This book covers the essentials of drug delivery research and provides a unique forum for scientific experimental methods that are exclusively focused by the in-vitro, ex-vivo, and in-vivo methodologies of drug delivery research and felicitates translational research. The book includes recent and novel approaches in evaluation methods of transdermal, nasal, ocular, oral and intraoral, gastro-retentive, colon-targeted, and brain-targeted drug delivery systems. Providing up to date and comprehensive information, this text is invaluable to students, teachers, scientists, and others employed in the field of drug delivery.

This 'in vivo' atlas contains more than 50 magnetic resonance (MR) images of the brain. Each structure is represented in the axial, coronal and sagittal plane, magnified in colour schemes and reconstructed in 3D images with a useful millimetric scale. The atlas offers the reader a practical and simple tool for surgical planning and for diagnostic and anatomical studies. The high level of anatomical definition of the in vivo MR images means that there is no loss in precision as a result of post-mortem changes. No doubt, this book is an excellent teaching instrument for all students of the neurosciences, regardless of the individual level of training and expertise.

This book describes the new imaging techniques being developed to monitor physiological, cellular and subcellular function within living animals. This exciting field of imaging science brings together physics, chemistry, engineering, biology and medicine to yield powerful and versatile imaging approaches. By combining advanced non-invasive imaging technologies with new mechanisms for visualizing biochemical events and protein and gene function, non-invasive vertebrate imaging enables the in vivo study of biology and offers rapid routes from basic discovery to drug development and clinical application. Combined with the availability of an increasing number of animal models of human disease, and the ability to perform longitudinal studies of disease evolution and of the long-term effects of therapeutic procedures, this new technology offers the next generation of tools for biomedical research. Well illustrated, largely in colour, the book reviews the most common and technologically advanced methods for vertebrate imaging, presented in a clear, comprehensive format. The basic principles are described, followed by several examples of the use of imaging in the study of living multicellular organisms, concentrating on small animal models of human diseases. The book illustrates: The types of information that can be obtained with modern in vivo imaging; The substitution of imaging methods for more destructive histological techniques; The advantages conferred by in vivo imaging in building a more accurate picture of the response of tissues to stimuli over time while significantly reducing the number of animals required for such studies. Part 1 describes current techniques in in vivo imaging, providing specialists and laboratory scientists from all disciplines with clear and helpful information regarding the tools available for their specific research field. Part 2 looks in more detail at imaging organ development and function, covering the brain, heart, lung and others. Part 3 describes the use of imaging to monitor various new types of therapy, following the reaction in an individual organism over time, e.g. after gene or cell therapy. Most chapters are written by teams of physicists and biologists, giving a balanced coherent description of each technique and its potential applications.

“Biobetters: Protein Engineering to Approach the Curative” discusses the optimization of protein therapeutic products for treatment of human diseases. It is based on the fact that though numerous important therapeutic protein products have been developed for life threatening and chronic diseases that possess acceptable safety and efficacy profiles, these products have generally not been reexamined and modified for an improved clinical performance, with enhancements both to safety and efficacy profiles. Advances in protein engineering, coupled with greatly enhanced understanding of critical product quality attributes for efficacy and safety, make it possible to optimize predecessor products for clinical performance, thereby enhancing patient quality of life and with the potential for great savings in health care costs. Yet despite such knowledge, there is little movement towards such modifications. This book examines engineering protein therapeutic products such that they exhibit an optimal, not just an adequate, clinical performance profile. Two product classes, therapeutic enzymes for lysosomal storage diseases (enzyme replacement therapies, ERT) and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), are used as examples of what modifications to such proteins could be made to enhance clinical performance, “closer to a cure” as it were. For ERT, the key to optimizing clinical performance is to ensure the ERT is endowed with moieties that target the protein to the relevant target tissue. Thus, for Gaucher Disease, our best example of how to optimize an ERT to address a disease that manifests in specific target tissues (macrophages and monocytes), the enzyme has been extensively modified to target macrophages. For diseases such as Pompe Disease, largely a disorder of muscle, optimal performance of ERT will depend on endowing the enzyme with the ability to be taken up via the Mannose 6 Phosphate Receptor, and so one of the chapters in the book will discuss such approaches. Moreover, a major failure of biotechnology based products is to gain access to the CNS, a key target tissue in numerous diseases. Thus, a chapter has been devoted to strategies to access the CNS. Additionally, immune responses to therapeutic proteins can be highly problematic, eliminating the efficacy of life saving or highly effective protein therapeutics. This is especially poignant in the case of Pompe Disease wherein great improvement in muscle strength and functionality is lost following development of an immune response to the ERT with consequent patient deterioration and death. Thus, a chapter regarding protein engineering, as well as other non-clinical approaches to diminishing immunogenicity is a valuable part of the book. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) can be engineered to bind targets relevant to a wide variety of diseases; binding affinity, however, is only part of the equation and one of the chapters will present a molecular assessment approach that balances affinity with pharmacokinetics and manufacturability. As with other proteins immunogenicity can be problematic, being responsible for loss of efficacy of anti-TNF mAbs, often after prolonged successful treatment. The authors will also share their perspective on the consequences of physico-chemical modifications occurring to mAbs once they reach the circulation or their target, a research area open to further development from a protein engineering as well as analytical perspective. This book will also discuss novel platforms for protein therapeutics, technologies that exceed mAbs with respect to potency, and hence, potentially efficacy. These platforms consist largely of repeat domain proteins with very high affinity for their target ligands, but while potentially more efficacious, immunogenicity may be a major problem limiting use. The economics surrounding the issue of biobetters is another high-profile issue - this final chapter will explore the incentives and disincentives for developing biobetters and consider incentives that might make their pursuit more rewarding.

