Advanced drug delivery systems from electrospinning

Abstract

Electrospinning is a process which exploits electrical energy to generate solid products in the form of nanoscale fibers from a solution. Typically, a solution of a polymer in a volatile solvent is ejected from a syringe towards a collector, with a high potential difference applied between the two. Including a drug in the solution results in drug-loaded materials which have significant potential in drug delivery. Because the solidification process is very rapid (< 1s), the random arrangement of molecules in solution is usually propagated into the solid state, resulting in amorphous solid dispersions. These are potentially very powerful in improving the solubility and dissolution characteristics of active pharmaceutical ingredients. Since heat is not used in the solidification process, easily-degraded active ingredients such as proteins can easily be processed. Further, it is possible to move beyond processing a single liquid to work with multiple liquids, and/or to use blends of polymers, to develop systems giving a wide range of drug release profiles. This presentation will showcase some recent results in the production of drug-loaded formulations by electrospinning, giving examples of the range of drug delivery patterns which can be achieved and the range of active ingredients which can be processed. It will further consider patient perceptions and the translation from lab to clinic.

Bio

Gareth R. Williams received a MChem (Hons) degree from the University of Oxford in 2002. He remained in Oxford for a DPhil (PhD), which was completed in 2005. In September 2010 he joined London Metropolitan University as a Senior Lecturer in Pharmaceutical Science, and in November 2012 was appointed to the UCL School of Pharmacy as a Lecturer in Pharmaceutics. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 2016 and became Head of Pharmaceutics in 2020. Gareth leads a group of around 15 researchers applying inorganic and polymer-based nanomaterials to overcome drug delivery challenges.