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Updated: Jun 24, 2025

Visualizing and Quantifying Pharmaceutical Compounds within Skin using Coherent Raman Scattering Imaging
Published on: November 24, 2021
Drug delivery to and through the skin
1Department of Life Sciences, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath, BA2 7AY, U.K.. r.h.guy@bath.ac.uk.
Despite decades of innovation in drug delivery technology, few advanced systems translate into approved products for unmet medical needs. This review examines skin drug delivery to understand and accelerate this slow translation process.
Area of Science:
- Pharmaceutical Sciences
- Biotechnology
- Medical Devices
Background:
- Drug delivery technology has seen significant advancements over 50 years, fostering innovation and scientific talent.
- However, the translation of sophisticated drug delivery technologies into regulatory-approved products addressing unmet medical needs remains limited relative to investment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the historical development and current state-of-the-art in drug delivery technology, specifically for skin applications.
- To understand the reasons behind the slow and inefficient translation of drug delivery technologies into clinically impactful products.
- To propose strategies for increasing the impact of drug delivery technologies and accelerating the product development lifecycle.
Main Methods:
- A critical review of the current state-of-the-art in drug delivery technology.
- A case study focusing on technologies for drug delivery into and through the skin.
- Analysis of historical development and translation efficiency.
Main Results:
- Significant innovation in drug delivery technology has not proportionally led to approved products for unmet medical needs.
- The translation process from concept to approved product for drug delivery technologies has been slow and inefficient.
- Specific challenges and bottlenecks hinder the clinical translation of advanced drug delivery systems.
Conclusions:
- The field of drug delivery requires a re-evaluation of translation strategies to bridge the gap between technological innovation and clinical application.
- Accelerating the development of drug delivery products necessitates a deeper understanding of regulatory pathways and market needs.
- Future efforts should focus on optimizing the concept-to-product lifecycle to enhance the impact of drug delivery technologies on patient outcomes.
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