Nikhil Kavimandan
Graduate Research Assistant
Department of Chemical Engineering
The University of Texas at Austin
1 University Station, MC C0400
Austin, TX 78712
(512)471-6910 (O)
(512)320-8837 (H)
nik@che.utexas.edu

My research work focuses on developing effective oral delivery formulations therapeutic agents, especially proteins and peptides. Specifically, I am using Complexation Hydrogels as delivery vehicle tools for insulin conjugates. Diabetes mellitus affects over 20 million people in the U.S. alone and is one of the leading causes of deaths worldwide. The most common way of treating this disease is insulin therapy. Currently the only viable option for insulin delivery is subcutaneous injections that encourages noncompliance and leads to further complications such as hypertension and localized deposition of fat and local hypertrophy.

A lot of research effort in the field of drug delivery is focused on developing alternative ways of insulin delivery. Oral delivery remains the most attractive, but at the same time most challenging, means of delivering insulin. The key challenges in designing oral delivery formulations for insulin are: a. degradation of the administered bioactive agent by the enzymes in the GI tract and b. structural complexity of the proteins that renders it ineffective in traversing the epithelial barrier.

Our approach focuses on use of complexation hydrogels as delivery tools for insulin and other proteins. I am working on improving the oral bioavailability insulin by using these complexation hydrogels for delivering insulin conjugates having enhanced stability and transport characteristics. So my work sits at the interface of biochemistry and biomaterials in drug delivery. By combining different approaches to the same problem we hope to design effective oral delivery formulations for therapeutic proteins and peptides.

·  N.A. Peppas, K. Wood, N.J.Kavimandan, “Molecular Dynamics of Complexation Hydrogels in Relation to Protein Delivery Applications” European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, (Review Paper submitted).

·  T. Goto, M. Morishita, N.J. Kavimandan, N.A. Peppas, and K. Takayama, “Gastrointestinal Transit of Mucoadhesive Complexation Hydrogels in Rats” Journal of Controlled Release (In Preparation).

·  T. Yamagata, M. Morishita, N.J. Kavimandan, N.A. Peppas, and K. Takayama, “Characterization of Insulin Protection Properties of Complexation Hydrogels in Gastric and Intestinal Enzyme Fluids” Journal of Controlled Release (In Preparation).

·  H. Chiba, M. Morishita, N.J. Kavimandan, N.A. Peppas, and K. Takayama, “Application of Complexation Hydrogels to Oral Delivery Systems for Peptide and Protein Drugs” (In Preparation).

·  N.J. Kavimandan and N.A. Peppas, “Complexation Hydrogels as Oral Delivery Vehicles for Insulin-Transferrin Conjugates”, in N.A. Peppas, K. Anseth, A.K. Dillow and C.E. Schmidt, eds., Advances in Biomaterials, Bionanotechnology, Biomimetic Systems and Tissue Engineering, 179-181, AIChE, New York, NY, 2004.

·  J. Blanchette, N.J. Kavimandan and N.A. Peppas, “Principles of Transmucosal Delivery of Therapeutic Agents” Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy, 58, 142-151, 2004.

·  R.S. Kulkarni and N.J. Kavimandan, “Indian Pharmaceutical Industry: Where Do We Stand in the Big Picture?” Free Press Journal, 28th January, 2004.

·  N.J. Kavimandan and N.A. Peppas, “Oral Delivery of Insulin Bioconjugates Using Complexation Hydrogels” CD-ROM Proceedings of the AIChE 2003 Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA, November 2003.

·   N.J. Kavimandan, A.D.Wani and S.Deshmukh, “The Holy Grail of Photonic Crystals”, Bombay Technologist, September, 2000.