Kanghee Jo

Bio: Kanghee Jo is an academic researcher from Chung-Ang University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Materials science & Doping. The author has an hindex of 6, co-authored 10 publications receiving 561 citations.

Enhancement of Aqueous Solubility and Dissolution of Celecoxib through Phosphatidylcholine-Based Dispersion Systems Solidified with Adsorbent Carriers

Abstract: This study aimed to design phosphatidylcholine (PC)-based solid dispersion (SD) systems for enhancing the apparent aqueous solubility and dissolution of celecoxib (CLC), a selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor with a highly hydrophobic property. Although PC-based dispersion formulations considerably increased solubilities of CLC, the lipidic texture of PC was not appropriate as a solid dosage form for oral administration of CLC. To mask the lipidic texture of PC-based matrices, Neusilin® US2, an adsorbent material with a porous structure and large surface area widely used in the pharmaceutical industry, was employed and thereby fully powderized PC-based dispersion formulations could be fabricated. However, PC matrices containing CLC strongly adsorbed to the pores of Neusilin® US2 was not able to be rapidly released. To address this problem, different hydrophilic materials were examined to promote the release of the CLC-dispersed PC matrices from Neusilin® US2. Among tested hydrophilic materials, croscarmellose sodium was the most suitable to facilitate fast drug dissolution from Neusilin® US2 particles, showing significantly enhanced apparent aqueous solubility and dissolution behavior of CLC. Through differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis, a considerably reduced crystallinity of CLC dispersed in the PC-based dispersion formulations was demonstrated. The PC-based SD formulations developed in this study would be useful for improving the oral bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs such as CLC.

Drug delivery techniques for buccal route: formulation strategies and recent advances in dosage form design

Abstract: The buccal mucosa has been investigated for the local drug therapy and the systemic delivery of potent peptides, proteins, and other small drug molecules that are subjected to hepatic metabolism and enzymatic degradation in the gastrointestinal tract. Being non-invasive, this route is more feasible for the delivery of therapeutic entities than that of invasive or parenteral drug administration. However, the mucosa of oral cavity represents a major barrier to drug penetration. In addition, the presence of several enzymes in saliva, salivary flow, discomfort feelings after administration of dosage forms, and bitter taste of the drugs have limited the drug delivery via the buccal cavity. Thus, extensive studies have been conducted to develop novel pharmaceutical formulations for effective buccal drug delivery. Various buccal dosage forms such as tablets, gels, and patches/films are now commercially available and have demonstrated high patient compliance. Recently, several manufacturing companies have launched new buccal drug delivery systems such as aerosol, sprays, and particulate systems and they have actively been investigated by numerous pharmaceutical scientists. If the successful development of such systems could be achieved, buccal drug delivery systems would be one of the most promising technology in the near future. In this review, we described the recent development of buccal dosage forms, anatomy of buccal mucosa, drug transport mechanisms, and formulation strategies to enhance the drug permeation through the buccal mucosa.

Biomedical applications of soft robotics

Abstract: Soft robotics enables the design of soft machines and devices at different scales. The compliance and mechanical properties of soft robots make them especially interesting for medical applications. Depending on the level of interaction with humans, different levels of biocompatibility and biomimicry are required for soft materials used in robots. In this Review, we investigate soft robots for biomedical applications, including soft tools for surgery, diagnosis and drug delivery, wearable and assistive devices, prostheses, artificial organs and tissue-mimicking active simulators for training and biomechanical studies. We highlight challenges regarding durability and reliability, and examine traditional and novel soft and active materials as well as different actuation strategies. Finally, we discuss future approaches and applications in the field. Soft robots have broad applications in medicine. In this Review, biomedical applications, including surgery, drug delivery, prostheses, wearable devices and artificial organs, are discussed in the context of materials, actuation strategies and challenges.

Transcriptional diversity and bioenergetic shift in human breast cancer metastasis revealed by single-cell RNA sequencing.

Abstract: Although metastasis remains the cause of most cancer-related mortality, mechanisms governing seeding in distal tissues are poorly understood. Here, we establish a robust method for the identification of global transcriptomic changes in rare metastatic cells during seeding using single-cell RNA sequencing and patient-derived-xenograft models of breast cancer. We find that both primary tumours and micrometastases display transcriptional heterogeneity but micrometastases harbour a distinct transcriptome program conserved across patient-derived-xenograft models that is highly predictive of poor survival of patients. Pathway analysis revealed mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation as the top pathway upregulated in micrometastases, in contrast to higher levels of glycolytic enzymes in primary tumour cells, which we corroborated by flow cytometric and metabolomic analyses. Pharmacological inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation dramatically attenuated metastatic seeding in the lungs, which demonstrates the functional importance of oxidative phosphorylation in metastasis and highlights its potential as a therapeutic target to prevent metastatic spread in patients with breast cancer.