first, followed by an anti-inflammatory drug and then a drug to reduce swelling,” explains Oliver Lieleg.
One active ingredient after the other
“Ointments or creams releasing their active ingredients with a time delay are not new in themselves,” says Oliver Lieleg. With the drugs currently in use, however, there is no guarantee that two or more active ingredients will not be released into the organism simultaneously.
To test the principle behind their idea, Oliver Lieleg and Ceren Kimna used nanometer-sized silver, iron oxide and gold particles embedded in a special gel-like substance known as a hydrogel. They then used a spectroscopic method to track the exit of the particles from the gel. The particles selected by the researchers have similar motion characteristics within the gel to the particles used to transport real active ingredients, but are easier and cheaper to make.
The special ingredient controlling the nanoparticles is artificial DNA. In nature, DNA is above all the carrier of genetic information. However, researchers are increasingly exploiting another property: The ability of DNA fragments to be combined with great accuracy, both in terms of the types of bonds and their strength, for example to build machines on a nanometer scale.
The DNA cascade: compress and then release at the right instant
The silver particles were released first. In the initial state, the particles were bound together by DNA fragments designed by Lieleg and Kimna using special software. The resulting particle clusters are so large that they are unable to move in the hydrogel. However, when a saline solution is added, they separate from the DNA. They can now move in the gel and drift to the surface. “Because the saline solution has approximately the same salinity as the human body, we were able to simulate conditions where the active ingredients would not be released until the medication is applied,” explains Ceren Kimna.
The mesh-like DNA structure surrounding the iron oxide particles consists of two types of DNA: The first has one end attached to the iron oxide particles. The second type is attached to the loose ends of the first type. These structures are not affected by the saline solution. The iron oxide particles can only be released when the first clusters have dissolved. This event releases not only the silver nanoparticles, but also DNA, which eliminates the “connection DNA” of the second cluster without forming connections itself. As a result, the iron oxide particles can separate. This releases DNA fragments which in turn act as the key to the third DNA-nanoparticle combination.
“The consistency of ointments makes them the most obvious solution for a hydrogel-based approach. However, this principle also has the potential to be used in tablets that could release several effective ingredients in the body in a specific order,” explains Prof. Lieleg.
Learn more: One at a time
The Latest on: Drug delivery
[google_news title=”” keyword=”drug delivery” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Drug delivery
- Multnomah County DA's Office Leveraging New Oregon Law to Clamp Down on Suspected Drug Dealerson May 18, 2024 at 8:44 am
Oregon law now allows for charging drug dealers with intent to distribute, bolstering Multnomah County prosecutions.
- Design and Technology/Chemistry KS3 & KS4: Nano-bubbles and drug deliveryon May 16, 2024 at 11:34 am
Dr Eleanor Stride is using engineering to tackle a major challenge for medicine. She is using nano-technology to explore how to give cancer medication which are less poisonous than current treatments.
- Global Novel Drug Delivery Systems In Cancer Therapy Industryon May 16, 2024 at 5:36 am
Global Novel Drug Delivery Systems In Cancer Therapy Industry is expected to reach US$ 88.5 billion & at a19.6% CAGR during By 2032 ...
- Brain-hacking weight-loss drug works even after you stop taking iton May 16, 2024 at 12:46 am
The current breakthrough weight-loss drugs are only the beginning, according to Danish researchers hard at work on a new treatment that targets the brain's natural plasticity, which could offset bad ...
- 3D Printing Revolutionizes Drug Delivery With Personalized Tabletson May 15, 2024 at 9:00 am
Researchers have achieved enhanced personalized healthcare through multi-material inkjet 3D printing (MM-IJ3DP), enabling more controlled drug delivery.
- Man sentenced after drug delivery results in deadly overdoseon May 14, 2024 at 12:29 pm
Detectives announced a man pleaded guilty and was sentenced for his involvement in drug delivery that resulted in the death of a 33-year-old Stroudsburg man. According to the Monroe County Office of ...
- Roquette solving toughest drug development challenges with new capsuleson May 14, 2024 at 3:41 am
Roquette, a global leader in plant-based ingredients and a key provider of pharmaceutical and nutraceutical excipients, announced today (May 14) the launch of its innovative Lycagel Flex hydroxypropyl ...
- This autonomous DNA nano turbine could redefine drug deliveryon May 13, 2024 at 11:42 am
Turbines, from macroscopic to nanoscale, harness kinetic energy and have diverse applications. Nanoscale turbines, ...
- Drug Delivery Systems Market Surges, Projected to Exceed USD 87.82 Billion by 2031 Owing to Rising Demand for Advanced Drug Delivery Systemson May 10, 2024 at 7:37 am
Drug Delivery Systems Market Surges Projected to Exceed USD 8782 Billion by 2031 Owing to Rising Demand for Advanced Drug Delivery Systems ...
- John Patton, directeur du conseil scientifique de Kindeva Drug Delivery, lauréat du prix Charles G. Thiel de la conférence RDDon May 8, 2024 at 9:53 pm
Lors de la récente conférence sur l’administration de médicaments par voie respiratoire (RDD), John Patton, docteur en biotechnologie, entrepreneur et chef du conseil scientifique de Kindeva Drug ...
via Bing News