The goal of this project is to develop biodegradable microparticles for drug delivery that could be easily and reproducibly suspended in saline for injection. Biodegradable microparticles are being studied extensively as a means to deliver a wide variety of drugs in a controlled manner. Technology now allow desired release profiles to be achieved by judicious choice of biodegradable polymers, particle size, and drug loading. The release profiles may last from weeks to years, depending upon the materials and parameters used. One significant obstacle to controlled drug delivery systems is the difficulty encountered in administering these microparticles by injection. The particles have a tendency to settle quickly in saline. This makes it difficult to administer the entire injection volume and also causes the microparticles to clump in the needle of the syringe, making an injection impossible. Using viscous injection media is currently the procedure used to attempt to inject biodegradable microparticles. This research involves a novel, proprietary method with which biodegradable microparticles containing drugs can be surface treated so that they can be suspended in aqueous media for long periods of time. The novel technique is based on a proprietary processes of the star-burst type.
