We use biomaterials and drug delivery approaches to invent innovative treatment methods in order to effectively and safely cure various diseases, particularly severe ones such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. To this end, we engineer/process biomaterials and evaluate them in in vitro and in vivo settings.
Research
Drug Delivery system with Biomaterials
Drug delivery, which is the field of research on how to deliver drugs efficiently. Since every disease cannot be covered by the development of new drugs, it is just as important to how wisely we use our existing drugs and efficiently deliver them to the parts we need. Thus, drug delivery systems are now receiving as much attention from academia and industry as new drug development, and the bio- and pharmaceutical paradigm is shifting from drug substance development to drug delivery systems.
Biomaterials, which are engineered to treat, enhance, replace, or restore the body system for a medical purpose. It can be made through various materials such as metals, ceramics and polymers. By utilizing what kind of precursors, biomaterials have different characteristics. It should have biocompatibility that is not toxic and should not cause any in flammatory response in the body. Also, the biofunctionality that can perform a specific function by inserting the material is the most important factor.
From now on, we’ll use biomaterials and drug delivery approaches to invent innovative treatment methods in order to effectively and safely cure various diseases, particularly severe ones such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. To this end, we engineer/ process biomaterials and evaluate them in in vitro and in vivo settings.
Cancer Immunotherapy
Cancer immunotherapy, a new treatment method that uses a patient’s own immune system to fight cancer, has been accepted as a next-generation treatment in oncology. The benefits of cancer immunotherapy may include the potential to: 1) cure all stages and types of cancers with, ideally, almost no side effect as compared to the conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy; and 2)prevent secondary cancer recurrence and metastasis owing to induction of memory immune cells after treatment. Still, the proportion of patients who respond to cancer immunotherapy is low, while the proportion of those who exhibit toxicities following systemic administration is high.
To address these issues, we use innovative biomaterials-based drug delivery approaches using hydrogels, nano/micro-particles, and implantable devices in an effort to deliver immunomodulatory drugs in a spatiotemporally controlled manner, harnessing only the immunecells of interest, thereby further increasing the efficacy and decreasing the toxicity of cancer immunotherapy.
