Drug delivery systems (DDS) are formulations that allow the introduction of a therapeutic substance into the body and improve its effectiveness by controlling the speed, duration and location of the release. Requirements for an appropriate DDS include: (i) high stability of the encapsulated active principle; (ii) efficiency and high encapsulation efficiency; (iii) controlled release; and (iv) a simple, reproducible and scalable preparation process.
Drug-loaded nanoparticles (NPs) based on biocompatible and biodegradable combine these different criteria and thus constitute a high-performance system in nanotechnology. They can be prepared by emulsion / dispersion polymerization or directly from preformed polymers in batch systems. Recently, the development of continuous formulation processes by microfluidic systems is under development due to the reproducibility and efficiency of the formulation.
The main objective of this project is based on the preparation of new drug delivery systems, namely NPs, from original block copolymers based on polyesters and through a continuous formulation process.
First, innovative copolymers, based on poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL) or polyphosphoesters and polyaddipates, will be synthesized and characterized from a physico-chemical point of view. Then, their formulation in NPs loaded with an active principle will be studied by a continuous microfluidic process.