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Smartphone-based iontophoresis transdermal drug delivery system for cancer treatment
Tae Hyeon Kim1, Na Yeon Kim2, Hee Uk Lee1
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sogang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Abstract:
Cancer is a leading cause of the death worldwide. However, the conventional cancer therapy still suffers from several limitations, such as systemic side effects, poor efficacy, and patient compliance due to limited accessibility to the tumor site. To address these issues, the localized drug delivery system has emerged as a promising approach. In this study, we developed an iontophoresis-based transdermal drug delivery system (TDDS) controlled by a smartphone application for cancer treatment. Iontophoresis, a low-intensity electric current-based TDDS, enhances drug permeation across the skin to provide potential for localized drug delivery and minimize systemic side effects. The fundamental mechanism of our system was modeled using finite element analysis and its performance was corroborated through the flow-through skin permeation tests using a plastic-based microfluidic chip. The results of in vitro cell experiments and skin deposition tests successfully demonstrated that our smartphone-controlled iontophoresis system significantly enhanced the drug permeation for cancer treatment. Therefore, this hand-held smartphone-based iontophoresis TDDS could be a powerful tool for self-administrated anticancer drug delivery applications.
Insights
Researchers developed a smartphone-controlled iontophoresis system for localized cancer treatment. This transdermal drug delivery system enhances drug permeation, offering a promising tool for self-administered anticancer therapies with minimized side effects.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Oncology
- Drug Delivery Systems
Background:
- Conventional cancer therapies face limitations including systemic side effects, poor efficacy, and limited tumor site accessibility.
- Localized drug delivery systems offer a promising alternative to overcome these challenges in cancer treatment.
- Transdermal drug delivery systems (TDDS) provide a non-invasive method for drug administration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate a smartphone-controlled iontophoresis-based transdermal drug delivery system (TDDS) for localized cancer treatment.
- To investigate the potential of iontophoresis to enhance drug permeation for improved anticancer efficacy.
- To create a user-friendly, self-administrable system for anticancer drug delivery.
Main Methods:
- Finite element analysis was employed to model the fundamental mechanism of the iontophoresis system.
- Performance was validated using flow-through skin permeation tests with a plastic-based microfluidic chip.
- In vitro cell experiments and skin deposition tests were conducted to assess drug permeation enhancement.
Main Results:
- The smartphone-controlled iontophoresis system demonstrated significant enhancement of drug permeation.
- Finite element analysis provided a fundamental understanding of the system's mechanism.
- In vitro and skin deposition tests confirmed the system's efficacy in improving drug delivery for cancer treatment.
Conclusions:
- The developed hand-held, smartphone-based iontophoresis TDDS is a powerful tool for localized cancer treatment.
- This system offers potential for self-administered anticancer drug delivery, minimizing systemic side effects.
- The study highlights the feasibility and effectiveness of smart device-controlled iontophoresis for targeted cancer therapy.
