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You Han Bae, Ph.D.

AIMBE College of Fellows Class of 2001
For significant contributions to the field of novel poymeric bio-materials with applications to drug and cell delivery.

Proof-of-concept technique makes nanoparticles attractive for new medications

Via MD Linx | August 9, 2018

Since the development of insulin to manage diabetes, pharmacists have longed to create an insulin pill. Past attempts have failed because insulin does not survive the harsh conditions of the GI system and cannot easily cross the GI wall. Researchers at University of Utah Health developed a proof-of-concept technology using nanoparticles that could offer a new approach for oral medications. The results published today in the journal ACS Nano.

“In the pharmaceutical world, this has been regarded as the holy grail,” said You Han Bae, PhD, professor of pharmaceutics and pharmaceutical chemistry at U of U Health and senior author on the paper.

Nanomedicine is a burgeoning field of medicine that delivers tiny particles (nanoparticles) to carry drugs to treat a variety of conditions, including cancer. These treatments are commonly given IV, because solid nanoparticles have a poor absorption rate in the body.

Bae and his team modified the surface of the nanoparticles with glycocholic acid, a bile acid that helps the body absorb fat in the small intestine… Continue reading.