Copyright india
Scientists at the University of Cambridge have developed a groundbreaking material that can detect tiny chemical changes in the body such as rise in acidity during an arthritis inflammation and release medication when and where its needed. By mimicking cartilage while delivering medication this smart gel could soothe pain minimise side effects and offer long-term treatment for millions of arthritis patients. This material can be infused with anti-inflammatory drugs which are released in response to slight shift in bodys pH levels. During an arthritis flare-up a joint becomes inflamed and slightly more acidic than the surrounding tissue. How the gel reacts to pH changes? The material developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge has been designed to respond to this natural change in pH. As acidity increases the material becomes softer and more jelly-like triggering the release of drug molecules that can be encapsulated within its structure. Since the material is designed to respond only within a narrow pH range the team say that drugs could be released precisely where and when they are needed potentially reducing side effects. If used as an artificial cartilage in arthritic joints this approach could allow for the continuous treatment of arthritis improving the efficacy of drugs to relieve pain and fight inflammation. Global burden of arthritis Arthritis affects more than 10 million people in the UK costing the NHS an estimated £10.2 billion annually. Worldwide it is estimated to affect over 600 million people. While extensive clinical trials are needed before the material can be used in patients the researchers say their approach could improve outcomes for people with arthritis and for those with other conditions including cancer. Their results are reported in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. The material developed by the Cambridge team uses specially engineered and reversible crosslinks within a polymer network. The sensitivity of these links to changes in acidity levels gives the material highly responsive mechanical properties. The material was developed in Professor Oren Schermans research group in Cambridges Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry. The group specialises in designing and building these unique materials for a range of potential applications. For a while now weve been interested in using these materials in joints since their properties can mimic those of cartilage said Scherman who is Professor of Supramolecular and Polymer Chemistry and Director of the Melville Laboratory for Polymer Synthesis. But to combine that with highly targeted drug delivery is a really exciting prospect added Scherman.These materials can sense when something is wrong in the body and respond by delivering treatment right where its needed said first author Dr Stephen ONeill. This could reduce the need for repeated doses of drugs while improving patient quality of life added Dr Stephen ONeill. Unlike many drug delivery systems that require external triggers such as heat or light this one is powered by the bodys own chemistry. The researchers say this could pave the way for longer-lasting targeted arthritis treatments that automatically respond to flare-ups boosting effectiveness while reducing harmful side effects. Lab tests shows promising results In laboratory tests researchers loaded the material with a fluorescent dye to mimic how a real drug might behave. They found that at acidity levels typical of an arthritic joint the material released substantially more drug cargo compared with normal healthy pH levels. By tuning the chemistry of these gels we can make them highly sensitive to the subtle shifts in acidity that occur in inflamed tissue said co-author Dr Jade McCune. That means drugs are released when and where they are needed most added Dr Jade McCune. The researchers say the approach could be tailored to a range of medical conditions by fine-tuning the chemistry of the material. Its a highly flexible approach so we could in theory incorporate both fast-acting and slow-acting drugs and have a single treatment that lasts for days weeks or even months said ONeill. The teams next steps will involve testing the materials in living systems to evaluate their performance and safety in a physiological environment. The team say that if successful their approach could open the door to a new generation of responsive biomaterials capable of treating chronic diseases with greater precision.
