SANOFI-SUPPORTED SPONSORED RESEARCH PROJECT - 2011

Richard Zare (Chemistry)

We propose the development of a new active drug delivery system that can be remotely controlled by an electric field to deliver various biological agents “on-demand”.  This “on demand” drug delivery system based on drug-encapsulated nanoparticles of a conducting polymer injected in vivo with the assistance of a temperature-sensitive hydrogel. The drug release is triggered by applying a weak external electric field.  The demonstration of the efficacy of the system has been shown in vitro and in vivo using fluorescein as a pseudo drug model.  The goal of the collaboration is to demonstrate the efficiency of this “on demand” drug delivery system in pharmacological models (local or systemic pain models), to evaluate the biocompatibility and the clearance of the delivery system, and also evaluate the scope of this “on-demand” delivery system  both in term of nature of drug delivered (eg, insulin, growth factors, anti-inflammatory or anti-arrhythmic drugs, drug for treatment addiction to substances of abuse) and in terms of site of delivery (joints, inner ear).