Partner 11: University of Patras (UPAT), Greece

Principle Investigator: Dr. Sophia G. Antimisiaris (Associate Professor and Laboratory Director)

UPAT is the third largest University in Greece. It includes 22 Departments, which operate 112 laboratories and 14 clinics. The University Campus is located 12 km east of the city of Patras, in the municipality of Rion, covering a flat area of 4.500 acres.  UPAT has 21,200 undergraduate and 3,260 postgraduate students. It enumerates 754 of faculty members, 238 of teaching staff, and 481 administrative personnel.  UPAT has made excellence in the fields of basic and applied research. A number of its Departments, Laboratories and Clinics have been designated as Centers of Excellence, on the basis of international assessment.

Department to carry out the work: Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Technology, (Group of Liposome Research), University Campus, Rio 26510, Greece

The group has more than 20 years of experience in liposome technology for drug delivery and targeting applications, and has participated in many research projects in collaboration with other academic groups, research Institutes and Industry. The main researchers are collaborating members of the Institute of Chemical Engineering of FORTH (http://www.iceht.forth.gr), the largest Research Institute in Greece. The lab is well equipped with facilities for formulation development, and equipment for their characterization/analysis (Homogenizers, Sonicators[Probes], extruders, freeze dryer, HPLC, fluorimeter, photometers, plate readers, microscopes, centrifuges, speed-vac, DSC), and in vitro/in vivo evaluation (cell culture facilities/ radioactive isotope use permit/ small animal room).

The full research team includes also scientists from the Departments of:

(i) Chemistry [Dr. G. M. Tsivgoulis] with expertise in organic synthesis and supramolecular chemistry
(ii) Mechanical Engineering (Lab of Biomedical Engineering) [Prof. Y.F.Missirlis and Dr. G. PAK Michaletzis] with expertise in biomaterial haemocompatibility/toxicity assessment.

The research team has more than 75 p-r papers on liposome or polymeric particles for drug delivery or targeting applications.

Representative Papers:

Fatouros, K. Haztidimitriou, S.G. Antimisiaris, «Liposomes encapsulating prednisolone and prednisolone-cyclodextrin complexes: comparison of membrane integrity and drug release», Eur. J. Pharm. Sciences, 13, 287-296, 2001.

Paraskevi Kallinteri, Euangelia Papadimitriou, Sophia G. Antimisiaris, «Targeting of small unilamellar liposomes bearing asialofetuin glycopeptide conjugates to HepG2 cells», J. Liposome. Res., 11(2&3), 175-193, 2001.

Olga Gortzi, Evangelia Papadimitriou, Christos G. Kontoyannis, Sophia G. Antimisiaris* and Panayiotis Ioannou, «Arsonoliposomes, a novel class of arsenic containing liposomes: Effect of palmitoyl-arsonolipid containing liposomes on the viability of various cancer and normal  cells in culture», Pharm. Research, 19:1, 79-86, 2002.

P. Kallinteri, S.G.Antimisiaris, I. Tsota, C. Kalogeropoulou, D. Karnabatidis, D. Siablis, «Dexamethasone incorporating liposomes: An in vitro study of their applicability as a slow release delivery system of dexamethasone from covered metallic stents», Biomaterials, 23, 4819-4826, 2002.

P. Kallinteri, D. Fatouros, P. Klepetsanis, S. G. Antimisiaris*, “Arsenic trioxide liposomes.Encapsulation efficiency and in vitro stability, J. Liposome Res., 14 (1-2): 27-38 2004

Fatouros DG, Piperoudi S, Gortzi O, Ioannou PV, Antimisiaris SG.. Physical stability of sonicated arsonoliposomes: Effect of calcium ions. J Pharm Sci-US 94 (1): 46-55 2005

Sophia Piperoudi, Dimitris Fatouros,, Panayiotis V. Ioannou, Peter Frederik, Sophia G. Antimisiaris,, Incorporation of PEG-lipids in arsonoliposomes can produce highly stable arsenic-containing vesicles of specific lipid composition. Chem. Phys. Lipids 139:2, 96-106, 2006.

G. Koromila, G. Michanetzis, Y.F. Missirlis, and S.G.Antimisiaris, Heparin incorporating liposomes as a delivery system of heparin from PET-covered metallic stents: Effect on haemocompatibility, Biomaterials, 27:12, 2525-2533, 2006.

M. Zaru, S. Mourtas, P. Klepetsanis, A.M. Fadda and S.G.Antimisiaris, Liposomes for drug delivery to the lungs after nebulization. Eur. J. Pharmaceutics & Biopharmaceutics, 67 (3), pp. 655-666, 2007

P. Zagana, M. Haikou, P. Klepetsanis, E. Giannopoulou, P.V. Ioannou, S.G. Antimisiaris, In vivo distribution of arsonoliposomes: Effect of vesicle lipid composition,  Int. J. Pharm, 347 (1-2), pp. 86-92, 2008

ML Manca , S. Mourtas, V. Drakopoulos, A.Fadda, S. G.Antimisiaris, PLGA, Chitosan or Chitosan-coated PLGA Microparticles for Alveolar Delivery? A comparative study of particle stability during nebulization. Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces, 62 (2), pp. 220-231, 2008

S Mourtas, M Haikou, M Theodoropoulou, C Tsakiroglou, S G. Antimisiaris, How liposome type, composition and loading concentration influence the rheological properties of a liposomal gel. J. Colloid & Inter. Scienc B: Biointerfaces, 317 (2), pp. 611-619, 2008

C. Peptu, M. Popa and S.G. Antimisiaris, Release of Liposome-Encapsulated Calcein from Liposome Entrapping Gelatin-Carboxymethylcellulose Films: A Presentation of Different Possibilities. J. Nanoscience & Nanotechnology, 8, 2249–2258 2008

Marco Zaru, Maria-Letizia Manca, Anna Maria Fadda Sophia G. Antimisiaris « Chitosan-coated liposomes for delivery to lungs by nebulization». J. Colloid & Inter. Scienc B: Biointerfaces, in press

Patents: GREGORIADIS GREGORY (GB); ANTIMISIARIS SOPHIA GEORGE (GR); (+1) EC:  A61K9/127; A61K9/127P, IPC: A61K9/127; A61K9/127; (IPC1-7): A61K9/127 Publication info: US2002041895 - 2002-04-11

Staff involved in the Project:

Sophia ANTIMISIARIS, BPharm, PhD
Pavlos KLEPETSANIS, BChem, PhD
Spyridon MOYRTAS, BChem, PhD
Nikolitsa NOMIKOU, BChem, PhD
Aikaterini LALATSA, BPharm, PhD

Links:

http://www.pharmacy.upatras.gr/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=68&Itemid=1
http://www.pharmacy.upatras.gr/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17&Itemid=40
http://www.iceht.forth.gr/staff/antimisiaris%20.html

Photo from the Nanomedicines workshop organized in September 2008