Drug metabolism comprises the identification, characterization, and quantification of the chemicals or compounds produced in an animal or human upon administration of a drug. Research practices not only require the chemical structure but also aim to determine the pharmacological activities and/or toxicity of these compounds. This is first performed in animals, as studies attempt to identify and quantify metabolites, and later in humans, with care to further characterize metabolites that are either unique to or produced disproportionately in humans compared to animals. Characterization includes the determination of enzyme systems or other biological mechanisms that produce each identified metabolite; this information is used to predict potential drug-drug interactions with other compounds that increase or decrease metabolite formation and sources of biological variability in response or toxicity with varying patient genetics, which affect CYP isoform expression. This book’s purpose is to provide some understanding of the biology and current technology applied in the field of drug metabolism.

The AACR Annual Meeting highlights the best cancer science and medicine from institutions all over the world. Attendees are invited to stretch their boundaries, form collaborations, attend sessions outside their own areas of expertise, and learn how to apply exciting new concepts, tools, and techniques to their own research. Part A contains abstracts 1-3062 accepted for the 2017 meeting.

Since the advent of cDNA microarrays, oligonucleotide array technology, and gene chip analysis, genomics has revolutionized the entire field of biomedical research. A byproduct of this revolution, toxicogenomics is a fast-rising star within toxicological analysis. Gathering together leading authors and scientists at the forefront of the field, An Introduction to Toxicogenomics provides a comprehensive overview of this new discipline. With a focus on toxicology, it introduces the basic principles of microarray/oligonucleotide array-based genomic analysis and explains how it fits into the field of biomedical research. These discussions provide an overview to the actual mechanics of the analyses themselves and offer insights on handling and quality control. Then the book features an important section on the basics of data analysis and clustering methods such as genetic algorithms. Finally, it covers the application of expression profiling in the field of toxicology and addresses the two fundamental types of analysis in detail, with sections dedicated to both mechanistic and predictive studies. Although toxicogenomics promises fast, efficient techniques and information-rich data, much of its potential remains untapped. An Introduction to Toxicogenomics consolidates the concepts underlying the field to provide a solid foundation from which to begin your research endeavors.

Gold Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery discusses the synthesis and characterization of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), presenting an historical introduction to the developments in the area, discussing methods and characterization parameters, covering targeted delivery strategies, treatment of cancer, CNS conditions, infectious diseases, HIV/AIDS infection, wound healing and tissue regeneration, dentistry, gene delivery, and its photo properties used in diagnostic and therapies, and finally presenting regulatory aspects such as theranostic applications, vaccine development, toxicity, and the translation of research to marketable products. This book is a complete reference for researchers in nanotechnology drug delivery and pharmaceutical disciplines. Researchers in pharmaceutical industries, especially those involved in the use of gold nanoparticles in the field of drug delivery, diagnosis, targeted and early therapies will also benefit from this book. - Covers gold nanoparticles' characterization and synthesis techniques related to drug delivery - Focuses on targeting strategies using gold nanoparticles for efficient drug delivery - Provides a consolidated overview of applications of gold nanoparticles for drug delivery to several systems and conditions

Basic Electrophysiological Methods provides a concise and easy-to-read guide on a selection of the most important contemporary electrophysiological techniques, their implementation, applications, and ways in which they can be combined and integrated with neuroscientific techniques. Intended for students, postdocs, and faculty with a basic neuroscience background, this text will not obscure the relevant technical details with textbook neuroscience tutorials as many other books do. Instead, each chapter provides a conscientious overview of the underlying theory -- a comprehensive description of equipment, materials, methods, data management, and analysis -- a troubleshooting guide, and a list of frequently asked questions. No book or online resource can function as strictly a DIY set of instructions on how to implement a complex technique. However, this book provides a fundamental and accessible set of information intended to form a foundation prior to, during, and after hands-on experience and training, greatly facilitating the initial learning process and subsequent fine-tuning of technical details.