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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: EP/K502340/1
Title: Nanoenabled Peptide Pills - Unlocking the Potential of Therapeutic Peptides
Principal Investigator: Uchegbu, Professor I
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department: Pharmaceutics
Organisation: UCL
Scheme: Technology Programme
Starts: 01 August 2012 Ends: 31 October 2014 Value (£): 586,898
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Drug Formulation & Delivery Materials Characterisation
Materials Synthesis & Growth
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Healthcare
Related Grants:
EP/K502339/1
Panel History:  
Summary on Grant Application Form
The poor bioavailability of peptides, nature's own 'drugs', limits their therapeutic application. The molecular envelope technology (MET) delivery platform allows their use as nano-enabled 'Peptide Pills'. The multi-disciplinary 'Peptide Pill' consortium, comprising drug delivery scientists, neuroscientists, physicists, chemical engineers and clinicians, will develop the pain peptide pill METDoloron. It is estimated that 20% of European adults suffer from chronic pain, which is often inadequately controlled by opioids. Additionally opioids can sometimes cause life threatening side effects. METDoloron avoids these problems by targeting a different receptor to currently used opioids, using an endogenous peptide derivative

and is therefore expected to have a significant impact on the large (US$ 50 billion), fragmented, and growing global market for pain therapeutics. The project partners will confirm METDoloron pharmacology, investigate nanoparticle transport mechanisms, establish scale-up and manufacturing processes, and confirm product (GLP) safety thus creating know-how in biophotonics, pain therapy, flow reactor design and nanoparticle processing techniques. First in man clinical trials will commence on conclusion of this project.
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