Nano-materials based on nanomaterials are becoming the new favorite in the pharmaceutical field.
Editor’s note: This article is from WeChat public account “Arterial Network” (ID: vcbeat), the author of the string.
Precision medicine is the hottest concept in recent years. From diagnosis, treatment to prognosis, all aspects of medical care are looking for suitable ways to achieve precision medicine. Specific to the drug development process, precision treatment is not only reflected in the precise guidance of targeted drugs, but also the precise delivery of new biological agents. Nowadays, nano-materials based on nanomaterials are becoming the new darling of the pharmaceutical industry, affecting the original drug development model.
Nanopharmaceuticals: Drugs based on nanoscale materials
Nanomedicine can be broadly defined as the application of nanoscale materials in improving human health. This includes the development of early medical diagnostic and prophylactic applications, improvements in the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of many life-threatening diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, AIDS, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and various Inflammation and infectious diseases.
Nanomaterials range in size from 1-100 nm to basic biomaterials such as DNA, but their surface area is greatly increased, and their applications range from drug and gene delivery to biomedical imaging.
Nanopharmaceuticals have the characteristics of small particles, large specific surface area, high surface reactivity, many active centers, and strong adsorption capacity. The use of nanomaterials as a drug carrier can improve the absorption and utilization of drugs, achieve efficient target delivery, prolong drug consumption half-life, and reduce harmful side effects on normal tissues.
Developmental formulations of nano drug particles include polymer nanoparticles, micelles, liposomes, dendrimers, metal nanoparticles, solid lipid nanoparticles, and the like. In 1995, researchers published the first liposome-based nano drug, Doxorubicin, for the treatment of tumors. To date, about 50 nanoparticle-based drugs have been developed due to the rapid development of science.
The interaction of nanomedicine with the biological environment (levels of molecules, cells, organs, etc.) is based on a complex series of interactions between particles and biological media. Each biological environment is unique. The particle size, shape, arrangement, surface charge distribution and surface chemistry of nanoparticles are the key factors determining the efficiency of the reaction between nanomedicine and its surrounding media.
Nanopharmaceuticals are mainly affected by three factors: molecular distribution characteristics (biodistribution characteristiCs), cellular uptake rate and the mechanism by which tissue is eventually cleared. The size of the drug determines how it is removed by the body. Particles smaller than 10 nm in size are removed by the kidneys; particles larger than 10 nm are eliminated by the liver and mononuclear phagocytic system.
The BCC study said in its September report that sales of nanostructure applications in the life sciences (such as nanoparticles, nanospheres, nanocapsules, and quantum dots) are expected to continue to grow over the next five years. The global market for life sciences nanostructure applications will reach $17.8 billion in 2019 and is expected to reach $33.8 billion by 2024, with a compound annual growth rate of 13.7% over the next five years.
Gold Nanoparticles (GNPs): Both Drugs and Treatments
Nanocarriers have the ability to increase tumor tissue permeability and retention rate effects (EPR). In addition, nano-drugs have the following advantages: loading multiple drugs to play a combined therapeutic role of drugs; targeting specific drugs to tumor cells and tumor microenvironment; simultaneously visualizing tumor treatment effects based on novel imaging techniques; prolonging drug cycle time; controlling drugs Release; and optimize treatment options to improve patient compliance.
It is worth mentioning that many widely used traditional chemotherapeutic drugs (such as taxanes and doxorubicin) have strong side effects and cause a variety of tumors to produce resistant mutations, which is the treatment of tumors. Brought new challenges. A number of existing studies have shown that nanomedicine has the potential to overcome the above problems.
A particularly active area of nanomedical research is the design of functionalized gold nanoparticles as a multi-purpose agent for biomedical imaging and drug delivery. Nanogold is known for its strong optical activity at the visible to near infrared (NIR) wavelength and is actively investigating contrast agents for optical imaging modalities. In particular, the NIR spectrum between 750 and 1300 nm provides a “biological window” through the optical absorption of tissue, as hemoglobin, bio-pigment and water attenuate the remaining wavelengths.
The new wave of research on gold nanoparticles is partly due to new developments in the scalable synthesis of anistropic gold particles. For example, gold nanorods (GNRs) with lengths well below 100 nm can now be prepared, and their high efficiency NIR (visible to near infrared) absorption can greatly increase the range of medical optical performance modes, such as optical coherence tomography (OCT). ) and photoacoustic tomography (PAT).
However, gold nanoparticles are not only passive imaging agents and carriers: most of the photons they absorb are converted into heat, producing a strong photothermal effect. At high gold nanoparticle concentrations and high laser power, these photothermal effects can produce a milder, high-temperature form with lower power illumination, resulting in ablation of nearby cells and tissues, with more subtle effects.Listed in the US in 1997. The product is a lyophilized preparation for the treatment of severe deep fungal infections such as kala-azar, yeast disease, coccidioidomycosis, etc., and can also be used for the treatment of aggressive systemic infections caused by Aspergillus, Candida, and the like.
Ambisome particle size is about 100nm, and the drug is stably encapsulated by the negatively charged phospholipid DSPG combined with the positively charged trehalose amine in the amphotericin B structure, so the API amphotericin B is present on the phospholipid bilayer membrane. . The cholesterol in the prescription has a hydrophobic effect with the drug molecule.
Bind Therapeutics: Developing Targeted Drugs Containing Docetaxel
BIND Therapeutics (NASDAQ: BIND) is a biotechnology company founded in 2006. Pfizer acquired most of its assets in 2016. Its leading drug, BIND-014, can escape the immune system, reach the disease site, selectively accumulate in diseased tissues and cells, and then release the encapsulated drug at a prescribed rate. The platform is protected by 16 US patents and 50 US patent applications.
Some of other nanomedicines already on the market
