The field of drug and gene delivery involves development and delivery of drugs, genes, and gene products that ultimately alter protein expression and function of the cells, tissues, and living organisms.
Important areas in this growing field include development of delivery vehicles such as plasmids, nanoparticles, viruses, liposomes, peptide/protein complexes, and biomaterial scaffolds, as well as studies of drug and gene transport, delivery strategies, delivery barriers, and immune response to delivery.
Duke BME is actively involved in understanding and developing new strategies for drug and gene delivery aimed at therapies for cancer, infectious and cardiovascular disease, muscle disease, gastrointestinal disease, and others.
Close collaborations with Duke University School of Medicine faculty and support from the Center for Biomolecular and Tissue Engineering (CBTE) are important contributors to the successful endeavors of this research community.