Regenerative Engineering and Medicine Center

[an NSF Graduated Center] Vision & Mission REM Therapeutic Delivery Innovation Initiative There is an emerging trend in drug delivery systems due to inherent limitations of conventional oral drug delivery systems, such as biopharmaceutical solubility and intestinal permeability. A solution to resolve this potential challenge is to develop translational drug delivery systems that are capable of targeted delivery of therapeutic agents and controlled drug release in a non-invasive manner. Market data suggest, pharmaceutical innovation is the driving force in the shift from conventional drugs, to a translational delivery system. Novel systems, capable of delivering drugs in therapeutic concentration to the target site in a controlled manner for enhanced efficacy with less side effects, have opened a new direction in spurring innovative activity. To test therapeutic alternatives of conventional methods, our consortium of University and Research Institutions will work to develop less-invasive or non-invasive routes for delivery systems that affect clinical outcomes in different disease conditions. Research will be focused on the following means to better understand translational drug delivery: • Designing and developing novel drug delivery systems, such as devices for drug delivery and drug/device combination products and image-guided drug therapy • Preclinical and clinical data related to drug delivery systems using big data tool and omics approaches • Improving drug distribution, pharmacokinetics, clearance, with drug delivery systems compared to traditional dosing • Short-term and long-term biocompatibility of drug delivery systems and host responses • Biomaterials with growth factors for stem-cell differentiation in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering REM’s vision: Accelerate therapeutic delivery innovation and translation to treat disease. REM’s initiative will achieve this goal, which will position Georgia as a leading innovation hub in this intellectual space and benefit Georgia’s knowledge economy, by fostering interdisciplinary and multi-institutional collaborations and supporting research ranging from fundamental to translational to positively impact human health.

Research Areas

A New Focus for REM
Building upon the prior success of REM in creating a state-wide research community, as well as leading to significant ROI in terms of investigator-led NIH R01 grants, in 2020 a new direction for REM in the area of therapeutic drug delivery was announced to continue to bring together investigators to generate new approaches to addressing a wide range of diseases. The goal of this initiative is to support drug delivery research that has high innovation and potential for translational impact among diverse investigators at Emory, Georgia Tech and University of Georgia in the areas of tissue regeneration, cell therapy, and immune modulation.
This change in direction places REM at the center of and will allow maximal leverage of existing programs at partner universities. For example, scale-up facilities through the Marcus Center/CMaT ERC at Georgia Tech can be leveraged to demonstrate reproducibility of batches as a part of the IND, GMP compliant cells and cell-based products can be produced at UGA’s biomanufacturing facility employing the regulatory training and expertise in the School of Pharmacy, and administrative support through the Emory-led CTSA can be utilized for planning and executing clinical trials resulting from the successful IND. Thus, we believe this new focus for the already highly-successful REM is an essential element to translating discoveries resulting from an emerging regional emphasis on cell-based regenerative and immunomodulatory therapies.

Facilities & Resources

Partner Organizations

Georgia Institute of Technology
Emory University
University of Georgia

Abbreviation

REM

Country

United States

Region

Americas

Primary Language

English

Evidence of Intl Collaboration?

Industry engagement required?

Associated Funding Agencies

Contact Name

Contact Title

Contact E-Mail

Website

General E-mail

Phone

Address

[an NSF Graduated Center] Vision & Mission REM Therapeutic Delivery Innovation Initiative There is an emerging trend in drug delivery systems due to inherent limitations of conventional oral drug delivery systems, such as biopharmaceutical solubility and intestinal permeability. A solution to resolve this potential challenge is to develop translational drug delivery systems that are capable of targeted delivery of therapeutic agents and controlled drug release in a non-invasive manner. Market data suggest, pharmaceutical innovation is the driving force in the shift from conventional drugs, to a translational delivery system. Novel systems, capable of delivering drugs in therapeutic concentration to the target site in a controlled manner for enhanced efficacy with less side effects, have opened a new direction in spurring innovative activity. To test therapeutic alternatives of conventional methods, our consortium of University and Research Institutions will work to develop less-invasive or non-invasive routes for delivery systems that affect clinical outcomes in different disease conditions. Research will be focused on the following means to better understand translational drug delivery: • Designing and developing novel drug delivery systems, such as devices for drug delivery and drug/device combination products and image-guided drug therapy • Preclinical and clinical data related to drug delivery systems using big data tool and omics approaches • Improving drug distribution, pharmacokinetics, clearance, with drug delivery systems compared to traditional dosing • Short-term and long-term biocompatibility of drug delivery systems and host responses • Biomaterials with growth factors for stem-cell differentiation in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering REM’s vision: Accelerate therapeutic delivery innovation and translation to treat disease. REM’s initiative will achieve this goal, which will position Georgia as a leading innovation hub in this intellectual space and benefit Georgia’s knowledge economy, by fostering interdisciplinary and multi-institutional collaborations and supporting research ranging from fundamental to translational to positively impact human health.

Abbreviation

REM

Country

United States

Region

Americas

Primary Language

English

Evidence of Intl Collaboration?

Industry engagement required?

Associated Funding Agencies

Contact Name

Contact Title

Contact E-Mail

Website

General E-mail

Phone

Address

Research Areas

A New Focus for REM
Building upon the prior success of REM in creating a state-wide research community, as well as leading to significant ROI in terms of investigator-led NIH R01 grants, in 2020 a new direction for REM in the area of therapeutic drug delivery was announced to continue to bring together investigators to generate new approaches to addressing a wide range of diseases. The goal of this initiative is to support drug delivery research that has high innovation and potential for translational impact among diverse investigators at Emory, Georgia Tech and University of Georgia in the areas of tissue regeneration, cell therapy, and immune modulation.
This change in direction places REM at the center of and will allow maximal leverage of existing programs at partner universities. For example, scale-up facilities through the Marcus Center/CMaT ERC at Georgia Tech can be leveraged to demonstrate reproducibility of batches as a part of the IND, GMP compliant cells and cell-based products can be produced at UGA’s biomanufacturing facility employing the regulatory training and expertise in the School of Pharmacy, and administrative support through the Emory-led CTSA can be utilized for planning and executing clinical trials resulting from the successful IND. Thus, we believe this new focus for the already highly-successful REM is an essential element to translating discoveries resulting from an emerging regional emphasis on cell-based regenerative and immunomodulatory therapies.

Facilities & Resources

Partner Organizations

Georgia Institute of Technology
Emory University
University of Georgia