Chemical engineers from Johns Hopkins University have broken the
"mucus barrier," engineering the first drug-delivery particles
capable of passing through human mucus — regarded by many as
nearly impenetrable — and carrying medication that could treat a
range of diseases. Those conditions include lung cancer,
cervical cancer and cystic fibrosis, the research noted in a
presentation scheduled for the 236th National Meeting of the
American Chemical Society. "We studied the properties of
disease-causing viruses that evolved to infect mucosal surfaces
to engineer a coating that enables our drug delivery particles
to penetrate mucus layers in minutes. In our new work, we have
improved the coatings considerably to allow faster penetration
for a wider array of particle sizes," says lead presenter Samuel
K. Lai, Ph.D. Mucus, the slippery secretion lining the lung
airways, surface of the eye, gastrointestinal tract, and female
reproductive tract, may seem delicate. But it is a tenacious
barrier, effectively keeping ou