A Deployable 4D Printed, Mucoadhesive and Magnetically Guided Patch for Local Therapy of Gastric Cancer

A new perspective for treatment of gastric cancer utilizing a four-dimensional (4D) printed design for deployable and magnetically guided local drug releasing patches is proposed. The deployed patches are envisioned to adhere at the tumor site in order to locally deliver high drug amounts to the tissue. The approach is considered as a platform for a gastric patch design that is flexible with reference to size and shape, active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and dosages as well as providing unidirectional drug release. Agarose is employed as main component for the patch for its water-actuated shape transformation (curling-shrinkage/deployment) capabilities. This patch can be compactly deformed upon drying for easy ingestion. The patch is envisioned to rehydrate and expand in the stomach. In order to promote mucoadhesion, agarose hydrogel is modified with chitosan and included SPIONs to allow for magnetic guidance. The study focuses on the design and fabrication process, physicochemical characterization, and magnetization evaluation of the composite hydrogel. The hydrogel is used as an ink for 3D printing and processed into a patch loaded with a model drug. By leveraging the combination of 4D printing, magnetic guidance, and localized drug delivery, this patch has the potential to improve the effectiveness of stomach cancer treatments.