The 144th Annual Meeting of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan (Yokohama)

Organizer: Yoichi Negishi (Sch. Pharm., Tokyo Univ. Pharm. Life Sci.), Takanori Kanazawa (Grad. Sch. Bioｍed. Sci., Tokushima Univ.)

In recent years, the drug discovery research has been changing dramatically, and new drug development using new modalities such as antibody-drug conjugates, nucleic acid drugs, cell-based therapeutics, and regenerative medicine has become more active, focusing on disease areas where unmet medical needs are high. On the other hand, in order to achieve efficient delivery and introduction of these new modalities into target organs and tissues, it is important to apply nanoDDS technology that enables the control of pharmacokinetics in the body by avoiding foreign substance recognition mechanisms, overcoming in vivo barriers, and accommodating tissue-specific constructs related to the disease's pathophysiology. In this context, lipid nanoparticles and polymeric micelles have been developed so far, and recently, research and development of nanoDDS technology using extracellular vesicles like exosomes has rapidly advanced. In this symposium, we will introduce the cutting edge of nanoDDS research and development, which will lead to the development of new delivery mechanisms and therapeutic strategies. We would like to discuss strategies for the treatment of intractable diseases using nanoDDS technology that contributes new drug modalities by gaining a deeper understanding of overcoming and bypassing in vivo barriers, the biological environment, and defense mechanisms.