Nastech studies of the nasal mucosa include the development and optimization of cell culture and assay systems for human nasal tissue. This enables the study of tight junction function and improvement in the delivery of drugs by developing better formulations.

In addition to developing improved nasal formulations, we are applying our knowledge of tight junctions to other tissues and other delivery systems. We believe that our growing expertise in tight junction science will be directly applicable to enhancing oral and other drug delivery routes. For example, an area of ongoing research is discovering ways of improving the delivery of drugs directly to the Central Nervous System (CNS) through nasal administration and by manipulating tight junctions at the blood-brain barrier. These approaches hold great promise for the development of effective neurological drugs for treating diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, schizophrenia and pain.

Our formulation development methods have been successful as evidenced by clinical studies for the nasal delivery of the peptide drugs PYY for obesity, PTH (parathyroid hormone) for osteoporosis, and the protein ß-interferon for multiple sclerosis. By improving our understanding of the structure and function of tight junctions in the nasal epithelial barrier and other tissues, we expect to continue to make significant improvements in the delivery of both small and large molecules for an increasing number of therapeutic applications.