Drug Delivery Solutions for the Next Generation of Therapeutics

How do you get a fragile, complex therapy safely to a tumor deep in the body? Or deliver a genetic medicine precisely to brain cells without affecting other systems? As medicine becomes more targeted, delivery becomes more difficult—and more important. 

At Battelle, we’re helping lead the way in solving these challenges. Our scientists and engineers are developing smarter, more precise ways to get tomorrow’s therapies where they need to go, whether that means inhalable gene therapies, microneedle patches or nanoparticles that can find their way to the right tissue on their own. 

Rethinking Routes of Administration for Drug Delivery 

In the past, most medicines were designed to be swallowed (in liquid or pill form), injected into the bloodstream or muscle, or, in some cases, inhaled into the lungs. For many conditions, these approaches remain effective. But for today’s most advanced therapies—including gene editing tools, RNA-based drugs and living cells—those traditional routes often fall short. 

Delivering these therapies effectively means rethinking where and how they enter the body, as well as how therapies are protected, targeted and released once inside. That’s why researchers are exploring a growing range of innovative administration routes and drug delivery systems. Promising examples include:  

• Direct-to-organ targeting, using smart carrier systems like lipid nanoparticles, can bring treatments exactly where they’re needed—whether it’s a tumor, the liver, a nerve cell, or another specific tissue.
• Inhalable gene therapies for diseases like cystic fibrosis deliver medicine directly to the lungs, where it can act quickly and efficiently.
• Microneedle patches offer a painless and easy-to-use option for vaccines and biologics, making it easier for patients to stick with their treatment plans.
• Intranasal delivery can transport medicine directly to the brain, bypassing the blood-brain barrier and opening new possibilities for treating neurological conditions.
• Ocular implants provide long-acting treatment for eye diseases, reducing the need for frequent injections. 

Many of these new routes are already in clinical trials or reaching the market. And each one represents a step toward more personalized, more effective and more accessible treatment options for patients. 

The Hidden Hurdles of Advanced Drug Delivery 

These new therapies hold enormous promise, but they also come with a new set of challenges. Compared to traditional drugs, many of today’s cutting-edge treatments are larger, more delicate and far more complex. Some can break down quickly in the body if not protected. Others need to reach very specific cells or tissues to be effective, and even small errors in dose or timing can reduce their impact. 

To deliver these therapies successfully, scientists and engineers must solve several problems at once: 

• Protecting fragile payloads, like mRNA or live cells, so they stay intact and functional until they reach their target.
• Improving absorption, especially for delivery methods like oral, inhaled or intranasal therapies that face biological barriers in the body.
• Controlling the dose precisely over time, avoiding sudden spikes or dips that could affect safety or effectiveness.
• Targeting specific tissues without affecting healthy ones, which is especially important for therapies with strong or permanent effects.
• Avoiding immune reactions, which can block the therapy or cause unwanted side effects, particularly for protein- or virus-based systems. 

In short, every part of the delivery process must be engineered to match the therapy it carries—and that’s where cross-disciplinary innovation becomes essential. 

Solving the Drug Delivery Puzzle—One Therapy at a Time 

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to delivering next-generation medicines. Each therapy has its own characteristics: its own ideal route, timing and formulation. What works for a lipid nanoparticle carrying mRNA might not work for a living cell therapy. That’s why drug delivery is evolving from a single field into a collaborative effort that brings together biology, chemistry, materials science, engineering, data science and clinical insight. 

At Battelle, we’ve been working at this intersection for decades. Our teams develop smart drug delivery devices, engineer custom carriers for fragile payloads, and create materials that release medication over time or target it to specific cells. In one recent project, Battelle researchers used a high-throughput screening platform (HIT SCAN™) to develop polymer nanoparticles capable of delivering large nucleic acids to neuronal cells—something previously impossible with conventional methods. It’s one example of how we’re pushing beyond traditional barriers to make new therapies viable. 

As medicine continues to advance, delivery must advance with it. The future of healthcare won’t just be defined by the therapies we invent, but by our ability to get them exactly where they need to go. Solving that challenge will require new tools, new thinking and deep collaboration across disciplines. At Battelle, we’re proud to be part of that journey.