Developing innovative drug delivery systems: synthesis and 3D printing of calixarene-based hydrogels

• Grant number: 23/15057-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: April 01, 2024
• End date: March 26, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Condensed Matter Physics
• Principal Investigator: Osvaldo Novais de Oliveira Junior
• Grantee: Ellen Christine Wrobel
• Supervisor: Yan Yan Shery Huang
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física de São Carlos (IFSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Cambridge, England
• Associated to the scholarship: 20/15571-7 - Encapsulation of antitumoral ruthenium complexes into calixarene derivatives: a study of drug delivery systems and cell membrane models, BP.PD

Abstract

The progress of innovative drug delivery systems is crucial in chemotherapy, addressing intricate challenges such as drug solubility, precise targeting, controlled drug release, and the potential for adverse effects on healthy tissues. This project aims to develop an innovative drug delivery system by synthesizing calixarene-based hydrogels and utilizing 3D printing technology. Calixarenes will be critical to forming responsive hydrogels, enhancing drug solubility, and enabling the controlled encapsulation and release of drugs. Advanced 3D printing techniques will be employed to create tailored drug delivery systems. The 3D scaffolds and hydrogels will be characterized by a series of morphological, spectroscopic, thermal, and mechanical analyses. Furthermore, the study will encompass the hydrolytic degradation of the 3D printed scaffolds, the release of the anticancer drug doxorubicin, as well as the evaluation of cytotoxicity and biocompatibility of the systems. This project aims to advance drug delivery technology by combining the unique features of calixarenes and hydrogels with innovative 3D printing techniques, resulting in the development of more effective and targeted therapeutic solutions.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

WROBEL, ELLEN C.; DE LARA, LUCAS STORI; DE FATIMA, ANGELO; OLIVEIRA JR, OSVALDO N.. Nanoarchitectonics and Simulation on the Molecular-Level Interactions between p-Sulfonic Acid Calix[4]arene and Langmuir Monolayers Representing Healthy and Cancerous Cell Membranes. Langmuir, v. 40, n. 51, p. 18-pg., 2024-12-12. (18/22214-6, 23/15057-0, 20/15571-7)