COLON SPECIFIC PEPTIDE (PROTEIN) DELIVERY

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Proposal Abstract - The common route of administration for peptide (protein) drugs is parenteral. Oral administration of peptide drugs wold be a more attractive and convenient route of administration but it is difficult to achieve. One of the major obstacles to oral delivery is the digestion of proteins by gastric and pancreatic enzymes. My sponsor (Professor J. Kopecek) is in the forefront of research on site-specific delivery of peptide drugs to the colon, which is a less hostile environment for the peptide drugs. We plan to develop Photopolymerization and radiation induced polymerization techniques for the polymer (hydrogel) containing the peptide drug. The methods are suitable for thermolabile drugs like peptide drugs. Characterization of the gel will be carried out (structural properties, swelling, degradation, drug release and permeability of the polymer). Appropriate permeability enhancers will be included in the formulation to increase the bioavailability of the peptide drug. Combination of a bioadhesive gel with the rate limiting gel (the polymer containing the drug) will be done so as to increase the residence time of the drug delivery device in the colon. Colon has been reported to have some amount of peptidase activity which is bacterial in origin. The significance of this peptidase activity via a vis the stability of the peptide drug will be determined.