The University of British Columbia

About the Scientist

	E-mail: saatchik@interchange.ubc.ca Phone: 604-827-5839 Fax: 604-822-3035

Training

Previous Position

Current Position

Links

About The Research

The projects in our lab involve or are related to either development of polymeric drug delivery systems and radiopharmaceuticals or magnetic targeting and drug delivery.

We have developed tailored biodegradable polymers through a simple one pot polymerization process. These polymers can be further turned into mono-sized nanospheres or microspheres, disks and/or fibers based on the application. The larger biodegradable microspheres are a good replacement for macroaggregated albumin (MAA), the most clinically used particles to date. Our research focuses on the syntheses of metal-binding biodegradable polymers for target-selective PET or SPECT imaging. The study involves preparing uniformly sized microspheres and testing the biodistribution, toxicity and radiation dosimetry of the radiolabelled microspheres in vitro and in vivo.

Another family of macromolecules that we are radiolabelling is high molecular weight hyperbranched polyglycerols (HPG). Due to their non toxicity, biocompatibility and long in vivo circulation time, these compounds are excellent candidates as blood pool imaging agents. Such radiolabelled polyglycerols are expected to be excellent cardiac imaging agents, without the disadvantages associated with the current standard method, the red blood cell labeling.

Last but not least we are studying drug delivery by the means of magnetic targeting. In this technique, magnetic particles are focused at the disease site by an external magnetic field. We are working on improving magnetic targeting by optimizing particle synthesis, suitable coatings, encapsulation, and drug release properties.

Publications + Presentations

« Back