The World Meeting on Pharmaceutics, Biopharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, held in Vienna, brought together professionals from industry and academia to exchange insights and research discoveries. Various topics were covered, spanning from drug delivery methods to manufacturing techniques.
BUCCAL-PEP members Nazanin Zanjanizadeh Ezazi and Eleftheria Pantazoglou from DTU presented their work on the BUCCAL-PEP project through two posters.
3D-printed buccal patch
Nazanin explains: “Our research focuses on advancing drug delivery methods, particularly for peptides, by introducing a novel 3D-printed buccal patch.” Eleftheria adds: “The buccal administration route for drugs is considered patient-friendly due to its non-invasive nature and painless application. Unlike traditional oral methods, buccal delivery bypasses enzymatic degradation in the gastrointestinal tract and first-pass hepatic metabolism, thereby enhancing patient compliance and improving disease outcomes.”
In their work, they focus on the development of this 3D-printed three-layered patch, and specifically on the role of glycerol within this patch.
Promising results
It is essential that the buccal patch is able to adhere well to the mucal surface, as well as to deliver the peptide in a precise and uni-directional way. “Mechanical tests demonstrate the patch’s flexibility and high mucoadhesion depicted by its maximum detachment force from a simulated mucosal surface,” Nazanin explains. In other words, the patch shows to be able to adhere firmly to the tissue in the cheek, making it suitable for buccal application.
Find both of their poster presentations on our Resources page, and stay tuned for our next steps on our journey towards in-cheek delivery of peptide-analogue therapies.
