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Lookup NU author(s): Professor Katarina NovakovicORCiD
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The Holy Grail for optimal drug delivery is delivering only the amount of drug needed, when it is needed, and where it is needed. Optimal drug dosing is particularly challenging when the ideal timing of drug delivery is difficult to achieve in practice e.g. when the ideal dosing time is during sleep and is required repeatedly. A potential solution to this problem are rhythmic biomaterials able to carry and dispense a drug load with a specified rhythm (e.g. once a day at midnight). Recently we have developed a chemical reaction system in which macromolecules can be manipulated to induce periodic changes in concentration of hydrogen ions (i.e. pH). Effort is now directed at the development of oscillatory biocompatible materials that repeatedly expand (swell) and collapse (shrink) at set intervals over long periods of time (days, weeks). This rhythmical oscillation of materials results in the material’s pores opening periodically so that any payload (e.g. drug/s) is rhythmically expelled. Importantly, rhythmic biomaterials are of broader interest being also required for advancing the areas of functional tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, development of artificial muscles and biomimetic robots. In this talk, a route to achieving rhythmic biomaterials will be presented and exciting avenues in healthcare applications will be discussed.
Author(s): Novakovic K
Editor(s): Mei X
Publication type: Conference Proceedings (inc. Abstract)
Publication status: Published
Conference Name: 7th Annual International Symposium of Drug Delivery Systems
Year of Conference: 2017
Pages: 132
Print publication date: 11/07/2017
Online publication date: 11/07/2017
Acceptance date: 07/03/2017
URL: http://www.bitcongress.com/sdds2017/
