Date of Award

Spring 2014

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Biomedical Engineering

First Advisor

Kinam Park

Committee Member 1

Alyssa Panitch

Committee Member 2

Yoon Yeo

Abstract

Research in the field of protein therapeutics has exploded over the past decade and continues to grow in both academia and in industry. Protein drugs have advantages of being highly specific and highly active making them coveted targets for high profile disease states like cancer and multiple sclerosis. Unfortunately, their many advantages are complemented by their obstacles. Because proteins are highly active and highly specific, the window between efficacy and toxicity is very narrow and drug development can be long and arduous. In addition, protein activity is dependent on its specific folding conformation that is easily disrupted by a variety of development processes. This research aimed to identify microparticle formulations to control protein release and also to determine which formulation parameters affected burst release, encapsulation, and steady-state release the most. It was found that polymer type and composition were two of the most important factors. Long-term controlled release of bovine serum albumin (BSA) was achieved as well as a wide variety of release profiles. A method was identified for micronizing protein at low cost to retain activity and coacervation was evaluated as a method for preparing protein loaded microspheres. This research provides a basis from which researchers can create better controlled release formulations for future protein therapeutics.

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