Chronobiology, drug-delivery, and chronotherapeutics.
All functions in man are highly organized in time as biological rhythms of diverse periods, both in health and in disease. This represents a challenge for those involved in the development of drug-delivery systems to make possible the treatment of illness according to these physiological biological rhythms as a means of improving therapeutic outcomes. Though constant-release drug-delivery systems seem to improve patient compliance to many diverse treatments (e.g., for hypertension), rhythmicity in biological functions and in the mechanisms of disease should be mirrored by respective drug-release programs.
Lemmer
Björn
B
Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Heidelberg, Maybachstrasse 14, D-68169 Mannheim, Germany. bjoern.lemmer@pharmtox.uni-heidelberg.de
D002909:Chronobiology Phenomena / Q000502:physiology*; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D006801:Humans