Seeking Partner for Single Dose Powder Inhaler
6/29/17 Introducing DoseOne™, a single dose powder inhaler that is already prototyped, tested, recently benchmarked, and ready for pilot production and a partner to move it forward. The design is SO simple it’s something that makes you say, “Darn, I wish I thought of that, it’s so simple!”
Simple means inexpensive (~$0.30 USD in Full Volume) and fast to market and can be tested in pilot production immediately because it is already designed, molded, and ready for slight modifications to fit a particular size molecule.
Dose-One Patent #7,832,399
DoseOne™ is a single use disposable dry powder inhaler that is:
– Vaccine-ready
– Easy to Carry & package for epidemic/pandemic necessity
– Fills a unique niche in the dry powder inhaler market
Achieves new demanding regulatory requirements previously only achievable using complicated device designs such as:
- Dose counting
- Powder holdup
- Dose readiness indication
- Dose completion / user feedback
DoseOne™ is extremely easy to use and requires minimal training
– The device, as currently designed, requires three steps to use
- Removal from over-pack
- Actuation
- Inspiration
– Actuation is a simple compressive snap
– As a result of it’s simple operation, DoseOne™ has an excellent application in the delivery of drugs (such as vaccinations) to third-world countries
DoseOne™ is currently a three component inhaler with:
- All three components are highly manufacturable.
- Long term material selection which can be determined by the customer as a function of drug chemistry as the device design requires very few material constraints.
- Current performance data which utilized pharmaceutical grade/USP Class VI resins.
Regulatory Advantages:
- DoseOne™ is a single dose device, minimizing dose-to-dose consistency risk.
- No device priming. Many inhalation systems require a prime of the device of a number of shot before use.
- DoseOne™ uses a new device for each dose and thus eliminates the issue of powder “caking and flaking” (deposition during inspiration adding to dose volumes of later doses).
- No dose counting! The FDA and other world health organization strongly recommend the use of dose counters or indicators to increase patient compliance. DoseOne™ is one device, one use, and disposable.
- The current device design contains a very simple dose readiness indicator as well as dose delivery indicator. This comes in the form of a viewing window to allow the user confirmation that the dose is ready, and that the dose has been delivered.
Development Status
- DoseOne has constructed tools for the current DoseOne™designs (Size #2 and Size #4)
- Size #0 and Size #1 design embodiments are tooling kick-off ready. Feasibility, optimization, and DFM details are complete.
- Current single cavity tools are Phase I clinical ready
- Devices are currently in a molded and fully functional state
- US Patents are granted
– US PAT #7,832,399
Partnering Expectations/Goals for DoseOne, LLC:
– Partner with successful formulations development/OEM companies interested in providing patients with effective treatment
– Develop mutually beneficial milestone based license arrangements which results in an expeditious time to market
– Continuously adjust and improve device performance as new formulations become available
– Supply the marketplace with a unique device partnered with an effective drug
Interested? Contact Donna Bibber at 774-230-3459 or Donna@MicroEngineeringSolutions.com.
Micro Component Thumbnail Device
Researchers at the MIT have developed a wearable device that turns the user’s thumbnail into a miniature wireless track pad. This would allow users to control wireless devices when their hands are full, like answering the phone while carrying grocery bags.
According to Cindy Hsin-Liu Kao, an MIT graduate student in media arts and sciences and lead author on the new paper, the device was inspired by the colorful stickers that some women apply to their nails. “It’s a cosmetic product, popular in Asian countries,” says Kao, who is Taiwanese. “When I came here, I was looking for them, but I couldn’t find them, so I’d have my family mail them to me.” They can have a thin layered cover with a design on it so it looks like nailpolish.
A future commercial version of this device would have a detachable membrane on its surface. They used capacitive sensing (the same kind of sensing the iPhone’s touch screen relies on) to register touch. It can tolerate a thin, nonactive layer between the user’s finger and the underlying sensors.
The thumbnail size prototype includes capacitive sensors, a battery, and three separate chips – a microcontroller, a Bluetooth radio chip, and a capacitive-sensing. Due to its small size using micro components, the battery life isn’t very long therefore the device would need to be turned off when not in use.
Micro technology is such an amazing aspect to the electronics and medical industries, imagine not having to carry a cell phone around anymore, you could access it on your thumbnail!!!
Intraocular Micro Components
6/15/17 Cataracts, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma are major causes of loss of vision. Implants are generally used to help with these situations. Ophthalmic and intraocular implants are largely made up of many micro sized and highly precise components and assemblies.
This glaucoma drain, commonly known as a shunt, is injection molded, spherically shaped with a wedge-shaped radial side action in the tool that creates the drain geometry. At the end of the side action travel is a 250 micron orifice whereby no flash can be tolerated. Shunts are mostly tubular, however this one is 3d shaped and designed for placement in the sclera (side of the eye). It is designed to act like a venturi system which uses the pressure of the eye to push the discharge from glaucoma to behind the eye where it can drain. In addition to the 250 micron entry orifice, there are 4 suture holes of 250 micron diameter (2x a human hair) molded into the top of the implant. These suture holes also must be free and clear of particulate or flash to prevent sutures from cutting during implantable or after surgery. Designing and manufacturing micro sized components like this takes special technology and tooling. To get the job done right you need to find a company that has years of experience in micro components, like Micro Engineering Solutions does. If you have a project that needs micro-specialty please give us a call.
Micro Medical Device takes on the Opiod Crisis
6/8/17 Smart pills are fairly new to the medical field. They do a variety of things from measuring the amount of a substance in your body to acting like a micro-submarine maneuvering throughout your body for a specific purpose.
One of the more recent hopes of this device is to put a dent in the opiod overdose crisis. Imagine a smart pill that could detect and measure other substances in your body, then administer the correct amount of drug to counteract the opiods! This could be possible using microfluidic and micro actuator techniques. Scientists are currently working out the details on this concept and could make a quick positive direct impact in the fight against opiod overdoses.