Supramolecular Recognition in Pharmaceutical Materials From Drug Material to Delivery Platforms

Abstract

Pharmaceutical materials have to be safe for the patient while also delivering the drug payload with tight control. This starts with the crystalline drug material itself, which has a significant influence on the dissolution behaviour and hence the bioavailability of the final formulation. It is currently impossible to predict the outcome of a crystallisation experiment before performing it. In the first part of this presentation, I will show our approach to understand solution structure using supramolecular host-guest analytics and neutron total scattering, and how our results can help to understand and tailor the crystallisation outcome.

In the second part of my presentation, I will focus on the drug delivery vehicle, in particular gels for subcutaneous injection. With the advent of biologics and bio-similar drugs, which are inactivated by the GI tract, there is an increased demand to tailor drug release from injections. Using gels that set in-situ is a route to prolong drug release leading to fewer injections and hence an improved patient compliance. I will show how we can measure drug diffusion in gels at different time and length scales and how this impacts our theories about gels as drug delivery vehicle.