Lymphotropic Prodrugs: A Novel Mechanism for Targeted Drug Delivery

The project aims to design synthetic prodrugs (chemically modified drugs that revert to the 'parent' drug in the body) that effect targeted drug delivery to white blood cells (lymphocytes). For diseases where lymphocytes are the major drug target this promises to maximize drug action and simultaneously reduce exposure to non-target sites and therefore toxicity. In the current project we aim to construct and mechanistically evaluate prodrugs for autoimmune disease (multiple sclerosis and gastritis). The longer term significance of this technology, however, has far greater reach and includes the treatment of diseases as widespread (and poorly treated) as leukaemia, lymphoma, HIV, transplant rejection, immunodeficiency and diabetes.