Wearable Drug Delivery Patch Could Benefit Alzheimer’s Patients, AstraZeneca Expands in Maryland
A look at today’s top life science news: wireless drug delivery, CAR-T manufacturing plant, and a new pain formulation
By Alex Keown
A team of UNC researchers is making advances in the development of a new, wireless drug delivery system. A wearable patch that uses electrically-triggered microneedles is showing promise as a potential on-demand delivery system for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, and neurological injuries, the research shows.
The delivery system, dubbed the Spatiotemporal On-Demand Patch (SOP), is able to remotely receive commands from a smartphone or computer that can schedule and trigger the release of drugs from individual microneedles, UNC announced this week. Delivery of the medication occurs within 30 seconds of the signal, the research team said.
Resembling a bandage, the patch was designed for comfort and convenience. The researchers noted in the announcement that “wearability is a crucial factor for chronically ill patients.” It is believed that patients could wear more than one patch at a time. This would reduce the need for doctors’ visits or trips to the hospital for medical attention, UNC said.
UNC researchers assessed the SOP in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. The SOP is designed for “joint delivery” of multiple drugs. The research team suggests this capability can address different aspects of treating Alzheimer’s disease, including reducing beta-amyloid plaques, mitigating neuroinflammation and enhancing cognitive function, Wubin Bai, assistant professor of applied physical sciences at the UNC College of Arts and Sciences, and co-senior author of the paper said in a statement.
“The beauty of this device is that it can house dozens, if not hundreds, of concentrated drugs and can program their sequential release automatically,” Juan Song, a professor of pharmacology at the UNC School of Medicine and member of the UNC Neuroscience Center, said in a statement. “Rapid drug release can be crucial in emergency situations or when immediate therapeutic action is required.”
UNC’s research was published in the journal Nature Communications.
AstraZeneca Expands Maryland Manufacturing Footprint
AstraZeneca will invest $300 million in a new, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Rockville, Maryland to support its cell therapy programs.
The new, 84,000-square-foot space, is expected to become fully operational in 2026. The site will initially focus on the manufacturing of CAR-T cell therapies to enable cancer clinical trials to be conducted around the world, Gov. Wes Moore announced this week. When the site is complete, the company is expected to hire about 150 new employees to support manufacturing at the site. AstraZeneca plans to retain the 4,500 employees it currently employs at its other facilities throughout Montgomery County.
The new facility in Rockville is located less than five miles away from one of the company’s five global research and development centers. This site will become part of the AstraZeneca global supply network of nearly 30 manufacturing and supply sites in 16 countries which are either currently operational or under development.
As the new site gains footing, its focus may expand beyond cancer to support other disease areas.
Virpax Pharmaceuticals Announces Preliminary Results of Probudur Pilot Study
A pilot study conducted by the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research (USAISR) assessing a wound-treatment product developed by Pennsylvania-based Virpax Pharmaceuticals hit the mark in reducing incision-induced pain.
The study aimed to determine if Probudur, a single injection liposomal bupivacaine formulation, reduces pain behaviors in a rat model of incisional pain. In the study, two different doses of Probudur were injected into the tissue around the incision site in the test animals. Additionally, Probudur was included in the control group’s saline solution. Both doses of Probudur showed reduction in behaviors, the company reported.
Probudur is designed to deliver fast onset and a sustained release of local anesthetic at the wound or incision site to reduce pain for 96 hours after surgery. The U.S. Army is researching the drug's use for battlefield wound injuries—or general postoperative pain management and traumatic injuries, Virpax announced.