CEA-Leti recently unveiled a program to use a nanocarrier-based method to help treat inflammatory bowel disease. The Delivering Nano-pharmaceuticals through Biological Barriers project, BIBA, has eight collaborators in France, Germany, Spain and Switzerland.
CEA-Leti co0ordinates the program as an initiative of its research program on organic nanocarriers and delivery solutions for clinical applications such as molecular imaging and drug delivery.
The three-year research will help create an anti-inflammatory corticoid and an immunosuppressant confined in a biodegradable nanocarrier to treat IBD while minimizing side effects. Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Corticosteroid is used to cure it and an immunosuppressant is used to avoid relapses. But over 70% of CD cases and 20% of UC ones are not cured and need surgery. Corticosteroids such as prednisolone can bring remission in 60 to 80% patients. Prolonged treatment also causes side effects.
The project will research on delivery of encapsulated corticosteroids and immunosuppressants with two organic biodegradable nanocarriers in an endeavor to avoid side effects. Passive targeting of nano-delivery systems in swollen tissues use the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) to increase corticoïds collection in inflamed areas.
One model, each of corticoid, budesonide and immunosuppressant, cyclosporine, will be individually administered in three dosage forms including oral, colonic, and intravenous, to optimize anti-inflammatory drug delivery across the gastrointestinal tract, with lipid baby bubbles (Lipidots) and poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) particles used as nanocarriers. Laboratory tests on animal models will be conducted on a healthy and pathological epithelium to identify relevant nano-pharmaceuticals. Non-invasive MRI and optical fluorescence with histological tests will help study the therapy results on the inflamed mucosa.
The study has received grants from the European programme ERANET EuroNanoMed.
Source: http://www.leti.fr.