Systematic design of mesoporous silica nanoparticles to overcome the mucus barrier for targeted oral therapy of IBD
Rebecca Fransson – Principal Scientist, Advanced Drug Delivery, Astra Zeneca, Sweden; Alexandra Teleki – Professor, Department of Pharmacy, Uppsala University, Sweden
Introduction: The incidence of inflammatory bowel disease is rising globally [1], and it´s complex pathogenesis and heterogeneous drug responses complicate drug development. This project aims to enhance drug delivery by drug-loading mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) and subsequently functionalizing them with ligands specific to upregulated inflammatory biomarkers[2]. A key challenge is hindered diffusion to disease targets due to nanoparticles becoming trapped in mucus. In this study we systematically investigate the impact of MSN size and shape on their diffusion behaviour through colonic mucus.
Learning Objectives:
Explain the synthesis of mesoporous silica nanoparticles by a sol-gel process.
Understand how nanoparticle size, shape and surface influence mucus penetration.
