Projects CELT's Projects | Centre of Excellence for Long-acting Therapeutics- Centre of Excellence for Long-acting Therapeutics

Long-Acting/Extended Release Antiretroviral Resource Program (LEAP)

LEAP is a Resource Program for long-acting drug delivery that is funded by the US National Institutes of Health and led by Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. CELT investigators sit on the Executive Board of LEAP and run a modelling and simulation core to support development and implementation of long-acting medicines for HIV, viral hepatitis and tuberculosis treatment and prevention.

AGILE - Clinical trial platform

The AGILE clinical trial is now complete. The platform was a new type of study designed for pandemic drug testing representing a world-first for infectious diseases – capable of testing multiple potential treatments in parallel and speeding up testing by pooling control data across patient groups. Funding from Unitaid was provided to support seamless phase I/IIa evaluation of candidate drugs to treat SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 through the AGILE platform trial. Funding also supported CELT investigators in preclinical translation of investigational therapeutics for COVID-19.

Long-acting Therapeutics - Tandem Nano Ltd.

Supporting research on a portfolio of commercial long-acting medicine development activities happening within University of Liverpool spin-out Tandem Nano Ltd.

LONGEVITY Project The LONGEVITY logo is celtic knot that creates a cross shape is to the left of the word LONGEVITY with a small CELT underneath

LONGEVITY Project

Developing the long-acting pipeline to establish medicines for malaria, tuberculosis and hepatitis C virus with infrastructure for sustainable translational capacity. LONGEVITY is an exciting and ambitious project that aims to develop long-acting injectable medicines to tackle some of the worlds most devastating infectious diseases. Specifically, CELT researchers are working with colleagues across the globe to develop interventions for malaria chemoprophylaxis, tuberculosis prevention and treatment of hepatitis C virus. Co-funding to establish CELT was also provided through this award.

Target exposures of rifapentine for long-acting formulations A text box with the project title inside

Target exposures of rifapentine for long-acting formulations

Our part in this research is now complete. Supporting a collaboration between CELT and Johns Hopkins University, this work served to better understand the compatibility of tuberculosis treatments with long-acting drug delivery. CELT researchers provided pharmacokinetic modelling support for empirical research being conducted in Baltimore.

An Injectable Implant Providing Long-Acting Drug Delivery for the Treatment of Chronic Disease

An Injectable Implant Providing Long-Acting Drug Delivery for the Treatment of Chronic disease

Our part in this research is now complete. The aim was to develop a new drug delivery system that could be easily injected into the body and would provide long-acting drug release. This technology will address issues caused by poor medication adherence. The drug delivery system is composed of responsive polymer nanoparticles and drug nanoparticles that form a nanocomposite, entrapping a reservoir of drug upon injection into the body. After the drug has been released the materials degrade into non-toxic components and leave the body.

SAFE-N-MEDTECH - Safety Testing In The Life Cycle Of Nanotechnology-Enabled Medical Technologies For Health

Society and clinical practice pose a growing demand on novel biomaterials, ICT, micro and nanotechnologies for innovative medical devices and in vitro diagnostics (Medical Technologies-MTs). In addition to the challenge of time, the new technologies are subjected to other pressing factors such as qualification, regulation, cost, biocompatibility and the need to be applicable worldwide. SAFE-N-MEDTECH is building an innovative open access platform to offer to companies and reference laboratories, the capabilities, knowhow, networks and services required for the development, testing, assessment, upscaling and market exploitation of nanotechnology-based Medical and Diagnosis Devices. CELT investigators are leading work on the biocompatibility and biodistribution of nano-enabled medical technologies.

REFINE - Regulatory Science Framework for Nano(bio)material-based Medical Products and Devices

Improving the regulatory framework for the approval of nano-enabled medical products. REFINE has identified significant biological and technological gaps in the approval framework for nanomedicines, in Europe, and is developing and validating analytical approaches to produce a “smart cascade” based on the biodistribution and biocompatibility testing of candidate materials. CELT investigators are leading work developing new assays investigating, clinically relevant, immunological interactions of nanomaterials, within REFINE.

OPTIMIZE

The OPTIMIZE project is now complete. It was an international collaboration of partners with a shared ambition to optimise the delivery and use of antiretroviral drugs. CELT investigators were specifically involved in development of oral formulations of utility in simplification of adult and paediatric drug delivery.

Pharmacological Strategies to use the Levonorgestrel Implant in HIV-infected Women A box containing the project title

Pharmacological Strategies to use the Levonorgestrel Implant in HIV-infected Women

Our part in this research is now complete. This project underpinned a collaboration between CELT investigators and researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Centre. Specifically, the work aimed to determine the impact of pharmacogenetics and drug-drug interactions on the pharmacokinetics of contraceptives delivered via subcutaneous implants.

European Nanotechnology Characterisation Laboratory

Supporting the development of nanomedicines through to clinical studies. Multiple, non-integrated, providers of characterisation services do not use harmonised assays/technologies to determine physical, chemical and biological characteristics of nanomedicines. EUNCL was created to provide this expertise, using integrated assay cascades, for developers of nanomedicines from academia, SMEs and large pharma to access to accelerate the translation of their lead candidates to clinical studies. CELT investigators are the only UK partners in the EUNCL infrastructure and lead the assays groups on immunological and haematological characterisation of nanomedicines.

Harnessing potent next-generation diarylquinolines (DARQs) for long-acting injectable formulations to prevent and treat tuberculosis (TB) The image includes the text

Harnessing potent next-generation diarylquinolines (DARQs) for long-acting injectable formulations to prevent and treat tuberculosis (TB)

Supporting a collaboration between CELT and Johns Hopkins University to develop long-acting injectable (LAI) formulations of next-generation diarylquinolines (DARQs) with and without possible companion agents for tuberculosis (TB) preventive therapy (TPT) and for use during the continuation phase of active TB treatment. The ultimate goal of this NIH funded project is to develop a ‘one-shot’ DARQ LAI treatment for TPT as well an optimised LAI-based treatment strategy for use in the continuation phase of active TB treatment, each with a sufficient data package to enable an FDA application.

Repurposing approved drugs as potent antiviral combinations to treat COVID-19 disease The image includes the text

Repurposing approved drugs as potent antiviral combinations to treat COVID-19 disease

Supporting a collaboration between Queens University Belfast, University of Oxford and CELT investigators, this Medical Research Council (MRC) funded project aims to validate a drug screening pipeline platform for robust and rapid progression of drug combinations against Sars-CoV-2 through the preclinical pipeline including in vitro analysis, in vivo efficacy studies and pharmacometrics.