The overarching aim of the IRC is to develop and validate high-capacity vehicles, injectable gels, and implantable devices to better target hard-to-treat cancers enhancing treatment efficacy by increasing the rate and extent of drug activity at the tumour site. Our programme has been designed to facilitate effective translation from the laboratory to the clinic by incorporating cross-cutting validation and manufacturing themes across all the technologies.
The drug delivery technologies researched within the IRC aim to overcome barriers put up by the tumours or the body itself preventing drugs getting to where they need to be. Crucially, therapeutic agents will be delivered in a targeted manner, with tuneable drug dose and cargo release rate, uniquely enabled by nanotechnology. While our technologies can all be classed as platform technologies, applicable to multiple cancers and other conditions, the IRC brings focus to specific hard-to-treat cancers in order to speed up the journey to the clinic.