A microexplosive shockwave-based drug delivery microsystem for treating hard-to-reach areas in the human body

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Drug Delivery Systems
• Medical Device Development

Background:

• Internal organ lesions in the esophagus, gastrointestinal tract, and respiratory tract often occur in curved or zigzag areas.
• Existing therapeutic modalities have limited ability for localized drug delivery to these complex anatomical regions.
• Effective treatment requires methods to deliver drugs precisely to these challenging lesion sites.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate innovative microsystems for targeted drug delivery using microshockwave technology.
• To create a device capable of depositing drugs onto mucous membranes in curved or zigzag endoluminal areas.
• To assess the biosafety and drug delivery capacity of these novel microsystems.

Main Methods:

• Development of microsystems with a warhead-like shell containing drug powder and a flexible rod.
• Numerical simulation to analyze the explosive impact characteristics during drug delivery.
• In vivo experiments involving drug delivery in pig intestines to evaluate biosafety and efficacy.

Main Results:

• The developed microsystems demonstrated the capacity to deposit drugs on mucous membranes in curved or zigzag anatomical locations.
• Numerical simulations provided insights into the explosive impact dynamics of the drug delivery device.
• In vivo testing confirmed the biosafety and drug delivery capabilities of the system in a relevant biological model.

Conclusions:

• The novel microsystems offer a promising approach for localized drug delivery to challenging endoluminal lesions.
• This technology has the potential to maximize on-target drug effects and minimize systemic side effects for various endoluminal diseases.
• Further application in curved or zigzag regions of the human body is anticipated for improved therapeutic outcomes.