Modulating The Skin Immune System With Physical Stimulus
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$425,353.00
Summary
The Fellowship will be based between Uni QLD and Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School. It will consist of pre-clinical development and validation of an in vivo optical micro-manipulation system for laser-guided extraction of cells. A comparable system will then be developed for characterization of leukocytes in healthy and diseased human skin. The long term outcomes will be better characterisation of inflammatory skin disease resulting in new targets and therapeutic strategies.
Drugs are applied to the skin for the treatment of a wide range of conditions including both local (inflammation, pain, eczema, psoriasis) and systemic (angina, nicotine withdrawl, hormone replacement therapy) therapies. Unwanted skin absorption also occurs following exposure to environmental and occupational chemicals, including those applied deliberately to the skin such as insectisides, sunscreens and cosmetics. This study seeks to examine the relationship between the chemical structure of ag ....Drugs are applied to the skin for the treatment of a wide range of conditions including both local (inflammation, pain, eczema, psoriasis) and systemic (angina, nicotine withdrawl, hormone replacement therapy) therapies. Unwanted skin absorption also occurs following exposure to environmental and occupational chemicals, including those applied deliberately to the skin such as insectisides, sunscreens and cosmetics. This study seeks to examine the relationship between the chemical structure of agents, the types of formulations in which they are applied and their penetration into the various layers of the skin and underlying tissues. We intend to further our research into important areas relating to the ability to predict the likely behaviour of a solute which comes into contact with the skin from the aspect of optimising both topical drug delivery systems and risk assessment procedures. We will also be examining techniques of facilitating drug transport through the skin using (i) the knowledge gained of the mechanisms by which vehicles act on the skin, (ii) the synthesis of ester and amide lipophilic prodrugs and (iii) physical techniques such as iontophoresis, whereby small electrical currents are applied to charged drug species on the outside of the skin.Read moreRead less
Influence Of Skin Cancer On Topical Elongate Microparticle Drug Delivery
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$560,589.00
Summary
This project builds on a novel cutaneous delivery method using ‘rod-shaped’ microparticles we developed in the Dermatology Research Centre. Microparticle administration results in multiple punctures of the skin’s tough outer layers, increasing permeability. Furthermore, microparticle administration results in a uniform and continuous drug delivery profile within the treatment area, which is an important attribute for the treatment of skin diseases.
My research objectives centre on new technology development for improving diagnostics and therapeutics applied to skin. I have developed and patented novel devices for minimally invasive topical drug delivery and skin sampling. My leadership and tangible research outcomes are now enabling previously impossible skin research to be done and now are also impacting the commercial sector in addition to creating new knowledge in the field.
Drugs are applied to the skin for the treatment of a wide range of conditions, including both local (eg. inflammation, muscle pain, eczema, psoriasis and other dermatological conditions) and systemic (eg. angina, hormone replacement, nicotine withdrawal) therapies. Advances in molecular biology technology has also led to the development of a range of large molecular weight peptide and protein based therapeutic agents for which transdermal delivery offers the most cost-effective and practical sol ....Drugs are applied to the skin for the treatment of a wide range of conditions, including both local (eg. inflammation, muscle pain, eczema, psoriasis and other dermatological conditions) and systemic (eg. angina, hormone replacement, nicotine withdrawal) therapies. Advances in molecular biology technology has also led to the development of a range of large molecular weight peptide and protein based therapeutic agents for which transdermal delivery offers the most cost-effective and practical solution if appropriate delivery systems can be identified. In addition, unwanted skin absorption also occurs following exposure to environmental occupational chemicals, and those applied deliberately to the skin such as insecticides, sunscreens and cosmetics. This study continues our work in seeking to define the relationship between the chemical structure of agents, the types of formulations and solvents in which they are applied or come into contact with the skin and their penetration, distribution and retention in the various layers of the skin and underlying tissues. Of great significance to both the pharmaceutical industry and risk assessment regulatory bodies will be the further development of our work into important areas relating to the ability to predict the likely behaviour of a solute following contact with the skin from the aspect of both optimising drug delivery systems and the accuracy of risk assessment procedures. We will also be continuing our work examining techniques to facilitate drug transport through the skin using physical techniques such as iontophoresis and the design of formulations to specifically target larger pores in the skin such as hair follicles as a means of improving delivery rates and increasing the range of solutes, particularly those of large molecular weight, likely to be considered as potential drug candidates.Read moreRead less
Non-invasive Therapy For Keratoconus – Ultrasound Enhanced Delivery Of Riboflavin To Cornea For Transepithelial Corneal Collagen Crosslinking
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$600,658.00
Summary
Keratoconus is a degenerative eye disease which causes corneal thinning. The disease causes visual distortions & loss of vision, and is commonly treated with Corneal Cross-Linking. This involves scraping off the outer protective layer of the cornea so that treatment can be applied. This is painful for patients and carries many risks. This grant assists in the development of a device that is able to deliver the reagent in a painless, non-invasive, effective and safe way.
Phosphonated Calixarenes For The Targeted Intracellular Delivery Of Anticancer Agents
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$322,267.00
Summary
Many anticancer drugs have severe side effects due to their potency and non-specificity of action. To improve the treatment outcome for thousands of cancer patients, we aim to engineer calixarene-based nanocarriers that bypass normal tissues to selectively deposit drugs and imaging agents into tumour cells. Such delivery systems will optimize the performance of a host of anticancer agents that act within cells, and enable drug treatment and monitoring to be simultaneously realised.