Drug-delivering composite structures
AssigneeRamot at Tel-Aviv University Ltd.
InventorMeital Zilberman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Composite structures composed of a fibril core and a polymeric coat and designed capable of encapsulating both hydrophobic and hydrophilic bioactive agents while retaining the activity of these agents are disclosed. Further disclosed are processes of preparing such composite structures, and medical devices and disposable articles made therefrom.
Claims24
A composite structure comprising a fibril core and a polymeric porous coat coating at least a part of said fibril core, said fibril core being a fiber characterized by a tensile strength of at least 200 MPa, said coat comprising at least one hydrophilic, amphiphilic or amphipathic bioactive agent encapsulated therein and/or applied thereon, wherein:
- said coat has a microstructure of a freeze-dried water-in-oil emulsion, said emulsion comprises, prior to freeze-drying, a dispersed aqueous solution and a continuous organic solution, said organic solution containing at least one second polymer and said aqueous solution containing said at least one bioactive agent, and a ratio of said organic solution and said aqueous solution is at least 8:1 and/or a concentration of said at least one second polymer ranges from 10 weight-to-volume percentages to 25 weight-to-volume percentages;
- and wherein a plurality of droplets of said dispersed aqueous solution freeze-dry to form microscopic capsules encapsulating said bioactive agent in a solid form of said continuous organic solution, in a form of a plurality of discrete pores randomly dispersed within said polymeric porous coat,
- wherein said microstructure is characterized by said plurality of discrete pores.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.