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The Catalent Applied Drug Delivery Institute, a 2015 Drug Delivery Partnerships (DDP) conference partner, combined the efforts of Terry Robinson, Executive Director, Catalent Applied Drug Delivery Institute and Dr. Randy Mrsny, Professor, University of Bath, UK to talk about the recently launched Non-Invasive Macromolecule Delivery Consortium (NMDC) initiative as reflected in the insightful Q&A that can be found here. At DDP 2015, Dr. Mrsny, Chair of the NMDC, will moderate the panel “To Begin A New Adventure: Engaging Academic and Industrial Expertise in Non-Invasive Delivery of Macromolecules”. Be sure to join him this January in Boca Raton, FL to learn more.
Teaser:
How has the evolution of modern medicines evolved to bring in a wide diversity of therapeutic modalities?
Molecular biology techniques and high-speed sequencing methods have been the primary drivers. These methods have allowed us to better understand the molecular basis of health and disease. That we now can more fully appreciate these events provides us the opportunity to design medicines that can address selected targets more specifically.
The types of medicines we can now imagine have also evolved from the traditional small molecules that have driven the development of a robust pharmaceutical industry. Protein and peptide therapeutics have now become over 50% of the product pipelines for the major pharmaceutical companies. It is anticipated that nucleic acid-based medicines will be the focus of the next evolutionary step.
What are these modalities? What challenges do they present to the science and technology?
While proteins and peptides are currently leading the way in changing the face of modern medicine, the future seems to be headed toward utilizing novel and unexpected findings that have defined a complex and elaborate role of RNA in controlling cell function. Sequencing of the human genome has demonstrated that only a small fraction of cells’ DNA is transcribed into RNA that is then translated into proteins and peptides via the classical pathway. It is now clear that most of the genome elaborates RNA that has a variety of non-classical actions in health and disease.
Proteins, peptides, and RNA-based molecules all present similar challenges of delivery. Such molecules, due to their physicochemical properties, are labile and excluded from moving efficiently across biological barriers of the body. While some of these molecules can be delivered successfully by injection to overcome these challenges, optimal benefit of these highly potent therapeutic agents often requires overcoming systemic and cellular barriers that limit their patient-friendly delivery for chronic therapy. Thus, the main challenge of all of these is their delivery into the body and into specific cells to optimize their actions while limiting potential side effects.
Molecular biology techniques and high-speed sequencing methods have been the primary drivers. These methods have allowed us to better understand the molecular basis of health and disease. That we now can more fully appreciate these events provides us the opportunity to design medicines that can address selected targets more specifically.
The types of medicines we can now imagine have also evolved from the traditional small molecules that have driven the development of a robust pharmaceutical industry. Protein and peptide therapeutics have now become over 50% of the product pipelines for the major pharmaceutical companies. It is anticipated that nucleic acid-based medicines will be the focus of the next evolutionary step.
What are these modalities? What challenges do they present to the science and technology?
While proteins and peptides are currently leading the way in changing the face of modern medicine, the future seems to be headed toward utilizing novel and unexpected findings that have defined a complex and elaborate role of RNA in controlling cell function. Sequencing of the human genome has demonstrated that only a small fraction of cells’ DNA is transcribed into RNA that is then translated into proteins and peptides via the classical pathway. It is now clear that most of the genome elaborates RNA that has a variety of non-classical actions in health and disease.
Proteins, peptides, and RNA-based molecules all present similar challenges of delivery. Such molecules, due to their physicochemical properties, are labile and excluded from moving efficiently across biological barriers of the body. While some of these molecules can be delivered successfully by injection to overcome these challenges, optimal benefit of these highly potent therapeutic agents often requires overcoming systemic and cellular barriers that limit their patient-friendly delivery for chronic therapy. Thus, the main challenge of all of these is their delivery into the body and into specific cells to optimize their actions while limiting potential side effects.
Today is the last day to save $300 to attend DDP 2015 - Use the code XP2078BLOG to save. Register here.
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