Academic Press Nanotechnology for Oral Drug Delivery: From Concept to Applications

Nanotechnology for Oral Drug Delivery: From Concept to Applications discusses the current challenges of oral drug delivery, broadly revising the different physicochemical barriers faced by nanotechnolgy-based oral drug delivery systems, and highlighting the challenges of improving intestinal permeability and drug absorption. Oral delivery is the most widely used form of drug administration due to ease of ingestion, cost effectiveness, and versatility, by allowing for the accommodation of different types of drugs, having the highest patient compliance. In this book, a comprehensive overview of the most promising and up-to-date engineered and surface functionalized drug carrier systems, as well as opportunities for the development of novel and robust delivery platforms for oral drug administration are discussed. The relevance of controlling the physicochemical properties of the developed particle formulations, from size and shape to drug release profile are broadly reviewed. Advances in both in vitro and in vivo scenarios are discussed, focusing on the possibilities to study the biological-material interface. The industrial perspective on the production of nanotechnology-based oral drug delivery systems is also covered. Nanotechnology for Oral Drug Delivery: From Concept to Applications is essential reading for researchers, professors, advanced students and industry professionals working in the development, manufacturing and/or commercialization of nanotechnology-based systems for oral drug delivery, targeted drug delivery, controlled drug release, materials science and biomaterials, in vitro and in vivo testing of potential oral drug delivery technologies. Review Examines the most recent advances in the field of oral drug delivery providing information relevant to the clinical setting About the Author João Pedro Martins graduated in Biomedical Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP) in collaboration with the Institute of Biomedical Engineering (INEB), Porto, Portugal. Currently, he is a fourth-year PhD student at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Helsinki, Finland. In the framework of his PhD, J.P. Martins is developing advanced drug delivery systems with the aim of making oral administration of nanomedicines carrying anti-diabetic drugs a reality. So far, he has authored/co-authored 12 scientific publications (original and review articles), 2 book chapters, and 1 conference proceedings, and has given 8 oral communications and 13 poster presentations in scientific meetings. J.P. Martins has more than 150 citations (Google Scholar 190; h-index = 8), and has also served as a reviewer for 7 international peer-reviewed scientific journals. Hélder A. Santos is a Full Professor in Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Helsinki (Finland), Head of the Nanomedicines and Biomedical Engineering Lab, Director of the Doctoral Program in Drug Research, Director of FinPharmaNet in Finland, Chair of the Controlled Release Society Focus Group in Nanomedicine and Nanoscale Delivery, and Chairman and co-founder of Capsamedix Oy. Prof. Santos’ research is focused on nanobiomaterials, including nanoporous silica/silicon materials and polymeric-based nanoparticles for controlled drug delivery, diagnostics, and therapy. His research interests include the development of nanoparticles/nanomedicines for biomedical and healthcare applications. His current work builds a bridge between engineering, pharmaceutical, and medical research. He is the author/co-author of more than 330 publications, including reviews, journal editorials, book chapters, 4 edited books, and more than 260 conference proceedings/abstracts. He also holds 4 patents in the field.