{"id":52803,"date":"2026-04-21T09:16:04","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T13:16:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/chembe\/?post_type=news&p=52803"},"modified":"2026-04-21T09:42:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T13:42:24","slug":"steroid-delivery","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/chembe\/news\/steroid-delivery\/","title":{"rendered":"New Steroid Delivery Method Promises Fewer Doses and Less Risk"},"content":{"rendered":"

Researchers have developed a\u00a0method for turning\u00a0commonly used steroid drugs into\u00a0tiny particles that release their medicine slowly and predictably, a step that could\u00a0reduce dosing frequency and side effects for many conditions.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The results appear in\u00a0<\/span>Science Advances<\/span><\/i><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Steroids are molecules derived from the metabolism of cholesterol in the body. They are characterized by a steroid core and a tail\u00a0containing\u00a0the\u00a0side group.\u00a0Corticosteroids, a class of synthetic\u00a0steroid, serve as anti-inflammatory therapeutics for treating conditions such as arthritis, asthma, multiple sclerosis, and COVID-19. However, their effectiveness often comes with significant drawbacks. Patients\u00a0frequently\u00a0require\u00a0high doses or repeated treatments, leading to\u00a0unwanted side effects such as weight gain, osteoporosis, eye problems, and increased infection risk. In addition, frequent drug dosing is a major contributor to patient noncompliance.\u00a0This new study aims to address these issues by redesigning how these drugs are delivered in the body.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur goal was to design a system that reduces how often patients need treatment while maintaining strong therapeutic effects,\u201d\u00a0says\u00a0<\/span>Thi Vo<\/span><\/a>, assistant professor\u00a0in the\u00a0<\/span>Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The team worked with bile acids and corticosteroids\u2014two types of steroid-based molecules. Using a modified chemical process, they created uniform microparticles that gradually release the drug as they break down. In laboratory and animal tests, these particles showed consistent performance and\u00a0maintained\u00a0their biological activity.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A key discovery\u00a0was\u00a0understanding the process of how the particles form.\u00a0The researchers\u00a0found\u00a0that\u00a0small changes\u00a0in the chemical \u201ctail\u201d of steroid molecules,\u00a0specifically how easily it gains\u00a0or\u00a0loses\u00a0a proton,\u00a0are crucial\u00a0for particle formation.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIonization of the side group\u00a0of molecules\u00a0is essential for particle formation,\u201d says Vo. \u201cWithout it, the molecules do not assemble into particles.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

They also discovered that hydrogen bonding\u2014a weak attraction between molecules\u2014helps hold the particles together. By adjusting the length and structure of the molecules\u2019 side groups, the team was able to control the shape and size of the particles, forming rods, sheets, or spheres.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In experiments, the particles were tested for their ability to break down fat cells.\u00a0In lab-grown human cells, the particles\u00a0caused\u00a0fat cell destruction in a dose-dependent way. In mice, injections of the particles led to a significant reduction in fat tissue without major side effects. \u201cAll particle types caused a significant reduction\u00a0of\u00a0fat pad mass compared to controls,\u201d\u00a0says\u00a0Vo.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Importantly, the tests found that the particles worked well with various additives, such as gold nanoparticles, gold ions, or the common anti-inflammatory compound salicylic acid. This flexibility suggests that the method could be adapted and scaled for different drugs. The team also demonstrated that drugs that previously could not form particles could be modified to do so, opening the door to broader applications.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The findings could have significant implications for future treatments. By enabling drugs to release slowly and predictably, this technology could reduce dosing frequency, limit side effects, and improve patient compliance. It may also allow scientists to design drug particles with specific shapes and behaviors tailored to different diseases.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThese results enable us to not only predict what molecules can form into particles but also design and optimize particle morphology before fabrication,\u201d says\u00a0Vo. \u201cWe hope that the research points to a future where drug delivery is not only more efficient but also more personalized.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The team for this research includes University of Michigan\u2019s\u00a0Ann Arbor\u2019s Oluwaseun D. Akanbi, Michael L. Felder, Daniel Kupor, Lisa J. Bain, Crystal Sanchez, and\u00a0Omola\u00a0Eniola-Adefeso; University of Nebraska Medical Center\u2019s Jiachen Feng, Luana Jana\u00edna de Campos, and Martin Conda-Sheridan; and University of Delaware\u2019s Hanieh Safari.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Johns Hopkins\u00a0University\u2019s\u00a0Thi Vo\u00a0provided\u00a0data curation, formal analysis, funding acquisition, investigation,\u00a0methodology, project administration, resources, software,\u00a0supervision, validation, visualization, and writing.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This research was financially supported by The National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, Fast Forward Medical Innovation Mi-Kickstart\u00a0and mid-stage MTRAC grants, the University of Michigan Cellular Biotechnology Training Grant, and startup funding provided by Johns Hopkins University. Simulation performed for this research\u00a0used\u00a0resources of the Advanced Research Computing Facility (ARCH) at Johns Hopkins University.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-52803","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry","news_categories-faculty","news_categories-research"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nNew Steroid Delivery Method Promises Fewer Doses and Less Risk - Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/chembe\/news\/steroid-delivery\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New Steroid Delivery Method Promises Fewer Doses and Less Risk - Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Researchers have developed a\u00a0method for turning\u00a0commonly used steroid drugs into\u00a0tiny particles that release their medicine slowly and predictably, a step that could\u00a0reduce dosing frequency and side effects for many conditions.\u00a0\u00a0…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/chembe\/news\/steroid-delivery\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-21T13:42:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"New Steroid Delivery Method Promises Fewer Doses and Less Risk - 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