Drug delivery
Medicine relies on the use of pharmacologically active agents (drugs) to manage and treat disease. However, drugs are not inherently effective; the benefit of a drug is directly related to the manner by which it is administered or delivered. To improve the specificity and clinical efficacy of therapeutics, drug delivery systems have been developed to stabilize drugs in vivo, control their release, and localize their impact. As new therapeutics (e.g., biologics) are developed, there is an accompanying need for improved chemistries and materials to deliver them to the target site in the body, at a therapeutic concentration, and for the desired length of time.
Supramolecular hydrogels
Our group has engineered a class of supramolecular hydrogels based on non-covalent and reversible polymer-–nanoparticle (PNP) interactions to deliver drugs locally in the body. Owing to the dynamic nature of the PNP cross-links, the gels are shear-thinning and self-healing, allowing facile injection through a syringe or catheter for site-specific application. Further, the hierarchical structure of these hydrogels allows for multimodal release of multiple therapeutics.1,2 These materials enable facile injection of long-term therapeutic depots with controlled release. Finally, to engineer the properties of these NP-based materials, our group has developed flow devices for the controlled and scalable synthesis of polymeric NPs.3
People involved: Elia Guzzi and Stéphane Bernhard.
Selected Publications:
[1] Guzzi et al., Small 2019, 15, 1905421.
[2] Fenton et al., Biomacromolecules 2019, 20, 4430.
[3] Bovone et al., AIChE J. 2019, 65, e16840.
Dynamic covalent networks
Moldable hydrogels composed of dynamic covalent bonds are attractive biomaterials for controlled drug release, as the dynamic exchange of bonds in these networks enables minimally invasive application via injection. Using boronic ester-based dynamic covalent hydrogels, we modulated biomolecule release by the addition of free competitor diols (such as simple sugars), as competitive displacement triggers network dissolution and release of cargo.1 A major challenge for global health is enabling temperature-stable delivery of vaccines, which currently relies on a costly and burdensome cold chain. Therefore, we have developed a simple biomaterial solution for the thermal stabilisation of a broad range of biologics.2
People involved: Lucien Cousin.
Selected Publications:
[1] Marco-Dufort et al., Biomacromolecules 2021, 22, 146.
[2] Sridhar et al., Biomacromolecules 2018, 19, 740.
Macroporous materials
Our group has developed macroporous hydrogels with micron-scale interconnected pores that enable rapid diffusion of macromolecules and cell infiltration. For example, we use microgel assembly to produce injectable and porous biomaterials for wound healing. In another approach, we control the degree of porosity in hydrogels by leveraging the physics of liquid–liquid phase separation.
People involved: Börte Emiroglu, Lucien Cousin and Dr. Celine Labouesse.