(512g) Invited Talk: Micro- and Nano-Berries Bound to Lightly Crosslinked Networks: New Multifunctional Systems for Drug Delivery and Tissue Engineering

Present technologies of delivery of agents used in pharmaceutical, biomedical, consumer, food, and chemical applications, are not particularly imaginative and/or innovative because they are based on a simple mixing process of a therapeutic or more generally beneficial agent with a polymer carrier. So, in these cases we use a specific agent that is distributed throughout the carrier (polymer) matrix and is delivered to the surrounding environment (liquid, gas) by a transport, permeation, diffusion, or other related process. The problem is that such processes do not provide the ability to modify/control the delivery of the therapeutic or beneficial agents. For example, with the present techniques used in the consumer and food products market we are unable to provide a control of the actual delivery time of the bioactive agents, the duration of the delivery, or even the start and the finish of the delivery process. The only possible method of effective and desirable delivery of the beneficial bioactive agent is by controlling the diffusion or convection of this agent. This is typically done by knowing the molecular weight or molecular size of the bioactive agent and controlling the surrounding environment (with adjuvants or other liquids) in order to achieve a certain desirable rate. Such techniques are relatively primitive and do not allow the user to control the start of a particular delivery, the rate of release, the release of two, three or more components, and finally the end of the delivery process. The same general idea applies to the delivery of therapeutic agent (such as drugs, protein, antibodies, etc.) in various parts of the body. Clearly in all the delivery cases, the operator or user is unable to control how exactly delivery will occur. Present methods are based on older technologies which often require the presence of a pH sensitive material in order to slow down or improve the delivery. In addition, if delay of delivery is required, the prevailing present technologies require that an enclosure (coating) of the whole carrier be used in the same or another polymer structure that will prevent the initial release. Furthermore, if during the delivery process of the beneficial agent there is a need to slow down or even control the delivery of one agent, this is very difficult to do with present technologies. Furthermore, present technologies do not usually describe the possible release of several agents at consequent times. Typically the present methods require that two different microencapsulated sample or products be used, as the release in subsequent levels is very difficult. The present Technology provides drastically different solutions to these processes because it allows delivery of two or more compounds that have small or large molecular weights, different solubilities, and different characteristics.

The new system provides drastically improved methods of independently controlling the onset and actual time of delivery of the beneficial agent. This can be achieved either by the design of the system as as a dual network system described below. In addition, the new technology drastically improves the delivery rates, of one or more agents from a combined system which can be in the form of films, cylinders, larger particles (microspheres), and other geometrical shapes. In most cases, such systems can also be produced by 3D printing, thus becoming more desirable in applications. An additional advantage of the new systems is they can be stored for long periods of time in the dry state, thus, avoiding deterioration, modification, or degradation of the products. The new systems are versatile, efficient, effective, and provides stability and long-term storage before use. In most cases, the triggering system for the delivery is water or humidity or sweat.