Using colloidal packings as templates for structuring drugs

ORAL

Abstract

Many pharmaceutical compounds are poorly soluble in water; this is problematic because most pharmaceuticals are delivered orally and must dissolve in the gastrointestinal fluid in order to be taken up by the body. We introduce a simple method for increasing the dissolution rates of poorly water-soluble organic actives. We demonstrate that by structuring the compounds within the interconnected, nanoscale pore space of a colloidal packing we create composites which rapidly disintegrate in water, exposing the nanostructured organic active and leading to improved dissolution rates.

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Authors

  • James Wilking

    Harvard University

  • Andr\'e Studart

    ETH

  • Sebastian Koltzenburg

    BASF

  • Rodrigo Guerra

    Harvard University

  • Esther Amstad

    Harvard University

  • Jens Rieger

    BASF

  • David Weitz

    Harvard University, Department of Physics and Division of Engineering and Applied Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States, Department of Physics and School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA