In an exciting development, biomaterials scientists have used advanced biomaterials and an ingenious manufacturing method to produce co-axial extruded, cellularized blood vessels incorporating cells derived in situ from fat stem cells from the patient.
Drug delivery to the central nervous system (CNS) is challenging. CNS drugs, for example, that are unable to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) cannot be delivered orally or intravenously. Developing drug delivery technologies that can address the specific challenges of delivery to the CNS is a very active area of research. The interaction between drugs and immune cells modulates pharmacodynamics. A new paper from researchers at Keele University explores the interaction between a candidate drug microparticle technology and brain immune cells.
Liver disease is a significant health concern that affects millions of people worldwide. The liver plays a crucial role in metabolism, detoxification, and bile production, and liver disease can significantly impact liver function. Early diagnosis and treatment are essential for managing liver disease, and nanoparticles and microparticles offer promising therapeutic approaches for early-stage liver disease.
Cancer drugs struggle to reach a tumour's core. Cambridge researchers develop cellular 'Trojan horse' to deliver cancer drugs more effectively.
Look hard enough and microscopic crystals are common in animals, including humans. Naturally occurring crystals in-vivo play important roles in health as well as disease. Recombinant protein crystals are also being used, or are in development, as drug delivery systems providing therapies to treat diseases including diabetes, cancer, osteoarthritis and macular degeneration.
When proteins are used therapeutically, each protein and its target pair present unique challenges for delivery. Placing proteins in the right place (targeting) for a sufficient period (sustained delivery) to achieve efficacy requires solutions appropriate to each drug.
Recombinant proteins provide a powerful research tool and have also transformed the treatment of many diseases. From the smallest peptide to larger proteins, such as antibodies, how proteins are delivered and reach their target is critical to their function and just as important as their activity on the target.
Extracellular proteins and glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) within the extracellular matrix (ECM) undergo limited enzymatic cleavage to release fragments which exert biological activities that are distinct from their full-length progenitors. These fragments regulate a range of processes including angiogenesis, inflammation, wound healing and fibrosis and have been implicated in many diseases including neurodegeneration and cancer.
Just like people, cells can take a while to adapt to a new environment. For cells cultured in-vivo, its possible to wean cells on to new conditions. However, when cells are implanted, moving from in-vitro to in-vivo conditions, weaning isn’t an option. The resultant culture shock can kill most of the transplanted cells.
Diseases that primarily affect the brain, often resulting in dementia, are some of the most prevalent, devastating, and yet poorly treated of all diseases. Despite advances in our knowledge of basic neurosciences, the failure rate for new drugs targeting important central nervous system (CNS) diseases still exceeds most other areas of drug discovery. A significant barrier to drug development for these diseases is presented by the blood-brain barrier (BBB).
