Antibody Mediated Drug Delivery Systems

This book covers various aspects of antibody mediated drug delivery systems – theoretical aspects, processing, viral and non-viral vectors, and fields where these systems find and /or are being evaluated for applications as therapeutics and diagnostic treatment. Chapters discuss actual applications of techniques used for formulation and characterization. Applications areas include cancer, pulmonary, ocular diseases; brain drug delivery; and vaccine delivery. The contributing authors represent over 10 different countries, covering recent developments happening around the globe.

Advances in Drug Delivery Systems, 6 focuses on the progress in drug delivery systems as manifested in the fields of international pharmaceutics, polymer science, biotechnology, molecular biology, and cell biology. The selection first tackles biologically engineered microstructures and approaches to targeting bioactive compounds. Discussions focus on therapeutic efficiency of fatty acylated antiviral antibodies; effect of artificial fatty acylation on protein binding and uptake; and controlled release of proteins from lipid microcylinders. The text then elaborates on mucosal delivery of macromolecules and targeted delivery of diagnostic agents by surface-modified liposomes. The book examines the factors on in vitro micelle stability of adriamycin-block copolymer conjugates; vaginal and reproductive system treatments using a bioadhesive polymer; and control of the disposition profiles of proteins in the kidney via chemical modification. The publication also takes a look at drug delivery using biodegradable microspheres; approaches to improved antibody- and peptide-mediated targeting for imaging and therapy of cancer; and biodegradable microspheres for the delivery of oral vaccines. The selection is a valuable source material for scientists and readers interested in the advances in the systems of drug delivery.

The goal of every drug delivery system is to deliver the precise amount of a drug at a pre-programmed rate to the desired location in order to achieve the drug level necessary for the treatment. An essential guide for biomedical engineers and pharmaceutical designers, this resource combines physicochemical principles with physiological processes to facilitate the design of systems that will deliver medication at the time and place it is most needed.

Molecular medicine has discovered many new therapeutic modalities by using state-of- the-art techniques in molecular biology. High through-put, in-vitro assays that screen for pharmacological actions on the desired cell type are frequently used to design new drugs. Although such agents are certainly justified by their, success in-vitro, they frequently perform much less effectively in-vivo where the agent must reach its target cells in a tissue in sufficient quantities to be potent while sparing bystander organs. Depending on the route of administration, the endothelium and/or epithelium form significant barriers that greatly limit the in-vivo accessibility of many drugs, antibodies, and gene vectors to their intended target sites of pharmacological action, namely, the cells inside the tissue (Jain, R. K. et al., 1998). Hence, the major challenge for formulation development scientist is to design drug delivery strategies that deliver the therapeutic agents to the desired intracellular targets based on ability to understand, utilize, modify and exploit membrane trafficking pathways (Miller, N. et al., 1995). Intracellular drug delivery refers to the delivery of therapeutic agents to specific compartments or organelles within the cell. The therapeutic agent could be a low molecular weight drug or a macromolecule like protein or DNA. Thus targeted intracellular drug delivery results in higher bioavailability of a therapeutic agent at its site of action (i.e. distinct intracellular compartments or microenvironments), potentiates the pharmacologic effect of the drug, and at the same time, reduces the side effects. (Jayanth Panyam et al, 2004). There are a number of pathways through which a therapeutic agent or a carrier can enter a cell. Such as Endocytosis, Caveolar endocytosis, Pinocytosis, Phagocytosis, In receptor-mediated endocytosis, Folate Receptor-Mediated Endocytosis, Transferrin Receptor-Mediated Endocytosis, Biotin Receptor-Mediated Endocytosis, Wheat Germ Agglutinin-Mediated Endocytosis, ICAM-1-Mediated Endocytosis, Antibody-Mediated Endocytosis, Physical or mechanical methods use force to traverse the cell membrane, e.g. Particle bombardment accelerates, Microinjection and Electroporation. The various Intracellular Targets are Endo-Lysosomal Targeting, Cytoplasmic Delivery, Nuclear Targeting, and Mitochondrial Targeting.

This contribution book collects reviews and original articles from eminent experts working in the interdisciplinary arena of novel drug delivery systems and their uses. From their direct and recent experience, the readers can achieve a wide vision on the new and ongoing potentialities of different smart drug delivery systems. Since the advent of analytical techniques and capabilities to measure particle sizes in nanometer ranges, there has been tremendous interest in the use of nanoparticles for more efficient methods of drug delivery. On the other hand, this reference discusses advances in the design, optimization, and adaptation of gene delivery systems for the treatment of cancer, cardiovascular, diabetic, genetic, and infectious diseases, and considers assessment and review procedures involved in the development of gene-based pharmaceuticals.

An authoritative and up-to-date survey of the fundamental principles, and practice of drug delivery at the cellular level. On the principles side, the authors discuss the broad spectrum of cellular delivery, ranging from coverage of cell-mediated immunity, gene delivery, and protein targeting, to cellular drug transport, cellular drug permeability, and a variety of carrier system related to targeted drug delivery. On the practice side, the authors focus on technological developments in cellular drug delivery, including novel formulations for the delivery of DNA and antisense oligonucleotides ,as well as drug targeting with immunoglobulin formulations and antibody-mediated approaches.

This volume describes the protocols for fabrication of liposomal drug delivery system, and consists of two parts. The first part emphasizes the basic protocols and concepts for fabrication of drug-loaded liposomes. For new investigators, laying the groundwork is the first step. This part focuses on the fabrication details in liposomes formulations, which are the so-called small tricks while usually not disclosed in mostly published research articles. However, these processing details are crucial for the preparation of liposomes. And the second part focuses on the strategies in modified and/or functionalized liposomes to adapt to pathophysiological environment, as well as their application in treating diseases. As new analytical and synthetic technologies become available, and improved understanding of pathophysiology, various functionalized drug liposomes are developing to fit the requirements of different therapeutic purposes, exhibiting a broad range of applications. Accordingly, the objectives of this part are aimed at deeply unearthing the formulation of drug-loaded liposomes, describing the detailed operation of liposomal formulation, and further demonstrating their potential applications. Therefore, this volume shows the features of experimental report or protocol for proving a guide to scientists, research students, and young investigators in pharmaceutical enterprises.