I-Corps: Polymer-based drug delivery system

Purdue University, West Lafayette IN

Investigators

Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is to develop safe and effective therapies for patients suffering from obesity and its associated risks of chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes. Obesity is a complex disorder that is characterized by greater energy intake than consumption, resulting in excessive lipid storage in the white adipose tissue. The proposed innovation offers a polymer-based nanoparticulate technology platform that enables targeted 'burning' of 'bad fat'. Successful completion of the proposed activities will enable promising market opportunities, understanding the most critical needs of customers and strategic partners, and determining the potential for commercialization. This controlled release technology platform can also be readily adapted to treat a broad spectrum of diseases such as fatty liver disease and atherosclerosis. This I-Corps project is built upon a novel biodegradable polymer-based nanoparticulate drug delivery system that targets white adipocytes and enables sustained intracellular release of Notch inhibitors to induce transformation of white adipocytes into beige adipocytes to raise energy expenditure and reduce adiposity. The technology combines advances in polymer-based drug delivery with an understanding of the role played by Notch signaling in adipocyte plasticity for the development of effective and safe therapeutic strategies to reduce adiposity. Obesity is triggered by the systemic energy surplus that is stored as lipids in white adipocytes, whose expansion leads to obesity. The newly-identified beige adipocytes in white adipose tissue are capable of actively metabolizing lipids to generate heat. This technology offers several potential advantages over conventional drug delivery including continuous and lower dosage drug release, reduced cost, decreased off-target side effects, increased patient compliance, and avoidance of expensive surgical procedures.