Oregon State University (OSU) has received up to USD11.9m from the U.S. Department of Defense to develop novel medicine delivery systems that will shield military personnel from various health risks in conflict zones.
According to project leader and nanomedicine researcher Gaurav Sahay of OSU College of Pharmacy, the technologies could be used as needed by the general public once they have been researched, produced, and evaluated.
The award is from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Hermes program, which aims to develop novel approaches to deliver therapeutic medicines with high effectiveness and low toxicity throughout the body. Hermes is portrayed in Greek mythology as the gods’ messenger and traveler’s guardian.
“To do what the Hermes program is looking for, we need to enable intracellular delivery of messenger RNA to diverse cell and tissue types while overcoming the negative side effects and other challenges associated with broad systemic delivery,” Gaurav Sahay, who has dual appointments at OSU and Oregon Health & Science University and studies lipid nanoparticles, mentioned.
Lipids are organic compounds containing fatty tails and are found in many natural oils and waxes, and nanoparticles are tiny pieces of material ranging in size from one- to 100-billionths of a meter. Lipid nanoparticles carrying messenger RNA is the technology underpinning coronavirus vaccines.
Developing Novel Platforms and Formulations Capable of Encapsulating Large, Complex Biologics
Sahay’s team will work on developing novel platforms and formulations capable of encapsulating large, complex biologics; understanding, monitoring and minimizing unwanted immune system responses; and ensuring the therapeutic cargo within the nanoparticles reaches the part of the cell where it can perform its intended function.
The hope is to be able to deliver the nanoparticles via inhalation or subcutaneous injection and provide protection against infectious diseases as well as ionizing radiation and chemical and biological threats.
“This award shows we are recognized for doing state-of-the-art work in intracellular drug delivery. This award is the culmination of a decade of my lab’s work in lipid nanoparticles and messenger RNA delivery and close work with team members at CIDDI,” Sahay, professor of pharmaceutical sciences and the co-director of the college’s Center for Innovative Drug Delivery and Imaging, or CIDDI, concluded.
Sahay and collaborators have named their three-year project TALARIA, short for tailored, adaptive lipid nanoparticles for aerosolization and intramuscular administration. The team includes Adam Alani, Oleh Taratula, Olena Taratula, Conroy Sun and Yulia Eygeris of OSU; Jon Hennebold and Ben Bruwitz of the Oregon National Primate Research Center; and members of Rare Air Health, Inc.
