Tailored lipid nanoparticles for iontophoretic ocular drug delivery.
Retinal disorders such as age-related macular edema, diabetic retinopathies, retinitis pigmentosa and glaucoma are among the leading causes of irreversible blindness worldwide. Currently, effective drug therapy is hindered due to anatomical and physiological characteristics of the eye, thus requiring ocular injections to ensure drug concentration to ensure therapeutic effect. These injections are administered monthly and associated with severe side effects, including retinal detachment, infections, cataracts, hemorrhage, increased intraocular pressure, and ultimately significant patient discomfort and drop out. To overcome this aspect the ODiN project aims to develop a novel drug delivery platform that combines surface-tailored lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) with trans-scleral iontophoresis (IOF), a mild electric current technique that enhances drug penetration.Thus, the amount of drug penetrating the eye and reaching the posterior segment—where retinal disorders arise—is enhanced. ODiN proposes the use of statin (STAs) loaded LNPs, while typically used to reduce cholesterol, STAs are being repurposed for their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects in eye diseases. Additionally, their poor water solubility makes them ideal candidates for encapsulation into lipid-based systems. ODiN will involve the design, formulation, and characterization of these novel LNPs. Furthermore ex vivo permeation studies of the LNPs under IOF conditions will be carried out using porcine eyes obtained from local slaughterhouses to evaluate penetration enhancement, thus implementing the 3Rs principle (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement). The final expected outcome is a novel and sustainable drug delivery system that may reduce the need for invasive treatments, with strong potential for translation into clinical applications.
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Imported from OpenAIRE Italy | Grant 101272867.
Open sourceOverview
Grant agreement 101272867 | ODiN
Open sourceRetinal disorders such as age-related macular edema, diabetic retinopathies, retinitis pigmentosa and glaucoma are among the leading causes of irreversible blindness worldwide. Currently, effective drug therapy is hindered due to anatomical and physiological characteristics of the eye, thus requiring ocular injections to ensure drug concentration to ensure therapeutic effect. These injections are administered monthly and associated with severe side effects, including retinal detachment, infections, cataracts, hemorrhage, increased intraocular pressure, and ultimately significant patient discomfort and drop out. To overcome this aspect the ODiN project aims to develop a novel drug delivery platform that combines surface-tailored lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) with trans-scleral iontophoresis (IOF), a mild electric current technique that enhances drug penetration.Thus, the amount of drug penetrating the eye and reaching the posterior segment—where retinal disorders arise—is enhanced. ODiN proposes the use of statin (STAs) loaded LNPs, while typically used to reduce cholesterol, STAs are being repurposed for their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects in eye diseases. Additionally, their poor water solubility makes them ideal candidates for encapsulation into lipid-based systems. ODiN will involve the design, formulation, and characterization of these novel LNPs. Furthermore ex vivo permeation studies of the LNPs under IOF conditions will be carried out using porcine eyes obtained from local slaughterhouses to evaluate penetration enhancement, thus implementing the 3Rs principle (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement). The final expected outcome is a novel and sustainable drug delivery system that may reduce the need for invasive treatments, with strong potential for translation into clinical applications.