Topic Review
Zeolite/Pharmaceuticals System
Zeolites belong to aluminosilicate microporous solids, with strong and diverse catalytic activity, which makes them applicable in almost every kind of industrial process, particularly thanks to their eco-friendly profile. Another crucial characteristic of zeolites is their tremendous adsorption capability. Therefore, it is self-evident that the widespread use of zeolites is in environmental protection, based primarily on the adsorption capacity of substances potentially harmful to the environment, such as pharmaceuticals, pesticides, or other industry pollutants. On the other hand, zeolites are also recognized as drug delivery systems (DDS) carriers for numerous pharmacologically active agents. The enhanced bioactive ability of DDS zeolite as a drug carrying nanoplatform is confirmed, making this system more specific and efficient, compared to the drug itself. These two applications of zeolite, in fact, illustrate the importance of (ir)reversibility of the adsorption process. 
  • 1.1K
  • 11 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Magnetic Resonance Imaging on Pregnant Women
Pregnancy is a delicate state, during which timely investigation of possible physiological anomalies is essential to reduce the risk of maternal and fetal complications. Medical imaging encompasses different technologies to image the human body for the diagnosis, course of treatment management, and follow-up of diseases. Ultrasound (US) is currently the imaging system of choice for pregnant patients. However, sonographic evaluations can be non-effective or give ambiguous results. Therefore, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), due to its excellent tissue penetration, the possibility of acquisition of three-dimensional anatomical information, and its high spatial resolution, is considered a valid diagnostical alternative.
  • 1.1K
  • 19 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Regulatory Pathway of Biosimilar
While most biosimilars have rigidly followed the WAC pricing of 3–30% below the reference product in the US, we can anticipate significant price drops in the future. Since the US market represents 40% of the world market, price drops in the US are pivotal in presenting the overall benefits of biosimilars. In the EU, the pricing of biosimilars is a regional issue, presenting a range of 30 to 70% of market share and price drops of up to 85%, with Norway, Denmark, and Italy leading the reductions. The success of biosimilars in Europe was due to them achieving widespread acceptance by payers, providers, and patients as an integral part of medicine through an extensive program involving preparing stakeholders, investing in evidence generation (e.g., the NorSwitch trial), and introducing incentive models to share payer savings with hospitals. A key component of this success was forced switching, which is not possible on legal grounds in some countries and due to commercial interest in others.
  • 1.1K
  • 27 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Therapeutic Proteins
Reinventing approved therapeutic proteins for a new dose, a new formulation, a new route of administration, an improved safety profile, a new indication, or a new conjugate with a drug or a radioactive source is a creative approach to benefit from the billions spent on developing new therapeutic proteins. These new opportunities were created only recently with the arrival of Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning (ML) tools and high throughput screening technologies. Furthermore, the complex nature of proteins offers mining opportunities that are not possible with chemical drugs; bringing in newer therapies without spending billions makes this path highly lucrative financially while serving the dire needs of humanity. 
  • 1.1K
  • 15 May 2023
Topic Review
PH-Sensitive Cubosome Liquid Crystalline Nanocarriers
Cubosomes are soft biocontinuous nanoparticles whose 3D geometry can be engineered to render the structures responsive to pH variations, which is of large interest to the production of efficient drug delivery materials. We have reviewed the literature to provide a state of the art in this regard and shed lights on prominent perspectives and strategies for pH-sensitive cubosomes development, taking advantage of the pH changes of the biological media at targeted application sites.
  • 1.1K
  • 27 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Functionalization of Cyclodextrins
Cyclodextrins (CDs) are cyclic oligosaccharides bearing several glucopyranose residues connected by α-1,4 glycosidic bonds. Natural cyclodextrins contain six, seven, or eight glucopyranose units (α-, β- and γ-cyclodextrin, respectively) and are natural products, biodegradable, and generally lacking in toxicity. Cyclodextrins have toroidal shapes, with the smaller opening of the toroid (primary rim) corresponding to the C6-OH primary hydroxyls and the larger opening (secondary rim) to the C2-OH and C3-OH secondary hydroxyls. 
  • 1.1K
  • 17 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Exosomal-based Drug Delivery
Exosomes are membrane-bound nanovesicles that are typically 30–150 nm in size with various bioactive molecules. They are typically generated by first endocytosing various transmembrane proteins into endosomes within the cell, which are then sorted and form intraluminal vesicles. These vesicles are then released as the endosome merges with the cell membrane and releases its contents outside of the cell. Tetraspanins (CD9, CD63, CD81) are one of the most common proteins expressed on the surface of exosomes and are often used as exosome-specific markers. These proteins have been shown to interact with different proteins such as integrins and major histocompatibility complexes (MHC). Exosomes commonly act as carriers of genetic and proteomic information, and are therefore vital in intercellular communication. In its role as a cellular messenger, exosomes have been implicated in promoting cancer; because of this, they are also being investigated as potential therapeutic targets and delivery vehicles. 
  • 1.1K
  • 06 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Nanoemulsions
Nanoemulsions (NEs) are lipophilic systems with nanoscale globules that can be absorbed e.g. through the nasal mucosa, and are therefore being explored for nose-to-brain delivery of drugs. These can be either oil-in-water (o/w) or water-in-oil (w/o) emulsions. Especially, o/w NEs are a promising option for the encapsulation of lipophilic drugs, protecting them from enzymatic degradation, increasing their solubility in liquid media, modulating their drug release, and improving their bioavailability.
  • 1.1K
  • 04 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Insulin
Insulin is used for the treatment of diabetes mellitus, which is characterized by hyperglycemia. Subcutaneous injections are the standard mode of delivery for insulin therapy; however, this procedure is very often invasive, which hinders patient compliance, particularly for individuals requiring insulin doses four times a day. Furthermore, cases have been reported of sudden hypoglycemia occurrences following multidose insulin injections. Such an invasive and intensive approach motivates the quest for alternative, more user-friendly insulin administration approaches. For example, transdermal delivery has numerous advantages, such as prolonged drug release, low variability in the drug plasma level, and improved patient compliance.
  • 1.1K
  • 05 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Bifunctional Beta-Lactam Antibiotics
The molecular structure of β-lactam antibiotics can be modified either to introduce another β-lactam ring (the pharmacophore conferring bactericidal activities to these molecules), or to add other pharmacophores that modify their pharmacological properties and spectrum of action.
  • 1.1K
  • 07 Feb 2021
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