The issue that the current drug delivery systems used to reach a high drug concentration in the colon (large intestine) are frequently unreliable is addressed by COLOTAN.
The potential to optimize effectiveness and reduce adverse effects by administering the appropriate dosage at the appropriate location is the main benefit of directing medications to a particular location in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. A significant amount of effort has been made over the last 20 years to develop delivery systems that target medications particularly to the colon to treat disorders like Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis or irritable bowel syndrome. Despite this, there are still no ideal systems that can consistently transport medication to the colon.
Understanding the colonic environment and the behavior of the drug and formulation is essential for the best possible distribution and activity of medications to and inside the colon. The absence of meaningful drug absorption data and the poor forecasts of colonic absorption have made it difficult to build colon-targeting formulations.
The events that take place in the colon and lower small intestine are not yet completely taken into consideration by the in vitro absorption models that are now available. Similarly, physiology-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models for absorption prediction have emerged as a crucial instrument in both industrial and academic drug development. However, the colonic models created thus far are inefficient. Because of this, we can only confidently forecast plasma concentrations for medications that are absorbed in the upper gastrointestinal tract. In order to forecast drug efficacy in the colon more precisely, Colotan will enhance in vitro and in silico methods.
In order to effectively treat large intestine illnesses, Colotan addresses a topic of increasing medical and public concern: achieving a high enough medication concentration in the colon. In recent years, colon-targeted medication delivery systems have drawn more attention due to the high prevalence of colon disorders in Europe, including ulcerative colitis and colorectal cancer. The FDA and EMA both urge research into precision medicine techniques, novel medication delivery methods, and new predictive tools.
Although COLOTAN will provide specialists for drug delivery and disposition in the large intestine, the general scientific knowledge and transferable abilities will be as useful in other drug development domains. They will have everything they need to lead and innovate the pharmaceutical sector in the future and significantly improve the health and economics of Europe.
The overall objective of COLOTAN is to give 13 PhD students advanced training to become specialists in gastrointestinal (patho)physiology, drug delivery, and drug disposition. This will help them target medications more effectively to the colon, improving the treatment of large intestine diseases, and equip them with the scientific and transferable skills they need. Due to a lack of knowledge about the activities that take place in the large intestine, current colon targeting formulations work inconsistently.
