Treatment of glaucoma with ocular drugs requires overcoming the corneal barrier and increasing drug penetration and absorption. Liposomal formulation can be one of the drug carriers of choice. Ace Therapeutics provides services to researchers and pharmaceutical companies aiming to develop innovative and slow-release liposome delivery systems for glaucoma. We are dedicated to developing biocompatible, biodegradable and non-hazardous liposome formulations to deliver drugs to the eye for the treatment of glaucoma.
Liposome
Liposomes are vesicles composed of natural or synthetic lipid materials, including an aqueous inner core and an outer lipid layer. This unique structure gives liposomes their unique properties. They can deliver hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs to the eye. The presence of lipids on the outer core of liposomes gives them biodegradable properties.
Fig. 1 Liposome structure. (Yadav K S, et al., 2019)
Liposomes have been shown to be very effective in ocular drug delivery. Due to their biocompatibility, biodegradability, protection of encapsulated drugs and ability to bypass multiple biological barriers, the use of liposomal delivery systems has the powerful ability to increase drug contact time and corneal retention. Current research on liposomes is focused on optimizing liposome design, such as enhancing drug encapsulation and increasing liposome stability. We can design and prepare liposomes using various types of natural and synthetic lipids to improve the efficiency of glaucoma drug encapsulation and the ability to control its release.
Services for Liposome Delivery System Development for Glaucoma
Our specific services include the preparation of liposomes encapsulating various glaucoma drugs and the assessment of the ability of the liposomes to improve encapsulation efficiency and control their release. In addition, we evaluate the ability of delivery systems to lower IOP in animal models, as well as perform histopathological examinations to assess the irritation, safety and ocular tolerability of new formulations.
Table 1. Our specific services for liposome delivery system development for glaucoma.
| Specific Items | Our Services |
|---|---|
| Preparation of liposomes | We can design and prepare different types of liposomes to load your specific drug. All materials, reagents can be supplied by us. |
| Characterization of liposomes | We focus on the physicochemical properties of liposome formulations, including vesicle size, zeta potential, FTIR analysis, DSC analysis, encapsulation efficiency measurements, drug loading, sterility testing, in vitro release studies, and any other assays you may need. Customization is available by contacting us. |
| In vivo studies | We design experiments to treat different groups of glaucoma animals with various liposome formulations and drugs, measure IOP in vivo and perform histopathological studies, tolerability studies and safety studies. All our studies are dedicated to confirming the safety and long-lasting efficacy of drug-loaded nanoliposomes. |
Our Goals
Here, our goals for liposome development are summarized in three main areas.
- To improve glaucoma sustained release drug adherence
- To improve glaucoma treatment efficiency
- To enhance access to new drugs
As we continue to innovate the use and development of extended-release drugs utilizing liposomal carriers in glaucoma treatment, it may provide greater therapeutic benefits in the future. One or more of the new systems under development may be brought to market in the near future. Please do not hesitate to contact us, work together to advance the development of emerging drug delivery systems.
References
- Yadav K S, et al. Glaucoma: Current treatment and impact of advanced drug delivery systems. Life Sciences, 2019.
- Mohamed F H, et al. Treatment merits of Latanoprost/Thymoquinone - Encapsulated liposome for glaucomatus rabbits. International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 2018, 548:597-608.