# Polyesters with controlled topologies for probing transcytosis at the gut-blood barrier

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA IN TUSCALOOSA · 2023 · $328,441

## Abstract

Project Summary
Polymer nanoparticles present an exciting opportunity to deliver pharmaceutical drugs orally. While promising,
this approach is currently limited by two major problems, 1) lack of versatile polymer structures for customized
delivery of diverse pharmaceutical drugs and 2) lack of quantitative tools that can a priori predict clinical
pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of orally administered drug-laden polymer nanoparticles. In pursuit
of clinical translation of polymer nanoparticles, this proposal aims to synthesize polyesters with controlled
topologies for probing transcytosis at the gut-blood barrier and develop quantitative tools in the form of
mathematical systems physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models. Towards this goal, a series of in
vitro, in vivo, and in silico investigations in translationally relevant preclinical species are proposed to obtain
unprecedented quantitative insight into the processes responsible for absorption, distribution, metabolism, and
elimination (ADME) of drug-laden polymer nanoparticles. In addition, all the preclinical data will be
mathematically integrated simultaneously using a novel bottom-up systems PBPK model, which can serve as a
quantitative tool for preclinical-to-clinical translation of orally administered drug-laden polymer nanoparticles.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10658083
- **Project number:** 1R01GM146097-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA IN TUSCALOOSA
- **Principal Investigator:** Ravikumar N Majeti
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $328,441
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2023-09-15 → 2027-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10658083

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10658083, Polyesters with controlled topologies for probing transcytosis at the gut-blood barrier (1R01GM146097-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10658083. Licensed CC0.

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