Background
Nanomedicine is the application of nanotechnology within medicine and is already contributing to health on a global scale. There is a growing market for nanotherapeutics, with projections ranging from $80 billion (US) to $169 billion (US), by 2026 and forecasted compound annual growth rate of 13% between 2021-2026.
The European Commission has invested one billion euros in research and development projects with great investment also apparent across North America and Asia. As a result of this significant public research and development investment many promising prototypes for nanomedicine applications in the areas of therapeutics, diagnostics and regenerative medicine are reaching clinical trials and are entering the regulatory approval pathway. Accordingly, there is a growing requirement by regulators and developers, to de-risk translation by better understanding the critical determinants of efficacy and safety.
Clear hurdles still exist for translation of nanotherapeutics. Huge variation in nanoparticle physical and compositional characteristics is perhaps the greatest advantage of the approach but complexity is a two-edged sword. A greater understanding at the nano-bio interface is required to accelerate development.
Expertise
NTH researchers already lead a number of projects aimed at developing nanotherapeutics for the treatment of infectious diseases, cardiovascular, steroid, cancer, vaccine delivery and regenerative medicine. Throughout each of these programmes, the mitigation of risk in the materials, biological and pharmacological science has already enabled translation of nanotherapeutics to clinical studies.
An integrated cascade of analytical capabilities exists within NTH to fully characterise the behaviour of emerging therapies. Additionally, we are leading the development, and standardisation, of characterisation techniques with organisations such as American Society for Testing and Materials (ATSM); ensuring that we stay at the forefront of technology development.
Partnerships
Our partnership with the National Measurement Laboratory presents a unique opportunity to integrate robust physico-chemical analysis, thereby defining Critical Quality Attributes for new materials developed as well as further enhancing a “safe-by-design” approach. The National Measurement Laboratory at LGC has established itself globally as one of the leading National Measurement Institutes within its designation.
Work with us
If you work in the field of nanotherapeutics or have a related project, you could benefit from our analytical expertise and links to partner institutions to support your development. For more information, please contact Dr Neill Liptrott via neill.liptrott@liverpool.ac.uk