DrugDelivery
We have designed several clever ways to manufacture and deliver the drugs of the future. The AC electrospray we developed makes droplets in the optimal 2-4 micron range that has been found to work best for inhalation. Our electrophoretic separation technique, Zetafractionation, is the only economical way of isolating species within a target range of zeta-potentials for gene therapy and vaccine research and production. We encapsulate drugs with polymer coatings to enable targeted delivery and controlled release. Among the most exciting of our current projects is, in collaboration with the Walther Cancer Research Center, to use our encapsulation spray to coat an anti-cancer drug that has shown promising early results.
Center Director Dr. Chia Chang (right) and postdoctoral fellow Dr. Zilin Chen have developed high-pressure, low power pumps for controlled drug delivery through the skin.
Student Eleanor Leighton brings electrophoresis to the preparatory scale with the Zetafractionator. She is working to show that separations of large nanoparticles need not be costly.
The encapsulation electrospray encapsulated fluorescent dye with a biodegradable polymer.