Metal-organic Frameworks as Controlled Release Materials

每年都有数十亿美元用于研发更安全、更有效的治疗疾病的新药。药物释放材料通过控制药物释放的时间、地点和速度，大大改善了我们现有的药物。然而，目前的药物释放材料，主要基于有机聚合物、脂质和金属纳米颗粒，存在药物负荷低、药物释放动力学控制差、稳定性问题和各种可重复性问题。在这个研究项目中，我们将利用一种被称为金属有机框架（mof）的新型材料，由于其更高的药物装载能力和高度的模块化/可重复性，它比目前使用的材料具有几个潜在的优势。特别是，我们将瞄准一个新的亚类材料，其中活性药物成分或API在合成过程中直接封装/掺入到MOF材料中，从而避免了用于将药物掺入当前释放材料的无效合成后装载方法。在这项研究的过程中，我们将致力于开发一种通用方案，将任何小分子药物直接纳入可控的MOF药物释放基质中。我们的目标是开发具有良好药物释放速率的纳米晶体材料，当暴露于适当的刺激（如光或高酸度环境）时，这些材料也可以被激活以释放其药物载荷。这个多学科的研究项目为下一代创新的加拿大科学家提供了一个独特的培训环境，涉及无机化学，有机化学和材料科学的各个方面。纳米药物释放技术的进步是一个快速发展的领域，该研究项目为加拿大开发更好的药物和新技术提供了可能性，从而为所有加拿大人带来经济效益和提高生活质量。

Billions of dollars each year are spent on the discovery of new pharmaceuticals that offer safer, more effective treatments for diseases and ailments. Drug release materials offer a way to drastically improve medications we already have available by controlling when, where, and how rapidly pharmaceuticals are released. However, current drug release materials, largely based on organic polymers, lipids, and metallic nanoparticles, suffer from low drug loadings, poor control over drug release kinetics, stability problems, and a variety of reproducibility issues. In this research program, we will take advantage of a new class of materials known as Metal-organic Frameworks (MOFs), which offers several potential advantages over currently used materials due to their higher drug loading capabilities and their high degree of modularity/reproducibility. In particular, we will target a new subclass of materials in which the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient or API is directly encapsulated/incorporated in the MOF material during synthesis, thus avoiding the ineffective post-synthetic loading methods used to incorporate drugs into current release materials. Over the course of this research, we will work towards developing a universal protocol for the direct incorporation of any small molecule pharmaceutical into a controllable MOF drug release matrix. We will target the development of nano-crystalline materials with favorable drug release rates which can also be activated to release their drug payload when exposed to an appropriate stimulus such as light or a high acidity environment. This multi-disciplinary research program offers a unique training environment for the next generation of innovative Canadian scientists and involves aspects of inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, and materials science. The advancement of nanotechnologies for drug release is a rapidly growing area, and this research program offers the possibility to develop better medications and new technologies within Canada, leading to an economic benefit and increased quality of life for all Canadians.