Journal article
Inkjet-Printed Alginate Microspheres as Additional Drug Carriers for Injectable Hydrogels
Johnson HY Chung, Sina Naficy, Gordon G Wallace, Sina Naficy, Stephen O'Leary
Advances in Polymer Technology | WILEY | Published : 2016
DOI: 10.1002/adv.21571
Abstract
Local delivery of bioactive molecules to the inner ear via diffusion through the round window membrane is becoming an attractive approach to treat sensorineural hearing loss compared to systemic drug administration. Pluronics® (Lutrol F127) are a class of thermosensitive hydrogels that remain liquid prior to injection and rapidly gel under physiological conditions. They are, however, limited to short-term drug release due to rapid hydrolysis in aqueous solution. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate an approach, using an ink-jet printing system, to sustain the drug release by incorporating hydrogel microspheres within Lutrol F127. Various concentrations of Lutrol F127 and calci..
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Funding Acknowledgements
This research was supported by the Australian Research Council, Super science Fellowship Scheme, ARC Centre for Electromaterials Science (ACES). The authors would like to acknowledge the Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF) for funding of the equipments, Dr. David Sly for initial testing of material in Guinea pigs, Dr. Bo Weng for initial training on Dimatix inkjet printer, and ARC Fellowships to Gordon G. Wallace (Australian Laureate Fellow). Sina Naficy acknowledges UOW Global Challenges program for their support.