This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project seeks to develop a novel drug delivery platform using an effective nano-encapsulation method capable of delivering a variety of drugs locally and systemically through buccal mucosa. The drug-loaded nanoparticles (NPs) are protected and housed in a bio-matrix sponge, which can also hold permeation enhancers and specific targeting motifs. A combination of these components will result in a successful buccal delivery platform that can reduce toxicity, increase efficacy and significantly improve patient compliance and quality of life.
The broader impact/commercial potential of this project wil be a new technology for oral administration of different drugs, such as chemotherapeutics, antibiotics or vaccines, The projects will focus initially is oral cancer because this indication, treatment and developmental path will offer the fastest and greatest chance of licensing and commercialization. The technology can then be customized to meet the specific needs of other markets. By modifying NP?s properties and payloads, the platform can be optimized for variety of products, various diseases and purposes.
