Therapeutic Drug Delivery using Nanotechnology
Together with its partners, CSIRO and the Centre for Eye Research Australia, the BEI is developing a therapeutic drug delivery technology for commercialisation. Several patents have been applied for and a product is currently being developed for the market.
This drug polymer conjugate delivers high levels of therapeutic drugs to targeted sites with low volumes, such as the eye, over an extended period of time - up to 90 days.
The polymer material represents a significant advance on current technology. Attributes include;
high ratio of drug per weight of polymer
controlled rate of drug release
erodes leaving no residue in the body
A current application for the polymer is an eye implant to for the treatment of bacterial endophthalmitis, an inflammatory reaction to eye infection.
Other applications include an infection control coating for any indwelling medical device, glaucoma treatment and wound dressing.
This commercialisation process is being undertaken by the BEI-owned company PolyActiva Pty Ltd.
The initial research for this project was undertaken by Bionic Technologies Australia - a R & D collaborative joint venture, significantly funded by a Victorian State Government STI grant.
