Nanotechnology - Tissue Engineering and Oral Solid Dosage Forms
Key staff: Dr Dionysios Douroumis
This area of research involves the development of injectable formulations for parenteral administration.
Novel polymers, liposomes and solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) are used as drug carrier systems to develop injectable formulations. The active substances are incorporated by using static mixers, high-pressure homogenisation, ultrasonication and oil-in-water emulsification techniques, followed by physico-chemical characterisation of the developed formulations.
Fast-dissolving dosage forms
Platforms of taste-masked bitter drugs are being developed using fast-dissolving dosage forms (FDDFs). Bitter drugs are taste masked using hot-melt extrusion or fluidized beds, and the granules produced are incorporated in the FDDFs using dry blending and direct compression.
Coating of drug-eluting stents
Novel techniques such as the electrostatic dry-powder deposition of biodegradable and biocompatible polymers are used to apply a uniform drug/polymer layer on the stent surface. The layer properties, drug-release profiles, residual solvents and product stability are assessed.
Tissue engineering
Supercritical fluids (SFs) are implemented in order to incorporate drug substances, anti-microbial agents and growth factors through polymer plasticisation in the SF reactor. By varying the SF settings we are able to control polymer porosity and release of the entrapped active substances.
Development of an in vitro dynamic lipolysis model and in vitro–in vivo correlation (IVIVC)
The aim of these studies is to evaluate the potential of the dynamic lipolysis model to simulate the absorption of poorly soluble model drug compounds from lipid based formulations.
Publications
Douroumis, D. (2007). Practical approaches of taste-making technologies in oral solid forms. (Review). Expert Opinion on Drug Delivery, 4, 417–426.
Douroumis, D., Bouropoulos, N. and Fahr, A. (2007). Physicochemical characterisation of solid dispersions of three antiepileptic drugs prepared by solvent evaporation method. Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, 59, 645–653.
Douroumis, D. and Fahr, A. (2007). Enhanced dissolution of oxcarbazepine microcrystals using the static mixer process. Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces, 59, 2008, 214.
Douroumis, D., Fatouros, D. G., Bouropoulos, N., Papagelis, K. and Tasis, D. (2007). Colloidal stability of carbon nanotubes in an aqueous solution of phospholipids. Int. Journal of Nanomedicine, 4, 761–766.
Douroumis,, D., Scheler, S. and Fahr, A. (2008). Using a modified Shepards method for optimisation of a nanoparticle cyclosporine: A formulation prepared by a static mixer technique. Journal of Pharmaceutical Science, 97, 919–930.
Fatouros, D. G., Nielsen, F. S., Douroumis, D., Hadjileontiadis, L. and Mullertz, A. In Vitro in correlation with fuzzy neural networks. European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics. (In press.)
Nohos, A., Douroumis, D. and Bouropoulos, N. Albumin controlled release from alginate-HPMC beads as protein carriers with controlled release properties. Carbohydrate Polymers. (In press.)
Tasis, D., Oagagelis, K., Douroumis, D., Bouropoulos, N. and Fatouros, D. G. (2008). Physicochemical characterisation of single wall carbon nanotubes coated with lipid micelles. Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, 8, 420–423.