Delivering on a Promise
Developing a drug that hits a given target is one thing. Making sure it gets to that target is quite another. Fortunately, drug delivery approaches are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Here, we ask those at the cutting-edge how they plan to deliver a better outlook.
Innovation in drug delivery is all around us – and almost every day brings the publication of new academic research, a new company announcement, or the formation of a new collaboration aimed at advancing the field. Some progression in drug delivery is conceptually simple, such as tweaking a formulation to reduce the number of doses, or developing a new version of a currently approved drug in a more patient-centric format. Other research focuses on complex and clever targeting methods that get a drug to precisely the right point in the body, or tackle difficult-to-treat diseases. Increasingly, a number of researchers are widening their innovation net to look beyond biological science and formulation, and to investigate the potential offered by electronics – miniature and ingestible – that can be incorporated into pills and capsules to help with targeting.
In the following articles, we explore a handful of fascinating drug delivery research projects that aim to go beyond incremental improvements in the field to offer brand new approaches.
Hold In Your Stomach
Seeing The Light
Make It So
Can a Sponge Combat Cancer
Micro-Scale Manufacturing
Magnetic Attraction
