Health & Medicine

Targeted Nanosystem Drug Delivery Method, A New Drug Carrier Discovered

Elaine Hannah
First Posted: Jul 13, 2016 06:22 AM EDT

The researchers from Texas A&M Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy are now discovering a new drug delivery method, which is called nanosystem drug delivery. This will allow injectable medications to be managed orally instead.

The study was printed in the journal Scientific Reports. It was led by Ravi Kumar Majeti, Ph.D., a professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the Texas A&M College of Pharmacy and other colleagues.

The researchers think that nanosystems, which can interact with cells, are the solution to delivering types of difficult-to-administer drugs orally. The drug from insulin to cancer chemotherapy can be delivered only via injections. These are difficult for patients than taking a simple tablet and pill as well as more expensive.

The team's approach is the targeted nanosystem drug delivery, which is a popular method in modern pharmacology. These tiny materials can get the drug where it is needed far better than the traditional methods can, according to Vital Record.

Ravi Kumar explained that these nanosystems have the capability to cross the intestinal barrier to reach other parts of the body and stay in circulation for a long time. For example, insulin is injected because there is a problem with oral medications. With nanoparticle, it makes the body itself help the drug become absorbed.

There was also a development of new cancer drug delivery methods, in which the researchers are creating the drug "nanocarriers," which are called micelles. These tiny nanocarriers are loaded with the drug inside and they are engineered with two types of materials that can interact with cancer tissues and cells. The nanosystem can also enter the blood-brain barrier. This is significant implications for drugs that need to reach the brain such as attacking brain tumors.

Ravi Kumar also added this approach empowers the advancement of carrier systems that have no equivalent in the world of competitive ligands. Meenakshi Arora, Ph.D., co-author of the study said they really think these small particles will open up new avenues in the receptor-mediated oral delivery of poorly solvable and porous compounds that create about 40 percent of the new chemical entities requiring specialized delivery systems.

 

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