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Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Alternating Magnetic Field-Responsive Hybrid Gelatin Microgels for Controlled Drug Release
Published on: February 13, 2016
A monolithic polymeric microdevice for pH-responsive drug delivery
Jian Chen1, Michael Chu, Khajag Koulajian
1Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G8, Canada.
Abstract:
A drug-delivery microdevice integrating pH-responsive nano-hydrogel particles functioning as intelligent nano valves is described. The polymeric microdevices are monolithic without requiring peripheral control hardware or additional components for controlling drug-release rates. pH-responsive nanoparticles were synthesized and embedded into a composite membrane. The resulting pH-responsive composite membranes were integrated with PDMS micro reservoirs via a room-temperature transfer bonding technique to form the proof-of-concept microdevices. In vitro release characterization of the microdevices was conducted in which the release rate of Vitamin B(12) (VB(12)) as a model drug increased dramatically when the local pH value was decreased from 7.4 to 4. This device concept can serve as a platform technology for intelligent drug delivery in response to various in vivo environmental signals.
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