DescriptionAt the New Jersey Center for Biomaterials, a potential topical psoriasis therapy consisting of tyrosine-derived polymeric micelles (TyroSpheres™) with encapsulated drug has been developed. These TyroSpheres™ are composed of copolymers with hydrophobic blocks of oligomers of desaminotyrosyl tyrosine esters and diacids and hydrophilic blocks of poly(ethylene glycol). Encapsulated drugs include a vitamin D3 analogue, betamethasone dipropionate, and paclitaxel. Drug-loaded TyroSpheres™ offer: 1) reproducible particle sizes, 2) control of drug release rates, 3) enhancement of drug stability, 4) increased solubility by high encapsulation capacity, 5) lack of short-term cytotoxicity, and 6) the ability to improve drug delivery into the skin. Additionally, TyroSpheres™ can be incorporated into an elegant viscous formulation for skin application with no impact on homogeneity, release, or skin distribution. Analysis has revealed that TyroSpheres™ are stable for up to 4 months, significantly limiting their shelf-life potential. By implementing a rational design, research on the preparation of a dry formulation of TyroSpheresTM has been undertaken, resulting in a fully re-constitutable formulation that has demonstrated complete stability to date (6 months). A two year-long stability study has been initiated to track the properties of this formulation over time. TyroSpheres™ address the requirements of a pharmaceutically acceptable skin drug delivery carrier and offer potential in the treatment of psoriasis since they allow delivery of difficult to uptake drugs to skin strata where the disease originates.