Hydrogel delivery
Drug bioavailability, the rate at which the active compound of a drug becomes available at the site of action, is key to the successful development of new drugs. The development of hydrogels, self-assembling polymer-based scaffolds, has rapidly accelerated in recent years because of their potential in the improvement of drug bioavailability.
Drug bioavailability, the rate at which the active compound of a drug becomes available at the site of action, is key to the successful development of new drugs. The development of hydrogels, self-assembling polymer-based scaffolds, has rapidly accelerated in recent years because of their potential in the improvement of drug bioavailability.
Hydrogels can be engineered in a number of ways depending on the desired function. Scientists in Japan1 have recently demonstrated the use of a gelatin based hydrogel for the successful administration of a bio therapeutic anti-cancer compound to colon cancer cell lines, reducing the rate of proliferation and migration.
The scientists encapsulated a bioactive lipid, cyclic phosphatidic acid (cPA), within a gelatine scaffold and observed the effect on the growth of a cell-line derived from colon cancer. Electrospray ionization liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (ESI–MS) and thin-layer chromatography (TLC) analysed cPA release from the scaffold and the rate of degradation. It was found that encapsulation of the drug within the hydrogel improved the lifetime of the drug post-administration by protecting it from degradation, in addition to allowing the gradual release of the drug.
1. Tamotsu Tsukahara and K Murakami-Murofushi, Nature Scientific Reports,2(687), (2012).
This story originally appeared in The Column. Click here to view that issue.
AI and GenAI Applications to Help Optimize Purification and Yield of Antibodies From Plasma
October 31st 2024Deriving antibodies from plasma products involves several steps, typically starting from the collection of plasma and ending with the purification of the desired antibodies. These are: plasma collection; plasma pooling; fractionation; antibody purification; concentration and formulation; quality control; and packaging and storage. This process results in a purified antibody product that can be used for therapeutic purposes, diagnostic tests, or research. Each step is critical to ensure the safety, efficacy, and quality of the final product. Applications of AI/GenAI in many of these steps can significantly help in the optimization of purification and yield of the desired antibodies. Some specific use-cases are: selecting and optimizing plasma units for optimized plasma pooling; GenAI solution for enterprise search on internal knowledge portal; analysing and optimizing production batch profitability, inventory, yields; monitoring production batch key performance indicators for outlier identification; monitoring production equipment to predict maintenance events; and reducing quality control laboratory testing turnaround time.
