The efficient delivery of novel agents to a localized site of action is critical to the success of many new strategies for therapy or prophylaxis of human disease. This is particularly evident in the case of proteins and nucleic acids, which have short half-lives in the body and tend to penetrate tissue barriers poorly. In recent years, a number of new techniques for sustained and localized delivery of biological agents to tissues have been developed; in addition, many of the basic mechanisms of macromolecular transport in specific tissues have been studied in quantitative detail. Several important questions remain unanswered: What are the major barriers to protein transport through specific tissues? What biophysical factors control the expression of locally administered genes? For target cells within a tissue, which strategies for drug delivery are most compatible with the local dynamics of molecular transport? Is it possible to design therapeutic agents that retain biological activity and circumvent specific tissue barriers? This multidisciplinary symposium will assemble experts in i) the development of novel drug delivery systems and ii) mechanisms of biological transport through tissues. The session will contain participants trained in a variety of disciplines including biology, polymer chemistry, biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, and medical sciences. By examining the problems of drug therapy from a variety of perspectives, and by integrating sessions on drug transport in tissues, this meeting will emphasize the design of new delivery strategies and drugs that overcome biological barriers to the transport of novel therapeutics. The main objective of the meeting is to facilitate the exchange of information between two important research communities. This exchange could lead to the development of important new strategies for improving human health, like vaccines for preventing sexually transmitted diseases or improved therapies for cancer.
