Feasibility of Delivering a Novel Synthetic Membrane Anchor to the Deep Lungs

Over recent years, respiratory drug delivery research has broadened to include a wide range of potential applications such as delivering drugs not only into the lung but across it. This includes both current and novel therapies. Comprehensive characterisation of drug delivery to the lungs is a complex task involving the determination of delivered and deposited dose. The main aim of this research is to study the feasibility of nebulising a new novel synthetic molecule that spontaneously and stably incorporate into the lipid bi-layers including cell membranes to a size suitable for delivery to the deep lungs. An electronic inverted microscope is used to view the particles nebulised by a jet nebulizer. A high speed video camera is mounted onto the microscope to view the magnified (400x) particles as they fly at 500 frames per second. Extensive image analysis and particle detection algorithms show that the new synthetic membrane anchor can be nebulised to an appropriate size (3 to 12 microns) and hence can be used as a carrier of target specific medication to the lungs. This may include the delivery of cancer, pulmonary disease and inhalation damage drugs to specific sites where treatment is required. The molecule could also be used for diagnostic purposes as a site specific marker for a particular disease in the lungs.