Carolina Bosch MorenoChemical Engineer and Nanotechnologist

NANOPARTICLES FOR DRUG DELIVERY

Carolina Bosch MorenoChemical Engineer and Nanotechnologist

cboschmoreno@gmail.com

Source; www.sacit.com

ProtoLife, Srl a chemical-biotechnological company located at Parco Vega, Marghera-Venezia (Italy)

ProtoLife develops methods for designing complex chemical systems, such as liposomes

SUMMARY

• Nanomedicine. A promising field of nanotechnology

What is nanotechnology?

• What they are• Nanoparticles types

Nanoparticles:

Drug delivery. The concept

• Liposomes• Polymeric nanoparticles

Nanoparticles for drug delivery

CONCLUSIONS

WHAT IS NANOTECHNOLOGY?

“There is Plenty of Room at the Bottom”.- R. Feynmann

In 1959 R. Feynmann gave a talk considering the manipulation of individual atoms to build-up systems. It is considered the beginning of nanotechnology.

Nanotechnology is the science of manipulating matter on an atomic scale. It opens the possibility of creating machines on the scale of molecules such as computers, engines and others

• Nanomedicine is the application of nanotechnology to medicine. It is at an early stage but it is supposed to develop constantly.

• Nanotechnologies have already transformed genetic and biological analysis through devices that examine molecular biomarkers. This opens the way to a personalized medicine.

• Nanomedicine is a promising field of nanotechnology as it is a non invasive tools for diagnostic imaging, tumor detection and drug delivery, because of the unique properties of nanoparticles.

• It also presents new opportunities to improve the safety and efficacy of conventional therapeutics.

NANOMEDICINEA PROMISING FIELD OF NANOTECHNOLOGY

SpecialFeatures

Size

• With at least 1 dimension in the range of 1 to 100 nm. They have novel properties such as improved solubility, increased bioavailability or longer circulation time.

Shape• spheres, discs,

hemispheres, cylinders, cones, tubes and wires provide interactivity and transport capabilities

Permeability

SurfaceArea

Nanotechnology is the science of materials and phenomena in the range of 1 to 100 nm in diameter. Though nanomaterials can have unique properties even in sizes up to several hundred nanometers

3 nm thick layer on AlNnanoparticles

Silver nanorods

•This property is highly increased, enabling nanoparticles to cross physiological barriers to deliver drugs

•A large parameter relative to its size, converting the nanoparticles in a more reactive and bioavailable system

NANOPARTICLES

NANOPARTICLES TYPESLI

POSO

MES

spherical vesicles often designed to carry biomolecules.

POLY

ME

RIC

PA

RTI

CLE

Sdue to the existance of safety and efficacy data they are widely used in nanomedical research.

QU

ANTU

M D

OTS they are

semiconductor nanocrystals used in electronics, optics and nanomedical research.

481 508 547 575

Quantum dots

NANOPARTICLES TYPESC

ARB

ON

N

ANO

TUB

ES spherical

vesicles often designed to carry biomolecules.

NANOPARTICLES TYPESSU

PER

MAG

NET

IC

IRO

N O

XID

E N

ANO

PAR

TIC

LES used as

nontargeted contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging.

POLY

MER

IC

PAR

TIC

LES due to the

existance of safety and efficacy data they are widely used in nanomedical research.

Drug delivery. The concept.

Drug delivery makes reference to the transport of a pharmaceutical substance in the body to produce a therapeutic effect.

Some of the important parameters to consider are the quantity and duration of the drug inside the body. As it is also frequent that the drug is targeted to a specific site of the body, the formulation becomes a critic characteristic to design.

Drugs or diagnostic compounds can be attached

to nanoparticles which allows to administer them

more easily and with greater bioavailability than

when given by traditional methods. After the

active ingredients have been attached to, or

incorporated into, the nanoparticles, the drug is

transported to their specific targets.

Nanoparticles can also be used to extend the time window of bioavailability (sustained delivery) and protect the drug from chemical or enzymatic decomposition, e.g., in the gastro-intestinal tract. After reaching their target, the drug is released from the nanoparticles by diverse mechanisms.

Liposomes

Some types of nanoparticles for drug delivery

Polymeric Nanoparticles

LIPOSOMESLiposomes are synthetic nanoparticles composed primarily of amphiphilic molecules, typically phospholipids.

These molecules have a polar head and a long hydrocarbon chain

These molecules have a polar head and a long hydrocarbon chain

www.ups.edu

Image of a spherical liposome marked with a fluorescent dye.

Liposome Properties

• their relative ease of preparation.

• broad selection and control of their properties.

• biocompatibility and biodegradability

Advantages

• mainly related to stability, sterility, reproducibility of preparation and scale-up.

Disadvantages

They circulate in the bloodstream for an extended time

They are similar to human cell membranes

They accumulate at the site of a tumor or infection

They are similar to human cell membranes

What are polymeric particles?They are solid matrixes where the bioactive molecule can be internally dispersed or adsorbed on their surface

Size:1-100 nm nanoparticles1-100 µm microparticles

• Protect

bioactive

molecule

from

degradation

• Increase

stability

• Lower

dose

(reduction

of toxic

effects)

• Tissue-

specific

deliver

• Tailor-

made

(size,

chemistry)

• Easy to

produce

• Inexpensive •Safe

Advantages of polymeric delivery systems for the delivery of bioactive molecules

PLGA microspheres degradation

CONCLUSIONS

Some of the most interesting applications of

nanotechnology are on the medicine field.

Micro and nanoparticles are highly useful to deliver drugs in a very specific way with lower toxicity and improved bioavailability.

Nanoparticles can be of different types, being some of them polymeric particles and liposomes.

Carolina Bosch MorenoChemical Engineer and Nanotechnologist

THANK YOU!