CNDD

The Center for Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery (CNDD) was established within the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy in 2007. The focus of the CNDD is to safely and effectively translate new drug and imaging discoveries into clinical trials with the goal to improve human health. The CNDD is funded, in part, by The Carolina Partnership, a unique partnership between the University Cancer Research Fund and the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. The Carolina Partnership was founded with an $18 million investment to enable UNC to become the preeminent academic cancer drug discovery and development program in the world.

CNDD HAS THE FOLLOWING THREE MISSIONS:

1. Utilize nanotechnology and advanced drug-delivery systems to increase the poor absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion (ADME) of drugs, and decrease the toxicity of new molecular entities, which results in 50-60% of all drugs failing in preclinical evaluation.
2. Facilitate a seamless translation of new molecular-entity discoveries into human clinical trials.
3. Integrate nanotechnology-based therapeutics with imaging and diagnostics to create “theranostic” interventions.

LEAD CLINICAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS IN THE CNDD INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:

1. Topically and orally bioavailable radionuclide decorporation agents (funded by NIH-NIAID and Homeland Security)
2. Topical gel and intravaginal ring delivery systems containing nano-based microbicidal agents (funded by NIH-NIAID-NICHD)
3. Nanoparticle-based therapeutics to overcome multidrug resistant breast cancer (funded by NIH-NCI)
4. Nanoparticle-based MRI contrast agents (funded by NIH-NIBIB)
5. Nanoparticle-based HIV vaccines (funded by NIH-NIAID)