Translational medicine is a relatively new field, which seeks to bring advances in laboratory science into patient care as quickly as possible. Translational research in the Kohn Lab focuses on engineered prototypes of biomedical devices and other polymer based systems including self-assembling nanospheres for directed drug delivery. Polymers have many advantages for the construction of biomedical devices beyond providing materials that have suitable bulk and surface properties for injury repair while maintaining shape and strength under dynamic loads. These advantages include the polymer's ability to incorporate and release active agents, to undergo controlled degradation after the healing process is complete, and to provide a scaffold for the ingrowth of healthy tissues.
Nanospheres are of major utility in delivering hydrophobic pharmaceuticals and in topical drug administration for dermal diseases. A majority of anti-tumor drugs are hydrophobic and require a dispersing agent or other solubilization process to facilitate their delivery. For this reason, nanospheres technology can have a profound effect on the delivery of pharmaceuticals with poor bioavailability by improving their stability, circulation times in the body and permeability through cell membranes. Drug localization within the skin layers is important in the treatment of dermatological conditions where the seat of the disease is located within the skin. Novel drug delivery strategies can play a pivotal role in improving the topical delivery of therapeutics by enhancing their skin localization with a concomitant reduction of side effects and systemic absorption.
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