Drug formulation and delivery: a UK and Ireland perspective

The United Kingdom and Ireland Controlled Release Society (UKICRS) is a local chapter of the Controlled Release Society (CRS) and has been in existence since 1998. Among our key aims is to represent, educate, and disseminate information to scientists from all disciplines and backgrounds who are interested in any aspect of controlled or advanced delivery. To this end, we are delighted to have the opportunity to present this special issue entitled “Drug formulation and delivery: a UK and Ireland perspective,” which is intended to highlight the breadth and quality of formulation and drug delivery research on the islands of the UK and Ireland.

This special issue includes nine contributions including research and review articles. Articles in this collection highlight novel formulation design, innovative delivery systems, and the use of more advanced 3D printing processing methods to address pressing challenges in drug delivery and healthcare such as cancer and chronic wounds.

The challenges of ocular delivery, in particular, targeting of the posterior segment, are highlighted in a research article which proposes a novel, dissolving, bilayer microneedle technology to circumvent delivery obstacles and enable efficient protein delivery to the posterior segment of the eye. Further, in the area of ocular delivery, one of the review articles focuses on light-responsive biomaterials and details the different types of polymers and chemistries that underpin the potential application of these materials in ophthalmic delivery.

The theme of chronic wounds and the devastating impact on millions of people globally provide the motivation for several research articles. A solid lipid nanoparticle‑based hydrogel formulation was developed to address the delivery challenges associated with lacticin 3147, a two-peptide chain bacteriocin produced by Lactococcus lactis for the treatment of wound infections. The rapidly evolving science of 3D bioprinting is the focus of another article that investigates the innovative potential of bioprinting to fabricate antibiotic-loaded scaffolds for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers. Further, 3D printing is also investigated in another research article to manufacture personalized medical implants in the guise of curcumin-loaded vascular grafts.

The importance of appropriate in vitro and preclinical screening tools is also forefront in the contributions published in this special issue. Refinement of the in vitro release test method for a dapivirine‑releasing vaginal ring is investigated in a bid to match the in vitro and in vivo release profiles more closely. Of note, the work highlights the potential impact of the drug’s pKa and the vaginal pH on in vivo drug release and absorption in women. Also, included is an article which comprehensively reviews the state-of-the-art with respect to in vitro and preclinical models, both current and in development, to expand insights into disease pathology and as preclinical screening tools in acute myeloid leukaemia. The review emphasizes the need to develop predictive and biorelevant models to understand disease progression and to enable the development of new effective drug treatments. The topic of cancer and the potential for delivery systems to significantly impact treatment outcomes is foremost in another research article investigating nanostructured lipid carrier systems in mice bearing prostate cancer tumors.

We would like to thank the contributors for their time in contributing to this special issue, and we acknowledge the timely opportunity given by the Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Office of Drug Delivery and Translational Research. We hope these articles provide the reader with a clear insight into the diversity and quality of research ongoing across the UK and Ireland, provide inspiration for new research collaborations, and encourage readers to engage with CRS and its local chapters.

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