MolE - Molecular Engineering Lab

Our research is focused on nanoparticles, controlled drug release and continuous manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals.

Enhancing the preservation of liposomes: The role of cryoprotectants, lipid formulations and freezing approaches

08/01/2021

I would like to thank Francesca Susa, Tania Limongi, and Valentina Cauda for this achievement.

We have here investigated the problem of lyophilization of two liposomal drug formulations (i.e., DOPC-DOTAP and the PEGylated counterpart, and DOPC-DOTAP-DSPE-PEG). The role of various cryoprotectants was evaluated paying attention to their ability to preserve the structural integrity of liposomes.

Pisano

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0011224020306866

Enhancing the preservation of liposomes: The role of cryoprotectants, lipid formulations and freezing approaches In the last decades, liposomes acquired a striking success in the biomedical field thanks to their biocompatibility and drug delivery ability. Many li…

Vacuum-Induced Surface Freezing for the Freeze-Drying of the Human Growth Hormone: How Does Nucleation Control Affect Protein Stability?

22/01/2020

Congrats to all co-authors (Irene, Andrea, Chinwe, Kiran, Jackie, and Paul) for this achievement! (✍️RP)

The effect of controlled nucleation on the stability of human growth hormone (hGH) during freeze-drying has been investigated. More specifically, the vacuum-induced surface freezing technique has been compared to conventional freezing, both with and without an annealing step. Size exclusion chromatography and cell-based potency assays have been used to characterize the formation of soluble aggregates and the biological activity of hGH, respectively. The results obtained indicate that controlled nucleation has a positive effect on both cycle performance and product homogeneity because of the formation of bigger ice crystals, and characterized by a narrower dimensional distribution. For hGH stability, we observed that vacuum-induced surface freezing is not detrimental to the biological activity of the protein, or aggregate formation. Also, the effect of 2 different formulations, including trehalose or cellobiose, on protein preservation was considered for this study.

Vacuum-Induced Surface Freezing for the Freeze-Drying of the Human Growth Hormone: How Does Nucleation Control Affect Protein Stability? In the present work, the effect of controlled nucleation on the stability of human growth hormone (hGH) during freeze-drying has been investigated. Mo…