Application
As a first application, we focus on the targeted transport of active pharmaceutical ingredients into the hepatocytes to enable a unique specific therapy for sepsis patients with a liver dysfunction. We aim to significantly reduce their extremely high mortality rate of over 90 %.
Our development is carried out in close interdisciplinary cooperation with the University Hospital Jena with its Center for Sepsis Control & Care (CSCC), which is a globally recognized site for sepsis research, as well as with experts in the field of materials and polymer research at the University of Jena.
Septic Cholestasis
Septic cholestasis is liver damage that can occur in the course of sepsis. In Germany, a sepsis risk was diagnosed in approximately 280,000 patients in 2013. An organ dysfunction occurred in 41% of the patients.1 Between 1,100 and 2,200 patients develop the full picture of septic cholestasis every year. The mortality is reported to be 92 % in the first 12 months after diagnosis.2 Liver damage in sepsis is strongly correlated with mortality.3 No specific therapy is available to these patients to date.
SmartDyeLivery's Nanoparticles: A Navigation System in the body
The nanoparticles loaded with an active ingredient are administered intravenously into the bloodstream. The dye molecules bound to the particle surface act like a "navigation system" in the body: Via active targeting, they specifically find the hepatocytes in the liver. This patented functionalization is recognized by specific structures on the target cells which selectively take up these nanoparticles.4 Inside the cell, the nanoparticle dissolves, releasing the enclosed active ingredient which is thus exclusively available at the target site. The other particle components are degraded and metabolized or excreted via the bile.
