Exploring the impact of the Gastrointestinal Mucus on drug absorption: Characterization and development of novel predictive tools (finished project)
Providing novel insights regarding the nature of the gastrointestinal mucus of preclinical species, with an end goal to develop in vitro models that will enable the assessment of the permeation behavior of poorly soluble drugs through the colonic mucus.
Details
- Funder: Vinnova
Researcher: Vasiliki Barmpatsalou, PhD Student
Principal Investigator: Professor Christel Bergström, Department of Pharmacy, Uppsala University
Scientific and industrial context: The formulation of poorly soluble drug candidates as modified release (MR) dosage forms is challenging, mainly due to our limited understanding regarding the barriers towards colonic absorption and the resulting shortage of in vitro models that are in vivo predictive for release in and absorption from the colon.
Aim: To provide novel insights regarding the nature of the gastrointestinal mucus of preclinical species, with an end goal to develop in vitro models that will enable the assessment of the permeation behavior of poorly soluble drugs through the colonic mucus.
Outcome: The acquired knowledge is expected to serve as the basis of the development of novel in vitro tools that can be later used to predict the diffusion profile of advanced drug delivery systems within the colonic mucus. These in vitro models will contribute to the reduction of animal usage in the early stages of drug development.