polymer therapeutics
Polymers are currently employed as ‘active ingredients’ in number of medicinal products for gastrointestinal disease, wound healing and eye care. We employ a suite of in vitro techniques to understand how the therapeutic function of polymers relates to physical properties such as viscosity, gelling and hydration. We can then design novel medicinal products with optimised function based on the rational selection of polymer physicochemical properties.
We are also actively researching the ‘bioactive properties’ of polymers; that is their ability to interact with a biological substrate and alter physiological function. We have shown that certain polymers interact with enzymes and this provides the focus for future therapeutic applications. We are currently developing polymeric therapeutic systems for gastric lesions, wound healing, obesity and osteoarthritis.
