Thin-film Delivery of Oil-Based Therapeutics

这项提议旨在开发可以浇铸成薄聚合物条的水溶性聚合物配方，并且可以包含油状的药物和营养制剂。这种材料将被开发成一种口服药物递送剂，可以在口腔(舌下或口腔)内快速释放所需的有效成分。这种口服给药是有利的，因为它绕过了消化道，允许活性成分通过口腔粘膜直接进入血液。对于不能吞咽药物的患者，如儿童、老年人和恶心患者(如肿瘤患者)，它也是一种理想的递送工具。许多药物制剂以油的形式提供，但液体等药物的剂量和给药带来了挑战，因为医疗专业人员必须测量适当的剂量，并确保给患者的剂量始终如一。在快速溶解的聚合物条中加入精确数量的治疗剂，使患者能够轻松地自我给药，并提供一种高效和可靠的药物输送方式。然而，油基试剂在水溶性聚合物基质中的分散具有挑战性，需要开发适当的配方来确保油在存储过程中均匀分散并保持稳定的液滴形态。这类配方的开发是该项目的目标。

This proposal aims to develop water-soluble polymer formulations that can be cast into thin polymer strips andcan contain pharmaceutical and nutraceutical agents in oil-form. This material will be developed into an oraldrug-delivery agent that can rapidly release the desired active ingredients within the oral cavity (sub-lingual orbuccal). Such oral delivery is advantageous as it circumvents the digestive tract, allowing active ingredients toenter directly into the bloodstream through the oral mucosa. It is also an ideal delivery vehicle for patients thatare incapable of swallowing pills, such as children, the elderly, and those suffering from nausea (such asoncology patients). A number of drug formulations are available in oil form, but dosing and administration ofsuch drugs as liquids poses challenges, in that a medical professional must measure the appropriate dose andensure that it is consistently given to the patient. Incorporation of precise quantities of therapeutic agentswithin rapidly dissolving polymer strips allows easy self-administration by the patient, and provides a highlyeffective and reliable means of drug delivery. However, dispersion of oil-based agents within a water-solublepolymer matrix is challenging, and requires development of appropriate formulations to ensure that oils areuniformly dispersed and maintain stable droplet morphology during storage. The development of suchformulations is the goal of this project.