Reliability and sensitivity analysis of double inverted-T nano-cavity label-free Si:HfO2 ferroelectric junctionless TFET biosensors

In this work, we propose and simulate an ultrasensitive, label-free, and charge/dielectric modulated Si:HfO₂ ferroelectric junctionless tunnel field effect transistor (FE-JL-TFET) based biosensor. The proposed sensing device employs a dual inverted-T cavity and uses ferroelectric gate stacking of Si-doped HfO₂, a key enabler of negative capacitance (NC) behavior. The two cavities are carved in gate-source underlap regions by a sacrificial etching technique to sense biomolecules such as streptavidin (2.1), bacteriophage T7 (6.3) and gelatin (12). Two dimensional (2D) calibrated simulations have been performed and the impact of various device parameters, including cavity length and height, on various performance measuring parameters has been studied. It has been observed that the biosensor exhibits better sensitivities for both neutral and charged biomolecules. The maximum values of the I_ON/I_OFF sensitivity for the neutral, positively charged and negatively charged biomolecules are as high as 3.77 × 10⁹, 5.85 × 10⁹, and 1.72 × 10¹⁰, respectively. It has been observed that optimizing the cavity length and height can significantly improve the sensing capability of the proposed device. The comparative analysis of the proposed biosensor and other state of the art biosensors shows a significant improvement in the sensitivity (10¹ to 10⁶ times) in the proposed biosensor. The detrimental effect of interface trapped charges on the biosensor performance is also analyzed in detail.

We propose and simulate an ultrasensitive, label-free, and charge/dielectric modulated Si:HfO₂ ferroelectric junctionless tunnel field effect transistor (FE-JL-TFET) based biosensor.

Oil-In-Water Microemulsions for Thymol Solubilization

Essential oil compounds (EOCs) are molecules with well-known antimicrobial and antipest activity. However, such molecules possess limited solubility in water, making their handling difficult. This work aimed to enhance the distribution of a solid essential oil compound, thymol, using oil-in-water (o/w) microemulsions for its solubilization. The use of mixtures formed by an alkyl polyglucoside (APG) and soybean lecithin (SL) allowed for stabilization of the o/w microemulsions in a broad range of compositions, with the total concentration of the mixture of the two surfactants (APG+SL) and the APG:SL ratio both being essential for controlling the nature of the obtained dispersions. The microemulsions obtained using oleic acid as the oil phase and with compositions far from those corresponding to the onset of the emulsion region showed a good efficiency for thymol solubilization. This is an advantage from a stability point of view, as well as for ease of thymol preparation. The present work opens new alternatives for designing eco-sustainable formulations for EOC solubilization, with the possibility of preparing the formulations at the place of use, thereby saving transport costs and reducing the emission of pollutants.

Development of Novel Indole-3-Aldehyde-Loaded Gastro-Resistant Spray-Dried Microparticles for Postbiotic Small Intestine Local Delivery

Considering the recent evidence on the therapeutic potential of postbiotics, this study focused on 2 main goals: (1) to develop an enteric microparticle (MP) formulation for intestinal localized delivery of indole-3-aldehyde (3-IAld) (a microbial-derived metabolite produced by the host's lactobacilli during the catabolic pathway of tryptophan) and (2) to provide support in the employment of spray-drying as innovative one-step manufacturing technique for enteric products. For this purpose, special attention was taken in the knowledge of the influence of equipment setup and feedstock properties on MP enteric behavior. Eudragit^® S100 and L100 and ethyl cellulose were used as wall materials and NaOH and ethanol solutions as solvent systems. 3-IAld loading was maintained at 10% w/w. As postulated, feedstock properties influenced spray-drying regime. In addition, they prevailed over other spray-drying process factors in determining MP enteric behavior. Albeit the high buckling regime that produced crumped particles, gastro resistance was obtained by spray-drying 2:1 Eudragit^® S100:L100 with 30% w/w ethyl cellulose in ethanol solution. These results support the use of spray-drying as a method for manufacturing gastro-resistant MP. The obtained 3-IAld-loaded enteric MP will be useful to investigate novel postbiotic-based treatments in different therapeutic areas.

The strategic relevance of manufacturing technology: An overall quality concept to promote innovation preventing drug shortage

Manufacturing is the bridge between research and patient: without product, there is no clinical outcome. Shortage has a variety of causes, in this paper we analyse only causes related to manufacturing technology and we use shortage as a paradigm highliting the relevance of Pharmaceutical Technology. Product and process complexity and capacity issues are the main challenge for the Pharmaceutical Industry Supply chain. Manufacturing Technology should be acknowledged as a R&D step and as a very important matter during University degree in Pharmacy and related disciplines, promoting collaboration between Academia and Industry, measured during HTA step and rewarded in terms of price and reimbursement. The above elements are not yet properly recognised, and manufacturing technology is taken in to consideration only when a shortage is in place. In a previous work, Panzitta et al. proposed to perform a full technology assessment at the Health Technological Assessment stage, evaluating three main technical aspects of a medicine: manufacturing process, physicochemical properties, and formulation characteristics. In this paper, we develop the concept of manufacturing appraisal, providing a technical overview of upcoming challenges, a risk based approach and an economic picture of shortage costs. We develop also an overall quality concept, not limited to GMP factors but broaden to all elements leading to a robust supply and promoting technical innovation.

Drug delivery system innovation and Health Technology Assessment: Upgrading from Clinical to Technological Assessment

Health Technology Assessment (HTA) is a multidisciplinary health political instrument that evaluates the consequences, mainly clinical and economical, of a health care technology; the HTA aim is to produce and spread information on scientific and technological innovation for health political decision making process. Drug delivery systems (DDS), such as nanocarriers, are technologically complex but they have pivotal relevance in therapeutic innovation. The HTA process, as commonly applied to conventional drug evaluation, should upgrade to a full pharmaceutical assessment, considering the DDS complexity. This is useful to study more in depth the clinical outcome and to broaden its critical assessment toward pharmaceutical issues affecting the patient and not measured by the current clinical evidence approach. We draw out the expertise necessary to perform the pharmaceutical assessment and we propose a format to evaluate the DDS technological topics such as formulation and mechanism of action, physicochemical characteristics, manufacturing process. We integrated the above-mentioned three points in the Evidence Based Medicine approach, which is data source for any HTA process. In this regard, the introduction of a Pharmaceutics Expert figure in the HTA could be fundamental to grant a more detailed evaluation of medicine product characteristics and performances and to help optimizing DDS features to overcome R&D drawbacks. Some aspects of product development, such as manufacturing processes, should be part of the HTA as innovative manufacturing processes allow new products to reach more effectively patient bedside. HTA so upgraded may encourage resource allocating payers to invest in innovative technologies and providers to focus on innovative material properties and manufacturing processes, thus contributing to bring more medicines in therapy in a sustainable manner.