Investigators for Australia's Starpharma and the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences have picked up a sizeable new grant to finance a fresh round of research on the use of dendrimers for targeted drug delivery.
"Our work so far suggests that careful design of the size and surface characteristics of certain dendrimers provides an opportunity to boost delivery to the lymphatic system, signaling the potential to significantly improve patient treatment," says Professor Chris Porter, the lead investigator for the study. Porter highlighted the delivery technology's potential for targeting drugs to treat cancer, HIV and lymphatic conditions--diseases that spread via lymphatics or lymph nodes.
The A$420,000 grant from the Australian Research Council will fuel their investigations over a period of three years, says Starpharma chief executive Dr. Jackie Fairley. "This research has the potential to significantly improve the treatment of diseases, including metastatic cancer, lymphoma, HIV and metastitial tuberculosis."
- check out the Starpharma release for more info