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Convection-enhanced thermo-chemotherapy catheter system (CETCS)
Background
Dr. Christopher Rylander, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at UT Austin, and his team have pioneered the development of the Convection-Enhanced Thermo-Chemotherapy Catheter System (CETCS) to address the challenges in glioblastoma treatment. Dr. Rylander's expertise in biomechanical engineering, manufacturing, and design...
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Revolutionizing drug delivery: smart hydrogels for precise nanoparticle and siRNA intestinal release
Background
Intelligent hydrogels, specifically environmentally responsive hydrogels, are emerging as promising biomaterials capable of responding to biological environments and processes. These materials offer tunability and biocompatibility, making them valuable for various biomedical applications, including tissue regeneration and controlled...
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Unlocking the brain: boosting CNS accumulation of glioblastoma drugs
Problem
In the pursuit of optimizing the delivery of brain-penetrating drugs, researchers have explored innovative technologies to enhance their accumulation within the central nervous system (CNS). Traditional strategies such as altering drug chemistry or formulation have shown limited success in extending patient survival, particularly in the context...
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Real-time breath adaptive nebulizer for optimal pulmonary drug delivery
Problem
Nebulizers produce an inhalable mist for localized drug delivery and are used to treat lung diseases including COPD and cystic fibrosis. The mist produced by the nebulizer is composed of droplets of a defined size, and droplet size and velocity dictate the efficiency of nebulized drug delivery. Currently available commercial nebulizers utilize...
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Method for dry powder inhaled delivery of clofazimine
Problem
Clofazimine is highly active against a multitude of bacteria that affect the lungs; however, oral delivery of this drug is hindered by the unpredictable bioavailability and pharmacokinetics of clofazimine. Orally administered clofazimine can cause systemic toxicity, with undesirable side effects including GI complications and hyperpigmentation...
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Fast-acting testosterone nasal spray
Background
Testosterone replacement therapy is a standard treatment for low testosterone levels in men. The estimated prevalence of testosterone deficiency in the United States ranges from 5.6% to 6.5%. Current therapies are applied either transdermally, via intra-muscular injection (IM), or intra-nasally using an oil-based gel. According to Harvard...
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Blood-brain barrier penetrating peptides
Problem
Effective delivery of therapeutics into the brain is challenging, due to biological barriers including the blood-brain barrier (BBB), the perivascular space, cerebrospinal fluid, and the extracellular matrix. Drugs that can cross the BBB may be delivered intravenously; for drugs that cannot penetrate the BBB, intrathecal or local administration...
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Stably aerosolized mRNA for lung delivery
Problem
Nucleic acid therapy has the potential to treat genetic diseases that affect the lungs. Localized delivery of nucleic acid cargos allows for higher doses than are achievable with systemic delivery and avoids both toxicity and off-target effects. One reason nucleic acid therapeutics have not yet achieved clinical approval for delivery to the...
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Targeted and tunable ophthalmic drug delivery
Problem
Drug delivery to the eye is currently achieved by drops or less commonly, using an aerosol plume to administer the desired therapeutic. These delivery methods suffer from inaccuracies and insufficient dosage to the targeted area.
Solution
Dr. Smyth and his team have developed a method to deliver drugs to the eye using a tunable pulsed aerosol...
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Lung mucus-penetrating peptides
Problem
Nucleic acid therapy has the potential to treat genetic diseases that affect the lungs. In order to effectively deliver genetic material to lung cells, gene delivery systems must be able to overcome the mucus barrier and directly target cells harboring the genetic mutation causing the disease state. Past efforts have focused to penetrate the...
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