Uppsala dissolves drugs

Uppsala University is spinning out Disruptive Materials, which will commercialise the new material Upsalite.

A large proportion of all drug candidates, some 80%, are rejected during research and development because they are not soluble. Low solubility is a problem, because it limits the body’s ability to absorb the drug.

Upsalite could potentially lead to pharmaceutical companies reconsidering a large amount of discarded drug candidates. The material is an alkaline earth metal carbonate. Alkaline earth metals are beryllium, magnesium, calcium, strontium, barium, and radium. Carbonate is a salt of carbonic acid, the compound responsible for sparkling water.

Upsalite has been created by Maria Strømme, professor at the Division of Nanotechnology and Functional Materials. To prove the effectiveness of the material, Strømme and her research group used it along with the pain killer Ibuprofen. The result was a successful suppression of the drug’s crystallisation, meaning it became more soluble at a rate three times faster than normal.

Johan Gómez de la Torre, member of Strømme’s research team, said: “We think that the narrow pores hinder the drug molecules from organising in a poorly soluble crystalline form and are forced to maintain an amorphous structure that is easier for the body to absorb.”