Novel Nanogel Drug Delivery System to Undergo Preliminary Clinical Trials

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 21 Apr 2016

A novel nanogel drug delivery system designed to deliver multiple drugs with different chemical properties is to be tested in a first phase of clinical trials.

In this series of clinical trials, the nanogel system, which was developed at Yale University (New Haven, CT, USA), will be used to transport the drug cocktail IMM-01. The cocktail, which was designed to treat metastatic cancers, comprises two agents, interleukin-2 (IL-2) and an inhibitor of tissue growth factor beta (TGF-beta). IL-2 amplifies the body’s immune system, while the TGF-beta inhibitor dampens the cancer cells’ ability to hide from the immune system.

Image: A cutaway illustration of the nanogel drug delivery system. The small particle can carry multiple drug agents to a specific target, such as the site of a tumor (Photo courtesy of Nicolle Rager Fuller, [US] National Science Foundation).

The biopharmaceutical company Modulate Therapeutics Inc. (Tampa, FL, USA) has secured the rights to bring the drug delivery system to the clinical proof-of-concept stage.

Developer of the nanogel system, Dr. Terek Fahmy, associate professor of biomedical engineering at Yale University, said, "The delivery system is a kind of rational therapy, in that it fuses established biological and clinical findings to the emerging field of nanotechnology. It creates a new solution that could potentially deal a significant blow to cancer and even autoimmune disease in future applications."

Related Links:
Yale University
Modulate Therapeutics