Medical Design Briefs - August 2024 - 24

Targeted Drug Delivery
parylene C lining the inside. That ensures that the drug only
diffuses out from one side of the balloon, making it easier to
control the direction of drug delivery.
The team experimented with polymer membranes of different
thicknesses and compositions to study how that affected
drug diffusion and membrane strength. " We were able to
achieve a sustained drug release for more than five months,
and all the devices remained intact for this duration despite the
ultrasoft mechanical properties, " explains corresponding author
Sohee Kim, a professor at DGIST.
The balloons were filled with a fluorescent dye to serve as a
drug model and then implanted into rats and mice. The dye
was released at a steady rate of 1.16 micrograms per day, without
any significant variation in dose for 30 days and with very
little variation for 58 days.
" Most importantly, the ultrasoft mechanical properties of
the device ensured less foreign body responses than previously
developed reservoir-type devices, with relatively thin fibrotic
encapsulation, " says Tausif Muhammad, the first author of the
study.
Such a device could have implications for long-term drug delivery
for a wide range of diseases and conditions, including
diabetes, epilepsy, heart disease and cancer. They could also
include sensors to allow ongoing, real-time monitoring of disease
and physiological markers. The researchers are now planning
to study the balloon's effectiveness in delivering anticancer
drugs in a brain cancer model.
For more information, contact Sohee Kim at soheekim@
dgist.ac.kr or visit www.dgist.ac.kr.
Read the full journal article.
Shaping the Future of Polymer Nanocarriers
The nanocarriers present great potential for targeted drug delivery.
Center for Research in Biological Chemistry and Molecular Materials (CIQUS),
Santiago de Compostela, Spain
S
cientists have taken a significant step toward the development
of tailor-made chiral nanocarriers with controllable
release properties. These nanocarriers, inspired by nature's
helical molecules like DNA and proteins, hold immense
potential for targeted drug delivery and other biomedical applications.
The
study, led by Professors Emilio Quiñoá and Félix Freire
at the Center for Research in Biological Chemistry and Molecular
Materials (CiQUS), highlights the intricate relationship
between the structure of helical polymers and their
self-assembly into nanospheres. By carefully designing the
secondary chain, the researchers were able to modulate the
acidity of the polymers, influencing their aggregation patterns
and leading to the formation of nanoespheres with
varying densities.
Intriguingly, the size of these nanoespheres could be precisely
controlled by simply adjusting the water-to-solvent ratio
during their preparation, eliminating the need for stabilizers.
This eco-friendly approach paves the way for sustainable synthesis
of these particles.
The researchers further demonstrated the remarkable ability
to control the release of encapsulated substances within these
nanoespheres using light. A photochemical reaction triggered
the degradation of the polymers, releasing their cargo - in
size: 264nm
SD: 30nm
500 nm
An eco-friendly approach enables the development of sustainable synthesis of such
particles. (Credit: CIQUS)
24
The breakthrough paves the way for the development of next-generation nanocarriers.
(Credit: CIQUS)
www.medicaldesignbriefs.com
Medical Design Briefs, August 2024
http://www.dgist.ac.kr https://www.medicaldesignbriefs.com
Medical Design Briefs - August 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Medical Design Briefs - August 2024
