Go to main content | Go to main menu | Go to search

Project information
Metal-Organic Materials for Pharmaceutical Applications (MOPHARM)

Project Identification
5SA15055
Project Period
10/2016 - 9/2019
Investor / Pogramme / Project type
South-Moravian Region
  • SoMoPro
MU Faculty or unit
Central European Institute of Technology

There is number of drugs showing promising biological effects in (pre)clinical studies, but their practical applications are limited because of their low ability to cross physiological barriers, low stability or deleterious side-effects. These drawbacks can be eliminated by utilization of proper biocompatible carrier systems. Bile acids’ low toxicity, natural high transport potential, ability to pass biological membranes, molecular organization and structural rigidity foreordain them to be successful candidates for a starting material in development of biocompatible materials. BA salts are normally excreted as a component of bile into small intestine where they form micelles (natural nanocarriers) responsible for transport of lipids and lipid soluble nutrition across biological membranes for digestion in targeted organs. Our idea of using organic linkers derived from BAs in combination with metals for preparation of porous coordination polymers bile acid based metal-organic frameworks (BA-MOFs) is closely inspired by the concept of Nature. Moreover, BA-MOFs are expected to show higher stability than micelles under physiological conditions due to a stronger coordination bonds between the building blocks of the carrier compared to a weak hydrogen bonded and hydrophilic driven host-guest assemblies of micelles, yet maintaining similar transport ability but with larger loads of guest molecules and ultimately slower release of the drug because of the different stability of the carrier. The applicant has recently proven the first step of this project to be viable by preparation of large concave supramolecular coordination BA-based nanostructures. His work represents the first ever case of such BAs’ utilization.

Publications

Total number of publications: 6

2024

2021

2020

2018

2017

You are running an old browser version. We recommend updating your browser to its latest version.

More info