Superbowl radical pill combination
Researchers at the Australian National University working with free radical chemistry have developed a drug delivery system that promises increased accuracy and safety.
A revolutionary container molecule is set to score a touchdown as a future drug delivery system with lower doses and fewer side effects.
The research, led by Associate Professor Michael Sherburn, has created a molecule just 0.0000000001 metres long – dubbed the ‘superbowl’ – which can capture, hold and deliver drugs.
Professor Sherburn said that they had already successfully put aspirin inside the superbowl and are now working on incorporating drugs to treat other diseases, including cancers, arthritis and heart disease.
Unlike conventional capsules, the rate at which a drug is released from the superbowl container molecule can be controlled.
This has the potential to lower drug doses, since it circumvents the stomach. Currently, much of the drug is consumed before it reaches its target, the diseased site. Lower drug doses will often lead to fewer side effects, an additional benefit of this technology.
