Dermal Patch with Integrated Flexible Heater for on Demand Drug Delivery

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Drug Delivery Systems

Background:

• Controlled topical drug delivery is crucial for treating skin disorders and chronic wounds.
• Existing methods often lack precision in releasing therapeutic agents.
• Advanced wound healing requires innovative delivery platforms for drugs and growth factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engineer a smart dermal patch for controlled topical administration of drugs and growth factors.
• To develop a system utilizing thermoresponsive microcarriers and electronic temperature control for precise drug release.
• To demonstrate the platform's capability in releasing active molecules with drug-like and growth factor-like molecular weights.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of monodisperse thermoresponsive microparticles using microfluidics.
• Encapsulation of active molecules within microcarriers for controlled release.
• Integration of microcarriers within a hydrogel layer attached to a flexible heater with electronic control circuitry.
• Characterization of release profiles for two different active molecules.

Main Results:

• Successful fabrication of thermoresponsive microparticles containing active molecules.
• Demonstrated controlled release of model drugs and growth factors via electronic temperature adjustment.
• The engineered patch conformed to the wound area, enabling localized therapeutic delivery.
• Characterized release profiles confirmed the system's ability to modulate delivery rates.

Conclusions:

• The developed dermal patch represents a significant advancement in smart topical drug delivery systems.
• This platform enables precise, electronically controlled release of therapeutics for wound healing applications.
• The technology paves the way for closed-loop systems in advanced wound management and topical therapy.