Bone-based coating for drugs?

The company said that the technology, licensed from the University of British Columbia, is cheap and easy to manufacture, suitable for just about any type of small-molecule drug or protein that can be dispersed in organic liquids or water, and is completely biocompatible and bioresorbable.

In other words, there is no risk that the delivery vehicle itself should contribute to the side effects of a therapy, and after delivery it will eventually be completely broken down by the body.

MIV is initially developing the hydroxyapatite (HAp) technology for drug eluting cardiovascular stents and for medical device drug delivery systems, but is interested in exploring its applications in the area of microspheres for drug delivery. It has already developed a line of HAp-coated stents that do not carry drugs but are better tolerated by the body.

In the stent and device sector, the coating has an advantage in these applications because it can be cemented to its carrier device using a process that releases very little heat, which is less likely to affect any heat-sensitive proteins or cells that are carried. And its biocompatibility means that it is unlikely to cause any localised clotting, immune or inflammatory reactions that might affect treatment.

The HAp technology is envisaged as an alternative to polymer-based systems, which have been used for drug delivery control and enjoyed substantial clinical success for certain drug systems. However, these are not suitable for all drugs, and there is a need for alternative inorganic drug delivery systems. The patent notes that HAp can be used to deliver drugs, proteins, genes and oligonucleotides.

The European Patent Office is currently processing another patent on the technology.