Drug distribution and structure of lipidic nanocapsules (LNCs) intended for drug delivery to the retina
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | RISE Research Institutes of Sweden AB - Biovetenskap och material/Ytor, process och formulering |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 300 000 |
| Project duration | October 2019 - April 2021 |
| Status | Completed |
| Venture | Research infrastructure - utilisation and collaboration |
Purpose and goal
This project aimed at elucidating the overall structure of LNCs and the drug distribution within LNCs by means of Small Angle Neutron and X-ray Scattering (SANS and SAXS). We fulfilled this goal by performing the SANS experiments at ISIS Pulsed Neutron and Muon Source, UK and SAXS experiments at RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, Stockholm, respectively. Experiments were performed on unloaded and drug loaded LNCs.
Expected results and effects
This project resulted in obtaining a valuable information regarding the structure of LNCs. Thorough data analysis and model fitting with SasView indicated that the LNCs have a core-shell structure and this structure remained unchanged with the drug loading. Further, with drug loading, the size of nanoparticles was seen increasing and this increase in size may be hypothesised to be due to the selective localization of the drug in the shell owing to its physicochemical properties and this is a subject of our ongoing studies.
Planned approach and implementation
Samples of LNCs were prepared and sent to ISIS, UK as travel by the PhD student was not possible due to COVID related travel restrictions. The samples were then processed by ISIS staff and measured on SANS2D instrument from 2020-09-28 to 2020-10-01. The data from these experiments was analysed with SasView. Simultaneously, drug loaded and unloaded LNCs were also measured on lab SAXS instrument at RISE, Stockholm.