By AZoNano
Table of Contents
Introduction
Does ENS Meet the Challenge
Advantages of ENS Over Present Coating Methods
Uniqueness of the ENS process from Traditional
Device-Coating Methodologies
About Nanocopoeia
Introduction
The medical device industry underwent a transformation with the
drug-eluting coronary stent (DES) in 2003, creating a new line of
"convergence products" that held tremendous potential to open arteries
and prevent scar tissue (restenosis). However mid-2006 saw the downfall
of the DES industry,which continued throughout 2007 due to problems
with device performance and lack of patient compliance with much needed
adjunct therapies.
The present challenge is to create next generation products that can
address the disease mechanisms related to atherosclerosis. These
therapies must target vessel reendothelialization and disease
treatment, rather than purely mechanical support and scar tissue
deterrence.
Almost all segments of the research population, including industry,
academia and government feel that there is an urgent need for
sophisticated products that address the therapeutic issues lacking in
current products.
Does ElectroNanospray™ Meet the Challenge?
There are a large number of opportunities abound for technology that
improves the therapeutic value of medical device coatings, which is a
new generation of therapeutic coatings called "biologics" materials.
The ElectroNanospray™ (ENS) process is ideal for this
purpose. It is possible to apply nanoparticles as uniform coatings to
the complex architecture, similar to those found in coronary stents.
Coating characteristics can be modified to create surfaces ranging from
a smooth film to progressively more "open matrix" coatings with drug:
polymer combination nanoparticles of increasing size. These surface
characteristics are related directly to the drug elution profile of the
combination device.
Advantages of ElectroNanospray™ Over Present
Coating Methods
The advantages of ENS
are:
- Enhanced coating efficiency in order to reduce waste of expensive
materials
- Non-line-of-sight coating for better adherence around struts and
angles
- Pharmaceutical agent deposition within the polymer matrix and
onto the coating surface
- Intentional design of continuous and/or pulsatile drug release
- Capability of applying multi-laminate coatings targeting a
specific time course release of multiple active agents
- Differential coating of device surfaces to facilitate
site-specific therapy
Uniqueness of the ENS process from Traditional
Device-Coating Methodologies
The ENS process causes coatings that can be engineered
to tune the drug's release profile. As mentioned above, the ENS
process produces mono-disperse nanoscale particles of drugs and
polymers. These particles can be applied to surfaces in a wide range of
morphologies. In contrast, other spray techniques used to produce
medical device coatings produce particles with diameters of 10-20 mm or larger that result in solvent-polymer
droplets that flow as they hit the surface to form a conformal film. Nanocopoeia
has determined that varying the structure of the polymer impacts drug
release profiles.
Figure 1. The ElectroNanospray™ coating
process is highly reproducible, as shown by this data. The coating in
this case was a mixture of poly(lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) and
dexamethasone.
About Nanocopoeia
Built on a foundation of revolutionary intellectual property, Nanocopoeia
has grown into a major nanotechnology player in just 10 years. With
beginnings at the University of Minnesota dating back to 2001, the
company formally began operations in late 2003 after obtaining
worldwide exclusive rights to the patent portfolio developed by Drs.
David Pui and Da-Ren Chen. The core patents obtained from the
University of Minnesota cover the use of ElectroNanospray™ to create
nanoparticles out of virtually any material that can be put into
solution or suspension. That patent estate has undergone continual
updating and enhancing to broaden Nanocopoeia's
claims both through the University and by the company during its
operation.
This information has been sourced, reviewed and
adapted from materials provided by Nanocopoeia.
For more information on this source, please visit Nanocopoeia.