ANNOTATION

Steroids represent a promising class of drugs for a range of diseases including chronic pain and various neurological disorders. However, many potentially promising lead structures suffer from poor aqueous solubility, which complicates their pre-clinical evaluation. The use of incompatible formulations such as DMSO solutions at the cell culture level, o/w emulsions for parenteral administration during small animal studies, and solid dosage forms for oral administration at the stage of larger animal studies, complicates the understanding and correct translation of results. The aim of this project is to come up with a common formulation platform that would be applicable for pre-clinical testing at all stages. The project will involve the comparison of several formulation approaches, namely liposomes, lipid-coated nanocrystals, mini-emulsions, and impregnation to porous micro- or nano-particles. The feasibility of these formulation platforms will be compared both in vitro and in vivo using several drug substances from the steroid family, both currently known and newly discovered. This project will suit a person with background in chemistry or pharmacy. The project will be carried out in colloaboration with Dr. Eva Kudova, IOCB.