Nanotechnology is a revolutionary field of science and technology, with significant developments over the last few decades spanning medicine, cosmetics, agriculture, and engineering. The simple definition of ‘nano’ means particles sized 1 to 100 nm (1 billionth of a metre, not even visible with standard microscopy). They have a large surface area to volume, which can alter properties such as strength, dynamics, stability and reactivity – and it is this that makes them of huge scientific interest. It is often assumed that ‘nano’ always means ‘artificial’ or ‘engineered’. That’s not the case – nanoparticles are all around us in the natural world and have been for billions of years. Indeed, nature has been described as an ‘excellent nanotechnologist’.

In the atmosphere
The land, sea and air are rich in examples of nanomaterials. In the atmosphere, nanoscopic ash or soot particles are present due to volcanic activity or near open fires, and dust storms from deserts contain many mineral-based nanoparticles. Mineral springs are full of nanoscopic solid material, and clay is a natural nanomaterial, made of silicon, aluminum and hydroxyl components forming sheets of nanometric size. These sheets give plasticity to the clay when wet, which then hardens upon drying or firing.

We are delighted to share that the results from our Phase 1/2 trial of BB2603 in subjects with onychomycosis (fungal nail infection) and tinea pedis (athlete’s foot) have now been published in the peer-reviewed journal, Mycoses.

BB2603 is our topical formulation of the antifungal agent terbinafine complexed with a polymer that enhances delivery through the nail and into the upper layers of the skin.

In summary:

• BB2603 was shown to be safe and very well-tolerated, with active drug detected at the site of infection (nail) and not in circulation.

• There was impressive anti-mycological activity seen, especially in eradication of the causative fungi.

• BB2603 is a promising topical drug, and further trials in OM and TP are either ongoing or planned. See our clinical trials page for details of our ongoing European Phase 2 trial in onychomycosis.

For a read-only copy of the paper, click here.

We would like to thank all the patients who participated in this trial.

Blueberry Therapeutics are pleased to share the publication of a review article in Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology titled ‘Antimicrobial polymeric materials and nanocomposites’.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2021.780328/full

This peer-reviewed article was authored by Winnie Ntow-Boahene, a student in Professor Liam Good’s team at the Royal Veterinary College, London. The research is partly funded by Blueberry and supported by our Chief Scientific Officer, Dave Cook, who is also an author. The project also benefits from UK government funding from BBSRC (https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-1906777).

This review provides an excellent overview of the current state of play of antifungal treatments, and highlights that although not often serious at the individual level, fungal infections are on the increase and are a concern at a global level. These infections include onychomycosis (fungal nail infection) and tinea pedis (athlete’s foot), two core areas of focus for Blueberry.

Like many therapeutic approaches of the last century, antifungal treatments are generally small molecule drugs (organic compounds with low molecular weight). These often have limitations, such as low solubility and difficultly achieving the required concentrations at the site of infection in the body (‘bioavailability’). Antifungal resistance is increasing and becoming a problem akin to the more well-known issue of antibiotic resistance.

The authors suggest that alternative strategies are needed to treat fungal infections, such as the use of antifungal polymers, which can be natural or synthetic and are large molecules built up of multiple units. The antifungal activity comes from charged regions that allow adhesion to the fungus wall, hydrophobic (repels water) regions that allow entry into cell membranes, and hydrophilic (mixes with water) […]

Blueberry were recently invited to write two commentaries on the challenges of treating skin and nail diseases and the potential for nanotechnology approaches in dermal drug delivery. Here we share a brief overview of these articles.

We will all have encountered someone who is dealing with or has previously experienced a common ailment of the skin or nails, such as eczema (atopic dermatitis), acne, athlete’s foot (tinea pedis), or a fungal nail infection (onychomycosis). For people suffering with these everyday conditions, managing them can have a significant impact on their life, both in terms of their physical and their mental well-being.

Topical drugs are a non-invasive, painless, and convenient route of administration, and a logical choice for treating skin and nail disorders. They directly target the site of disease while limiting any unwanted systemic exposure and toxicities often associated with other delivery routes, such as injection or oral drugs. However, the skin is an excellent natural barrier that poses a significant challenge to topical drug delivery, due to its multi-layered composition. The capacity for a drug to enter and pass into our bodies relies upon its ability to penetrate both the hydrophobic (repels water) and hydrophilic (attracts water) layers of the skin, which many existing drug formulations are not designed to do. Similarly, for a topical treatment to reach the nail bed (the site of fungal nail infections) it needs to get through the nail. This is a hardened and effective barrier with hydrophilic properties that impede the permeation of existing antifungal drugs that are often hydrophobic. So, could new developments in […]

Blueberry Therapeutics is a drug development company committed to finding new and improved treatments for a range of dermatological conditions affecting the skin and nails. The future and long‑term effect of the global COVID-19 pandemic (caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 [SARS-CoV-2 virus]) on dermatology practice and skin health is still unknown, but here we provide some insights on the potential challenges for dermatology patients and practitioners.

Skin diseases are frequently neglected as they are not an immediate threat to life, and do not generally cause serious complications or require hospitalisations. Lockdown and other measures implemented in many countries to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infections and protect people and healthcare resources, have led to a notable decrease in the number of patients attending face-to-face outpatient dermatology consultations, both in hospitals and in specialist clinics^1,2. Although teledermatology appointments (using telecommunication technology) have been recommended and successfully implemented to allow consultations³, there is concern of a build-up of undiagnosed and untreated skin conditions. These may become more burdensome and some cases may require urgent medical attention if patients continue to be unable to seek help. Some inflammatory skin diseases, such as psoriasis or atopic dermatitis, are treated with systemic immunosuppressive drugs, which reach the bloodstream and affect the bodies capacity to fight off an infection⁴. In this COVID‑19 era, patients under treatment with these drugs that work through the modulation of the immune system should be monitored closely, so appointments with their dermatologist are important.

As well as this potential issue of under-diagnosis and undertreatment, there may be a delay in […]

Onychomycosis (fungal nail infection) and tinea pedis (athlete’s foot), are some of the most common forms of fungal infection in adults and are often the first things that spring to mind when thinking of fungal infection. However, many other forms of fungal infection exist, which affect all different parts of the body and can have serious health implications. 

Fungal infections are typically split into two types, Invasive Fungal Infections (IFIs) and Non-Invasive Fungal Infections, though it could be argued that all fungal infections are invasive due to their location within the body. IFIs, though rare, are typically systemic, severe and life-threatening,^{1, 2} while the more common non-invasive fungal infections are localised and generally benign.  

Non-Invasive Fungal Infections  

The most frequently occurring fungal diseases are the “non-invasive” infections such as fungal nail infection (tinea unguium), athlete’s foot (tinea pedis), ringworm (tinea corporis) and Candida infections of the vagina, mouth, throat, and oesophagus (Thrush).  

The “tinea family” of infections are often caused by dermatophytes such as Trichophyton species, Epidermophyton species or Microsporum species and are named by site of infection.  Tinea corporis (skin) and tinea capitis (hair) are more common in children. Adolescents and adults more often develop tinea cruris (groin), tinea pedis (athletes’ foot), and tinea unguium (nail). Fungal infection of the skin, hair or nails affects approximately 1 billion people worldwide ³ and, in the US alone accounted for 4 million outpatient medical visits.⁴