Environmentally responsive nanogels for drug delivery (A04)

• Subject Area: Organic Molecular Chemistry - Synthesis and Characterisation
• Term: from 2013 to 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 234930468

This project deals with the development of water-soluble/dispersible stimuli-responsive nanosized soft particles, so-called "nanogels", that should be able to: (i) encapsulate dexamethasone, tacrolimus, tofacitinib, and etanercept; (ii) transport them into the viable skin and/or diffuse into the hair follicles; and (iii) release them in a therapeutically relevant concentration upon an environmental trigger, such as temperature, pH, enzyme activity, or redox potential. Fundamental questions will be addressed regarding the effect of the nanogel properties with respect to drug loading, their dermal delivery capability, mucoadhesive/-penetrating properties, and the mode of action.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1112: Nanocarriers: Architecture, Transport and Topical Application of Drugs for Therapeutic Use
• Applicant Institution: Freie Universität Berlin
• Project Heads: Professor Dr. Marcelo Calderón; Professor Dr. Rainer Haag