An integrated approach to oral drug delivery

The purpose of this project is to push the limits for oral drug delivery and disposition with the use of breakthrough methodologies and models for accurate and precise prediction of oral drug delivery in man.

We will investigate oral drug delivery from absorption across the intestinal barrier, over the liver, to the target cell, and translate the findings into high-quality models of drug fate in humans.

Mechanisms regulating the efficient delivery of orally administered drugs to the site of action will be explored at three different levels: the molecular, cellular, and tissue levels.

Knowledge gaps for efficient delivery of drugs, which are normally not considered for oral administration, will be uncovered, and new, physiologically relevant 3D models of the human intestine and liver will be devised.

New physiological parameters obtained from the cell models will be used for scientifically sound modelling of drug fate in cells, tissues, and patients without the need for arbitrary scaling factors.

In summary, this project addresses important knowledge gaps with regard to molecular, cellular and tissue handling of orally administered drugs on their journey to the targets.

Our findings can be applied on any target, off-target tissue or patient group, as illustrated by our clinically relevant studies in an obese patient population.