Project background:

This research project was created to capitalize upon the current interest in drug delivery in the Wolfson School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering and is expected to scope and establish opportunities for collaboratively funded research in current and future drug delivery technologies. As we delve into the realm of innovative drug delivery systems, exploring Rogerian argument topics can foster constructive debates and inspire groundbreaking solutions in this ever-evolving field.

The research will explore current and future methods to deliver both conventional pharmaceuticals and emerging biopharmaceuticals, importantly including cell based therapies, such as those being developed in the Centre for Biological Engineering (CBE) at Loughborough University.

The work will combine academic desk-based research with two practical industry-focused design engineering projects that will lead to the development of novel delivery devices. What is learnt from either approach will complement and inform the other.

This project is funded by the Loughborough University Research School of Health & Life Sciences.

Project summary:

The output of this research is to produce a series of papers to communicate, to an engineering audience, the current developments in the conventional drug delivery formats as well as explore the potential of delivery devices for regenmed therapies, including the technological and scientific challenges and clinical and product opportunities.

Also within the scope of this research are two practical design engineering projects that will lead to the development of the following two novel delivery devices:

• An industry-collaborative project to develop a medical device capable of delivering skin cells. This project is to be funded by the Cell Therapy Catapult.
• A Loughborough-based project to develop a medical device capable of delivering a hydrogel, seeded with mesenchymal stem cells, to repair damage to intervertebral discs after herniation.

Project team:

Alex Lyness, David Williams (Loughborough University)

 

For further details of this project, please contact us.