Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Options are limited to treat a fetus developing abnormally. Surgery can remove or repair damaged tissue, but it does not fix poorly formed organs or tissue. This is a problem without a proper solution. A challenge for delivering life-changing medicine to the unborn baby is the placenta. The placenta provides nutrition to the baby from the mother. It can also block medicine from reaching the baby or can allow dangerous chemicals to reach the baby. To overcome this, we have developed nanoparticles as a new therapy option. They are 1000 times thinner than a human hair and smaller than the eye can see. Nanoparticles are safe drug 'chauffeurs' for a variety of medicine. Once the medicine is loaded into the nanoparticles, it can be injected into the mother. The nanoparticle is then chauffeured across the placenta to the fetus. We have added antibodies onto the surface of our nanoparticle. This can trick the placenta into transporting the medicine-loaded nanoparticles to the baby. The antibodies also act as a 'GPS' to guide the nanoparticles to where it is needed most. This method is so far the safest method to deliver drugs during pregnancy. We demonstrated the delivery of the GPS-enabled nanoparticles across the placenta is possible. They were neither toxic nor harmful to the placenta. This design has great potential to be adapted to deliver other medicine. Many babies will benefit from this method of treatment. Nanoparticles are a safe way to deliver life-changing medicine for pregnant mothers and their unborn baby. As medicine advances, new medications will be available. The nanoparticle is an excellent drug chauffeur to treat the unborn child safely and limit dangerous outcomes.