Title:	Iontronics -- Drug Delivery with Electronic Precision
DNr:	NAISS 2023/22-1140
Project Type:	NAISS Small Compute
Principal Investigator:	Lingkai Zhu <lingkai.zhu@liu.se>
Affiliation:	Linköpings universitet
Duration:	2023-12-01 – 2024-12-01
Classification:	10405
Homepage:	https://www.iontronics.com/
Keywords:

Abstract

Drug/pharmaceutical administration is currently heavily based on systemic treatments (e.g., pills, injections, IV-drip). The therapeutic window for systemic treatment, i.e., the concentration range where the pharmaceutical is effective but not toxic, tends to be very slim. In addition, the concentration vs. time decay after oral administration results in very limited times within this therapeutic window. Consequently, newly developed drugs often fail due to their lack of efficacy or lack of safety. Localized delivery can overcome many of the drawbacks of whole body/systemic delivery. When pharmaceuticals are administrated locally, the therapeutic window expands, as we can accomplish local high concentration, but with a low systemic dose. In this way, we can avoid drawbacks such as toxic side-effects distant from the delivery point, difficult access to tissues such as the brain (by the blood-brain barrier), and other issues that reduce effectiveness and thus regulatory approval. Instead, with local delivery, we can use more efficient drugs in a safer way – where aggressive high-precision treatment is needed.