Drug Delivery
The Drug Delivery Group undetakes research and development in pharmaceutical technology and applies scientific principles both in the formulation of medicines and in the development and use of predictive models of drug absorption. This involves not only some of the more challenging conventional drug molecules but also the products of biotechnology. The ability of a formulation to influence the site and duration of drug action and affect therapeutic success is the major theme and results in a multifaceted research programme.
Collaborative research
Research is conducted in a vibrant environment through close associations with other research groups within King’s College London and numerous active collaborations with universities, institutes and companies across the world. The Drug Delivery Group has excellent facilities for dosage form characterisation, laboratory scale formulation of dosage forms, and in vitro and in vivo evaluation of biopharmaceutical properties of drugs and medicines. Research on the development of medicines has an emphasis on the respiratory, topical and oral routes of drug delivery.
Respiratory drug delivery
Respiratory delivery is a major focus for the group and provides an excellent example of the collaborative nature of the group’s research in that all members have expertise that contributes to inhaled drug delivery research. This expertise is focused on developing novel strategies for drug delivery by inhalation and the treatment of respiratory disease. Projects extend from the science of aerosol formulations from dry powder and pressurised inhaler devices to the biopharmaceutics of particle-cell interaction, including gene therapy, and the characterisation of bacteria in lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis.
Notably, researchers from the Drug Delivery Group have collaborated with partners from all major pharmaceutical companies involved in the development of inhaled products to form the Drugs in the Lungs Consortium, an open innovation partnership that focuses on addressing major gaps in scientific knowledge of the fate of inhaled pharmaceuticals. The aim is to enhance inhaled product development through pre-competitive scientific collaboration in the areas of inhaled drug dosimetry, disposition, toxicity and pharmacokinetics.
Topical and oral drug delivery
Topical delivery is another area of strength and the group has state-of-the-art facilities to design, formulate and evaluate topical preparations. These are screened in vitro using human skin diffusion models and in vivo using healthy volunteers. A number of novel devices, formulations and analytical techniques have been developed within the group and are being evaluated for commercial potential. Research into oral delivery falls into two main categories: (i) the interaction between gastrointestinal factors with lipid formulations in the intestine, and (ii) novel formulations for the delivery of drugs to the colon.
Nanomedicines for drug delivery
The manufacture, characterisation and evalution of nanomedicines for both drug delivery and diagnostic purposes is a third major research theme within the Drug Delivery Group. Projects range from the evaluation of carbon nanotubes as drug carriers and imaging agents and the investigation of new polymeric materials for nanomedicine development through to the evaluation of nanomedicine safety and efficacy. Nanomedicine research within the Drug Delivery Group is highly interdisciplinary where strong collaborations both with other research divisions within King’s College London are vital, as well as numerous national and international partnerships.
Materials science
The stability and phase behaviour of drugs and dosage forms are analysed using pharmaceutical thermal techniques, in particular to predict the physical stability of medicines and the compatibility of excipients with freeze and spray drying processes.
Commercial and translational research
Development of novel materials, processes, formulations and devices is the metier of the group. This not only results in numerous publications, it has also given rise to many patents. These include international patents for stabilising proteins in inhaler devices or improving the efficacy of topical formulations through formulation and device design. Where possible, this intellectual property is licensed to industry and products utilising technology developed at King’s are in various stages of clinical development, including products on the market such as Solaraze gel for actinic keratosis. Not all research is commercially exploitable, however, and the group also work to develop medicines for orphan diseases such as the parasitic disease schistosomiasis; this includes anti-parasite drug screening and the development of novel barrier formulations to prevent parasite infection. Collaboration with the National Health Service also allows the group to apply their expertise to clinical problems with successful projects contributing to improvements in medicines manufactured as ‘specials’ for specific patient populations.
International funding and mobility
The group’s research is funded by UK research councils and charities and by strong links with industry in the UK and worldwide. The group work internationally with active collaborations throughout Europe, in the USA and Asia. International postgraduate research programmes are supported by ORS awards, European Union training schemes and facilitated by membership of the GALENOS Network for Advanced Drug Delivery.
The Head of the group is Dr Ben Forbes.