Drug delivery award for Manchester research
Work on the use of dendrimers in oral drug delivery has resulted in an innovation award for researchers at the school
of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences at the University of Manchester.
Antony D’Emanuele, senior lecturer in pharmaceutics, and co-workers
David Attwood, Jeff Penny and Rachaneekorn Jevprasesphant, received second
prize in the 2004 Eurand Award for their work investigating the use of
dendrimers to bypass drug efflux transporters.
The researchers are investigating the pharmaceutical applications of
dendrimers, including their use to deliver low bioavailability drugs
via the gastrointestinal tract, their use to target tumour cells, and
their use to solubilise poorly soluble drugs.
The researchers synthesised conjugates based on starburst polyamidoamine
dendrimers to enhance the transport of drugs that are substrates for
P-glycoprotein efflux transporters. Using cell-based models they demonstrated
up to 14-fold increases in transportation rates.
First prize winner was Walter Shaw, president of Avanti Polar Lipids,
Alabaster, Alabama, USA, for the development of a high bioavailability
lipid matrix, Lym-X-Sorb, formulation of the investigational anti-cancer
drug fenretinide.
The Eurand Awards programme for novel approaches in oral drug delivery
is sponsored by Eurand, a specialty pharmaceutical company, and is held
in conjunction with the Controlled Release Society. |
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