The delivery of antimicrobial therapies against persisting biofilm and intracellular infections is challenged by restricted drug penetration and low drug retention. To enhance therapeutic drug concentrations, the use of higher doses of antibiotics risks the development of drug resistant infections and severe drug toxicity. While drug delivery platforms such as liposomes, can enhance the intracellular/biofilm transport of antimicrobial drugs, low drug loading and untimely release of the cargo challenge their potency.
Advanced carriers fabricated from nucleic acids are biocompatible nanomaterials which show high loading capacity for antimicrobial drugs. Nevertheless, these carriers are susceptible to nuclease degradation which can compromise cargo delivery. To safeguard antimicrobial systems, the development of a hybrid system comprising nucleic acid nanoparticles coated with a liposome can improve drug loading against persisting infections.
The project delivered its primary research objectives of developing a topical hybrid formulation with ideal physicochemical property for the delivery of vancomycin. The secondary objective to examine the distribution (within immune cells and biofilms) and impact on drug release profile was also achieved. Finally, the compatibility and performance of the hybrid formulation was delivered as the third objective. Training objectives aimed to enhance the employability of the early career researcher (ER) by identifying international collaborators and securing a start-up grant were also achieved. The ER secured a funded start-up grant from Tromsø Research Foundation (TFS start-up) which was granted in 2020 and will begin in 2022 after completion of the current grant.
