Materials
researchers continue to push for innovative mechanical and pharmaceutical applications to advance polymeric technology for better medical care and management of many chronic diseases.
Advancing hydrogel technologies A team of scientists from Stanford University have developed a novel polymer-nanoparticle (PNP) hydrogel that can release the popular glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist drugs prescribed for diabetes and weight control over a period of four months instead of the usual daily or weekly timeframe. Polymer-based hydrogels have been widely used for drug delivery applications because of their ability to hold large amounts of water and fluids while controlling drug release based on their unique properties and biocompatibility. The team at Stanford, however, took the hydrogel a step farther by taking the mesh of polymer chains and using nanoparticles to hold the drug molecules and release them in a controlled fashion as they dissolve. In a November 2023 study published in Cell Reports Medicine, researchers report that such a system can assist in weight management and diabetes by increasing patient drug compliance and helping those with Type 2 diabetes improve long- term health outcomes. Researchers believe that reducing the amount and timing of injections will reduce the burden on patients and ultimately increase medication compliance.
“Adherence is one of the biggest challenges in
Type 2 diabetes management,” says Eric Appel, associate professor of materials science and engineering at Stanford and principal investigator on the new hydrogel that allows the slow release of diet control drugs over many months. “Ozempic works great if you take it, but compliance is the problem. The goal is to improve disease management by decreasing patient burden, and only needing three shots a year makes it much easier for people with diabetes or obesity to stick with their drug regimens.”
According to Appel, traditional gels, which are covalently crosslinked, will swell when inserted into the body, which poses a problem with long-term drug dispersal: “In our case, we’ve shown that these gels are not covalently crosslinked because of their unique assembly mechanism. Instead, it’s what we call ‘molecular velcro’ or a really strong noncovalent interaction, not unlike a strong protein-ligand, and this is what prevents the hydrogel from swelling.” The PNP is a mesh of polymer chains and nanoparticles that hold the drug molecules and releases them as they dissolve. The hydrogels fluidlike flow can easily be injected with standard needles but
Medical Device Developments /
www.nsmedicaldevices.com
with a gel-like stability that is durable enough in the body to last the entire four-month period. The GLP-1 drug stored in the hydrogel can be injected conveniently under the skin. The “depot”, as Appel refers to it, is like a “blob” of hydrogel small enough to be comfortable and inconspicuous for the patient yet large and durable enough to last four months as the hydrogel slowly dissolves away. “We chose four months to match the cadence that people meet with their physician or endocrinologist, which is why we were so specific with the release period,” says Appel.
Hydrogels are used for drug delivery applications because they can hold large amounts of fl uids and control drug release.
“The goal is to improve disease management by decreasing patient burden – only needing three shots a year makes it much easier for people…to stick with their drug regimens.”
Eric Appel
The team tested the drug-loaded PNP hydrogel by injecting it subcutaneously into diabetic rats and found that a single shot could maintain consistent exposure to GLP-1 receptor agonists over 42 days, corresponding to their proposed once every four months therapy in humans. The rats benefitted from The GLP-1 receptor agonists, which successfully controlled their blood glucose and body weight over the four months, with comparable efficacy to daily dosing. As hydrogel drug carrier applications continue to expand and encompass other small molecule drugs, PHP hydrogel carriers could be used in other medications or for treating a more comprehensive range of diseases.
Evolving polymeric heart valve tech Another advancing technology researchers are racing to develop is a polymer heart valve that can replace mechanical and bioprosthetic valves. Although these
93
pkproject/
Shutterstock.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136
