Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program
AEROSOL DRUG DELIVERY
Delivery of vaccines and therapeutic drugs to the lung via aerosols holds great promise. To enable rational design of aerosol drug delivery devices, a fundamental understanding of the effects of aerosolization on the formulation properties and final potency is essential. For example, an aerosol based measles vaccine is under development, but the formulations that have been used in the field require refrigeration to prevent loss of effectiveness. A big challenge is stabilizing the active ingredient, such as the deactivated virus in a vaccine, during the high shear process of aerosolization. In this project, we will use size monodisperse unilamellar vesicles with diameters ranging from 100 to 200 nm, prepared from mixtures of lipids chosen to be representative of virus membrane composition, as a model system for whole virus based vaccines. The student will prepare vesicles and load them with carboxyfluorescein dye. The vesicle solution will be atomized using a medical compressed air nebulizer. The resulting leakage of dye, indicative of structural damage to the vesicles, will be quantified as a function of parameters such as solution temperature and shear rate. The effect of additives as potential stabilizers will also be studied.
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