Related topics: nanoparticles
Drug delivery
hideDrug delivery is the method or process of administering a pharmaceutical compound to achieve a therapeutic effect in humans or animals. Drug delivery technologies are patent protected formulation technologies that modify drug release profile, absorption, distribution and elimination for the benefit of improving product efficacy and safety, as well as patient convenience and compliance. Most common methods of delivery include the preferred non-invasive peroral (through the mouth), topical (skin), transmucosal (nasal, buccal/sublingual, vaginal, ocular and rectal) and inhalation routes. Many medications such as peptide and protein, antibody, vaccine and gene based drugs, in general may not be delivered using these routes because they might be susceptible to enzymatic degradation or can not be absorbed into the systemic circulation efficiently due to molecular size and charge issues to be therapeutically effective. For this reason many protein and peptide drugs have to be delivered by injection. For example, many immunizations are based on the delivery of protein drugs and are often done by injection.
Current efforts in the area of drug delivery include the development of targeted delivery in which the drug is only active in the target area of the body (for example, in cancerous tissues) and sustained release formulations in which the drug is released over a period of time in a controlled manner from a formulation. Types of sustained release formulations include liposomes, drug loaded biodegradable microspheres and drug polymer conjugates.
For more information about Drug delivery, read the full article at
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News tagged with drug delivery
Scientists Build Nanostructures out of Single DNA Strands
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Sep 08, 2009 |
5 / 5 (4) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- With its unique double-helical structure, DNA has the ability to be used as a programmable building material to construct designer nanoscale architectures. Complex DNA architectures could ...
Smart drug delivery system -- Gold nanocage covered with polymer (w/ Video)
Nov 01, 2009 |
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In campy old movies, Lucretia Borgia swans around emptying powder from her ring into wine glasses carelessly left unattended. The poison ring is usually a confection of gold filigree holding a cabochon or ...
Magnetism Turns Drug Release On and Off
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Oct 30, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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Many medical conditions, such as cancer, diabetes and chronic pain, require medications that cannot be taken orally, but must be dosed intermittently, on an as-needed basis, over a long period of time. A few delivery techniques ...
When Nano May Not Be Nano
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Sep 13, 2009 |
3.3 / 5 (8) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The same properties of nanoparticles that make them so appealing to manufacturers may also have negative effects on the environment and human health. However, little is known which particles ...
A coating for life: Biodegradable fibers advance stent technology and brain surgery, then disappear
Nov 24, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (5) |
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Stents that keep weakened and flabby arteries from collapsing have been true life-savers. But after six months, those stents are no longer needed -- once the arteries are strengthened, they become unnecessary. ...
When It Comes to Drug Delivery, Size Matters
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Nov 20, 2009 |
5 / 5 (2) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- One of the great promises of nanotechnologies lies in its ability to create drug-containing nanoparticles decorated with targeting molecules that recognize and bind to cancer cells, providing drug delivery ...
Nanodiamonds Advance Anticancer Gene Therapy
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Sep 25, 2009 |
5 / 5 (3) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Gene therapy holds promise in the treatment of cancer as well as a large number of other diseases. However, developing a scalable system for delivering genes to cells both efficiently and safely has been ...
Scientists discover potential new drug delivery system
Aug 25, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (8) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists at UC Santa Barbara have discovered a potential new drug delivery system. The finding is a biological mechanism for delivery of nanoparticles into tissue. The results are published ...
Nano-Scale Drug Delivery For Chemotherapy
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Oct 31, 2009 |
4.7 / 5 (12) |
1
(PhysOrg.com) -- Going smaller could bring better results, especially when it comes to cancer-fighting drugs.
Researchers develop drug delivery system using nanoparticles and lasers
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Sep 10, 2009 |
not rated yet |
1
Researchers at UC Santa Barbara have developed a new way to deliver drugs into cancer cells by exposing them briefly to a non-harmful laser. Their results are published in a recent article in ACS Nano, a jour ...
Gold nanoparticles for controlled drug delivery
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Dec 30, 2008 |
5 / 5 (2) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Using tiny gold particles and infrared light, MIT researchers have developed a drug-delivery system that allows multiple drugs to be released in a controlled fashion.
Tiny capsules deliver drugs
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Jan 12, 2009 |
5 / 5 (2) |
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A tiny particle syringe composed of polymer layers and nanoparticles may provide drug delivery that targets diseased cells without harming the rest of the body, according to a team of chemical engineers. This ...
Spinal cord regeneration enabled by stabilizing, improving delivery of scar-degrading enzyme
Nov 02, 2009 |
4.2 / 5 (5) |
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Researchers have developed an improved version of an enzyme that degrades the dense scar tissue that forms when the central nervous system is damaged. By digesting the tissue that blocks re-growth of damaged ...
Topical erectile dysfunction therapy shows promise (w/ Video)
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Sep 19, 2009 |
4.3 / 5 (7) |
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An innovative drug-delivery system - nanoparticles encapsulating nitric oxide or prescription drugs - shows promise for topical treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED), according to a new study by scientists ...
Using magnetism to turn drugs on and off
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Sep 18, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (4) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Many medical conditions, such as chronic pain, cancer and diabetes, require medications that cannot be taken orally, but must be dosed intermittently, on an as-needed basis, over a long period ...
