Biodegradable Polymeric Biomaterials in Different Forms for Long-acting Contraception and Drug Delivery to the Eye and Brain

Abstract

for their time, support, useful suggestions, and insightful comments. I am thankful for the kindness and academic support they have offered me. I sincerely thank our collaborator Dr. James Johnson for his insight and expertise in injectable in situ depot formulations that helped guide my work as it progressed. I would like to thank Dr. Bernd Meibohm for allowing to use his lab facilities. I thank our collaborator Dr. Timothy Mandrell, and Ms. Stacey L Barnett for their help and support in animal studies. Thanks to Dr. Randy Buddington and his group (University of Memphis), Dr. Charles W. Leffler, Mr. Alexander Fedine, Dr. Dianna for providing the porcine eyeball samples for the permeability studies. I thank Dr. Lichong Xu for his support with the AFM studies of the nanogles. I thank our collaborator Dr. Francesca-Fang Liao, and her group member Dr. Bin Wang for their assistance in in vivo studies with cyclodextrin-based nanoparticles for brain delivery. I also extend my sincere thanks to our collaborator Dr. Anthony Guiseppi-Elie (Texas A&M University) and his group members (Dr. Kotanen and others) for their assistance related to the poly(HEMA)-based hydrogel characterization project.

Getting into the Brain: Are We in Yet or Just Knocking at the Door?

“…3 It logically follows that in order to circumvent the BBB, many central nervous system (CNS) active agents are administered at unreasonably higher doses with a consequence of peripheral adverse effects. 8 With systemic therapy, it is required to deliver the drugs to brain in therapeutically effective concentrations before the peripheral toxicity becomes dose-limiting. Alternatively, drug needs to be delivered locally to the brain, where the integrity of BBB is thought to be compromised in a way that drug delivery to the brain is believed to be uninhibited.…”