Rapid Dose Therapeutics (RDT) is going back to school.

The Ontario-based company has partnered with McMaster University — and secured a $540,000 grant from the Canadian government — to advance its drug delivery system by developing “novel biopolymer compositions” that facilitate the absorption of cannabis and other medications through oral dissolvable thin films.

“RDT is committed to playing a leadership role in the development of innovative solutions for delivering active ingredients to patients and consumers in health and wellness, medical cannabis and pharmaceutical markets,” said Rina Carlini, the company’s vice president of research and innovation.

“We are proud to be partnering on this project with McMaster University, Canada’s most research-intensive and renowned institution, and also grateful for the funding support from the Canadian government to help us advance our collaborative research efforts,” Carlini added.

While medication is typically administered to patients in pill or tablet form — because the delivery system allows for easy control of dosing — many young and elderly patients have trouble swallowing pills, making the format difficult for them to ingest. Pills also undergo metabolism in the stomach that can weaken pharmaceutical medication and even lead to liver toxicity over prolonged periods of time.

While medication is typically administered to patients in pill or tablet form, many young and elderly patients have trouble swallowing pills, making the format difficult for them to ingest. / Photo: Rapid Dose Therapeutics Rapid Dose Therapeutics

Oral strips, however, dissolve quickly under the tongue allowing for medication to be rapidly absorbed into the mouth and bloodstream, avoiding the liver and gastrointestinal tract altogether.

RDT currently produces a proprietary oral delivery system called QuickStrip that it plans to build on through its new partnership and funding.

“I am delighted by the opportunity to partner with RDT on this important project, which aims to significantly expand the drug repertoire deliverable using QuickStrip™ technology,” said Alex Adronov, a professor at the McMaster University and the principal investigator of the new collaboration. “It is a challenging endeavour, however, one that promises to expand our options for pharmaceutical delivery,” Adronov said.