New Micro Drug Delivery Technologies
8/5/15 Nowadays drug delivery and micro devices go hand in hand. Research is currently being done to delivery drugs directly to a problem area without the drug having to move through the entire body to hopefully get to its intended target.
Researchers at MIT have created a 3mm long device, that can hold 16 different drugs or drug cocktails, that can be implanted directly into tumors in lab mice. The device then releases the drugs into the cancerous tissues. After 24hrs the research analysis showed that the local drug response was similar to what occurs after systemic injection (drugs taken by mouth or injection that have to travel through the entire body to treat an issue).
Doing similar research, scientists at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center found a device could accurately predict systemic responses to drugs. This would enable the placement of multiple columns of drugs for analysis directly into a tumor, making it possible to assess drug effects with multiple biomarkers and in multiple regions to capture the heterogeneity of response within the tumor. This technology intentionally bypasses biodistribution, metabolism, bioavailability and excretion tissues associated with systemic dosing, making it possible to focus on whether the drug engages its target, how cancer cells respond to target engagement and whether the fate of the exposed cells indicates potential for a patient response.
By making micro sized devices that can be sent to a specific are of the body so that the drugs can be released in a controlled manner, revolutionizes how we treat ailments nowadays. The entire body isn’t being affected by the strong drugs, just the target area is being affected. This is cutting edge technology that we have been in the midst of researching and developing. It is changing the way we treat people, in a positive manner.