Doctoral theses of the School of Chemical Engineering are available in the open access repository maintained by Aalto, Aaltodoc.
Public defence in Chemical Engineering, MSc Panu Noppari
Public defence from the Aalto University School of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering.
When
–
Where
Aalto yliopisto, Bioproduct Centre, Vuorimiehentie 1, 02150 Espoo
Lecture hall L1
Event language(s)
English
Title of the thesis: Formulation development of a biodegradable silica depot for long-acting injectable delivery of small molecules to biologics
Thesis defender: Panu Noppari
Opponent: Prof. Mika Linden, University of Ulm, Germany
Custos: Assistant Prof. Jukka Niskanen, Aalto University School of Chemical Engineering
Formulation development of a biodegradable silica depot for long-acting injectable delivery of small molecules to biologics
This doctoral thesis investigated the development and evaluation of sol-gel derived silica-based injectable depot systems for long-acting drug delivery. The platform consists of drug-loaded silica microparticles embedded within a silica hydrogel matrix, which is designed to provide controlled release of therapeutics from small molecule drugs to biologics. The work combined materials science and pharmaceutical formulation development to establish the system’s quality attributes and translational potential.
A central component of the research was rheological characterization of silica sol–gel transitions using time-resolved rheometry (TRR). The findings revealed that the silica systems behaved as colloidal glasses rather than classical colloidal gels, providing new insight into their viscoelastic properties and implications for injectability and stability. Incorporation of alginate as a secondary gel-forming component during formulation development improved homogeneity and injectability of the formulations with reduced silica microparticle content.
The platform successfully encapsulated a small molecule (levothyroxine), a peptide (triptorelin acetate), and a monoclonal antibody (bevacizumab). Drug release was primarily governed by silica matrix dissolution, with a strong linear correlation observed between matrix degradation and release kinetics. In vivo studies in rats demonstrated sustained pharmacokinetics and -dynamics for up to 91 days, a five-fold reduction in peak plasma concentration compared to a commercial reference product, preserved biological activity, and good local tolerability.
Sol-gel, Silica, Drug Delivery, Microparticle, Hydrogel, In vitro, In vivo
Thesis available for public display 7 days prior to the defence at .
Contact information: panu.noppari@aalto.fi
Doctoral theses of the School of Chemical Engineering
Zoom Quick Guide