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Dolomite Microfluidics offers a new approach to the production of taxane chemotherapeutics

This microfluidic approach is said to achieve monodispersity as well as enhanced delivery of drugs across the blood-brain barrier

12 Mar 2020
Diane Li
Assistant Editor

Industry news

Researchers at the University of Porto are using chips from Dolomite Microfluidics to manufacture taxane-loaded nanoparticle chemotherapeutics.

Cláudia Martins, a PhD student in the Nanomedicines and Translational Drug Delivery group led by Professor Bruno Sarmento, explained: “Our main focus is on glioblastoma, the most common and deadliest type of brain cancer. Glioblastoma has a median survival time of just 15 months, mainly due to the lack of effective chemotherapies, and we have developed a microfluidic approach to enhance the properties of taxane-loaded nanoparticles for its treatment. This protocol can be applied to all taxane-based chemotherapeutics as, by modifying the surface properties and target ligands, we can direct each nanomedicine to a specific cancer.”

“Initially, we used conventional bulk production methods, but these were not ideal for the manufacture of monodisperse nanoparticle populations. By taking a microfluidics approach, we have been able to achieve monodispersity and the smaller particle sizes that enhance the delivery of drugs across the blood-brain barrier­. A further advantage is the ability to scale up production by continuous manufacturing, simply extending the run time until we reach the required yield of the nanomedicine. This reduces the consumption of precious reagents and minimizes waste compared to traditional bulk production. We’ve been using Dolomite chips for a long time now. They are reliable and cost effective, and allow us to achieve the batch-to-batch reproducibility that we need for nanomedicines.”

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Combinatorial ChemistryCombinatorial chemistry, also known as combichem, is a technique used in drug discovery to create libraries of structurally related compounds. A library is generated by synthesis with a chemical reactor system or by computer-based modeling of compound combinations. When undertaking combinatorial chemistry consider reagents, buffers, resins and standards.Medicinal ChemistryMedicinal chemistry is a broad discipline encompassing the design, identification, synthesis and development of chemicals in drug discovery. It includes a number of techniques covering structural biology, synthetic chemistry and molecular biology. Technologies used in medicinal chemistry include ADME, lab-on-a-chip, high content screening and assay assembly.Biopharmaceutical AdvancesBiopharmaceutical advances follow the development of pharmaceuticals derived from biotechnology, also known as biotechnology medicines. Biopharmaceuticals may be produced from cell lines, plants, or microbial cells. Important considerations of biopharmaceutical use include application, cost, production process and purification.NanotechnologyNanotechnology, or nanotech, is an engineering technique using molecular scale functional systems. Applications of nanotechnology include medicine and medical devices, electronics, air and water purification, food science and energy production.Cancer DiagnosticsThere are a wide variety of diagnostic tests for cancer available, and this range continues to expand as our knowledge of cancer improves. Current diagnostic methods include biopsy, imaging and blood tests for known biomarkers. New methods in research development include liquid biopsies and cancer breathalyzers.MicrofluidicsMicrofluidics is the science of manipulating small volumes of fluids in micro-sized channels. It is widely used in diagnostics, drug development, and lab-on-a-chip technologies. Microfluidic devices can enable rapid, cost-effective, and high-throughput analysis of biological samples. Browse our peer-reviewed product directory to find the best microfluidic devices, compare products, check reviews, and get pricing directly from manufacturers.ChemotherapyCancer ResearchAlthough cancer is often referred to as a single condition, it actually consists of more than 100 different diseases. Microscopy, mass spectrometry, high throughput sequencing and flow cytometry are some of the most common techniques employed in cancer research labs.

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