This award will provide supplementary support to enable Dr. Glen Kwon of the University of Utah to conduct collaborative research with Dr. Teruo Okano for 16 months at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Tokyo Women's Medical College, in Tokyo, Japan. Kwon and Okano will apply Kwon's knowledge of polymeric microspheres and controlled delivery systems to conduct research on polymeric micelles as a drug carrier for adriamycin. Colloidal drug carriers, such as polymeric microspheres, liposomes, and soluble polymeric carriers, have been developed to increase the efficacy of drug action in vivo. The disadvantages of these systems, however, preclude their ability to increase the therapeutic index of many drugs. A new drug carrier synthesized of polymeric micelles has been developed in Japan and has proven to increase the efficiency of adriamycin without the problems associated with the other methods. Leading-edge research on polymeric micelle drug delivery systems is advancing quickly in Japan, and Okano's laboratory is one of the best. Kwon's knowledge of pharmaceutics and controlled drug delivery systems involving proteins and polypeptides complements Okano's expertise in synthesizing polymeric micelles. This collaborative research will provide Kwon with first-hand knowledge of the Japanese approach to novel polymer synthesis methods and applications of biomaterials as drug carriers.
