bio-erodible PolyMER based Ocular DRUG DELIVERY TechnologIES

Rutgers' polymer libraries are derived from the naturally occurring amino acid L-tyrosine and consist of both polyarylates (which contain hydrolytically labile "aryl" ester linkages) and polycarbonates (which contain hydrolytically labile carbonate bonds). The combinatorial library for polyarylates consists of 112 polymers, and that of the second-generation polycarbonates of some 10,000 polymers. The polymer matrix allows for hydrogen bonding and other stabilizing interactions with the embedded drug molecule and thus is very well suited for delivery of natural drug products such as peptides. These polymers are bioerodible; during the polymer degradation process, the embedded drug is released slowly, providing therapeutic drug levels for the required period of time, typically 3 to 12 months. Invented in the laboratory of Professor Joachim Kohn at Rutgers University, these proprietary polymers are among the most advanced biomaterials currently available.

These very large libraries of polymers allow Lux Biosciences to select the most appropriate polymer for a given drug; i.e. interactions between an active drug molecule and a polymer can be fine-tuned to achieve targeted release features. For example, for certain drugs, hydrogen-bonding interactions with the polymer can be used to retard the drug release rate. For heat sensitive drugs such as biological molecules, it is possible to select polymers that can be fabricated into drug-releasing implants at a low temperature. This approach offers greater flexibility than typical development programs where only a few polymers are available and the drug-polymer interactions cannot be effectively optimized for a given drug.

In addition, the polymer formulations can be fabricated into implants, by an extrusion process, or into drug-containing micro- or nanospheres, which can be suspended in a fluid and injected into the eye, including the vitreous for direct delivery to the retina.

Using the same polymer libraries licensed to Lux Biosciences, other Rutgers partners have received marketing approval from FDA for a polyarylate-based hernia repair device and are conducting clinical trials with a polycarbonate-based bioerodible coronary stent.