Washington DC (US) [US], January 19 (HBTV): Scientists at the University of Cambridge have developed a breakthrough gel-like material that can sense tiny chemical changes in the body, such as increased acidity during an arthritis flare-up, and release drugs precisely when and where they are needed.
By mimicking the properties of cartilage while delivering medication, the smart material could help ease pain, reduce side effects and provide continuous treatment for millions of people suffering from arthritis.
The soft, squishy material can be loaded with anti-inflammatory drugs that are released in response to small changes in pH levels in the body. During an arthritis flare-up, an affected joint becomes inflamed and slightly more acidic than surrounding tissue. The newly developed material has been engineered to respond to this natural shift.
As acidity increases, the material becomes softer and more jelly-like, triggering the release of drug molecules encapsulated within its structure. Because it responds only within a narrow pH range, researchers say drugs could be released with high precision, potentially limiting unwanted side effects.
If used as an artificial cartilage in arthritic joints, the approach could allow for continuous treatment, improving the effectiveness of drugs that relieve pain and reduce inflammation.
Arthritis affects more than 10 million people in the United Kingdom, costing the National Health Service an estimated £10.2 billion each year. Globally, the condition is estimated to affect more than 600 million people.
Although extensive clinical trials are required before the material can be used in patients, researchers believe the approach could improve outcomes not only for arthritis sufferers but also for people with other conditions, including cancer. The findings have been reported in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
The material uses specially engineered, reversible crosslinks within a polymer network. The sensitivity of these links to changes in acidity gives the material highly responsive mechanical properties. It was developed in Professor Oren Scherman’s research group at Cambridge’s Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry.
‘For a while now, we’ve been interested in using these materials in joints, since their properties can mimic those of cartilage,’ said Scherman, Professor of Supramolecular and Polymer Chemistry and Director of the Melville Laboratory for Polymer Synthesis. ‘But to combine that with highly targeted drug delivery is a really exciting prospect.’
First author Dr Stephen O’Neill said the materials can ‘sense’ when something is wrong in the body and respond by delivering treatment exactly where it is needed. ‘This could reduce the need for repeated doses of drugs, while improving patient quality of life,’ he added.
Unlike many existing drug delivery systems that rely on external triggers such as heat or light, the new approach is powered entirely by the body’s own chemistry. Researchers say this could pave the way for longer-lasting, targeted arthritis treatments that automatically respond to flare-ups.
In laboratory tests, the team loaded the material with a fluorescent dye to simulate the behaviour of real drugs. At acidity levels typical of arthritic joints, the material released significantly more of its cargo than it did at normal, healthy pH levels.
‘By tuning the chemistry of these gels, we can make them highly sensitive to the subtle shifts in acidity that occur in inflamed tissue,’ said co-author Dr Jade McCune. ‘That means drugs are released when and where they are needed most.’
The researchers said the approach could be adapted for a range of medical conditions by fine-tuning the material’s chemistry. The next phase of research will involve testing the material in living systems to assess its safety and performance in real physiological environments.
If successful, the team believes the technology could open the door to a new generation of responsive biomaterials capable of treating chronic diseases with greater precision.
(ANI)