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Exploiting the pathophysiology of the gut towards innovative oral peptide delivery strategies

Project description

Bioactive nanocarriers as an oral peptide delivery strategy

Development of a novel oral drug delivery system for therapeutic peptides is a major challenge in the treatment of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes. This EU-funded project will work on the application of nanocarriers for peptide delivery, which protects its cargo against chemical and enzymatic degradation while enabling controlled release, targeting and increased bio-availability. Project strategy stems from an earlier observation that lipid-based nanocarriers themselves trigger endogenous bio-active peptide secretion in vivo after oral administration to mice. Current research will aim to develop a dual-action delivery system that combines the biological effect of the nanocarriers and that of the encapsulated drug to enable complex and very efficient treatments for gastrointestinal disorders.

Objective

The development of new oral drug delivery systems that will enable the absorption of therapeutic peptides to the systemic circulation is one of the greatest current challenges for the pharmaceutical industry and is the ‘holy grail’ of peptide delivery. Improved novel drug delivery systems are of utmost importance in order to fulfill the potential of this route of administration in the treatment of chronic diseases (e.g. type 2 diabetes mellitus), where daily injections are often required.

There are various advantages of using nanocarriers for this purpose: they offer protection against chemical and enzymatic degradation, controlled release, targeting, tolerability and/or improved uptake and translocation resulting in enhanced bioavailability and greater therapeutic efficacy. I was the first to demonstrate that lipid-based nanocarriers trigger endogenous glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 and GLP-2 secretion in vivo after orally administered to mice. This effect can be exploited to develop a novel and unconventional drug delivery nanosystem as a promising strategy for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders (e.g. type 2 diabetes mellitus, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis).

There are significant gaps in current knowledge that need to be addressed to make this possible. I propose a series of studies to answer the following key questions: -First, can we develop a dual-action drug delivery nanosystem that synergizes its own biological effect and that of the encapsulated bioactive molecule? -Second, can we ameliorate type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) using an oral peptide-loaded dual-action lipid-based nanosystem? –Third, is this innovative strategy a viable alternative to current treatments in T2DM and IBD? By exploiting the gut pathophysiology, I propose an innovative therapeutic approach using cutting-edge advanced technologies to deal with an unmet therapeutical need in the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders.

Host institution

UNIVERSITE CATHOLIQUE DE LOUVAIN
Net EU contribution
€ 1 488 937,50
Address
PLACE DE L UNIVERSITE 1
1348 Louvain La Neuve
Belgium

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Region
Région wallonne Prov. Brabant Wallon Arr. Nivelles
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost
€ 1 488 937,50

Beneficiaries (1)