Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder characterized by chronic hyperglycaemia. Subcutaneous delivery of insulin used in diabetes therapy possesses many limitations, such as pain and tissue damage. Extra-vascular insulin delivery via the buccal route may be a promising approach due to low enzymatic activity and high buccal vasculature. However, a thick muco-epithelial barrier prevents permeation of large molecules such as insulin. The aim of this study is to develop an insulin loaded film/patch system using biodegradable polymers and permeation-enhancers for buccal delivery. The rationale is to remove/minimise the need for subcutaneous injections and thus improve patient compliance. The specific objectives of this study include preparation and critical evaluation of the film/patch systems loaded with insulin. Characterisation studies include analysis of encapsulation efficiency, stability, insulin-release, protection efficiency of the film/patch in simulated oral environment. The study also includes ex-vivo experiments employing porcine buccal tissue, in-vitro cell culture studies i.e. cytotoxicity evaluation of formulations on buccal epithelial cell line (TR146 cells), permeation of insulin through monolayers of TR146 cells. With the current study, we anticipate to achieve a better understanding of buccal delivery of insulin and possibly have a formulation that yields comparable plasma levels of insulin to that of subcutaneous injections.
I graduated from the University of Surrey in July 2017 with an Upper Second Class Honors Degree in Biological Sciences, with a specialism in Drug Science. During my degree, I worked as a Pharmacovigilance Associate as part of my industrial placement year where I gained a large insight to drug safety within the pharmaceutical industry.
In September 2018, I completed a Master's degree in Clinical Pharmacology at King's College London with a Merit. This degree gave me a deeper insight into pharmaceutical development and broadened my understanding.