STTR Phase I: Dendritic Hydrogel Actuators for a Liquid Drug Delivery Patch

这个小型技术转移研究（STTR）第一阶段项目开发了一种基于Medipacs数字泵平台的小型、经济、轻便的液体药物输送贴片。 安全、系统集成、重量轻且坚固的流体泵平台的可用性（其使得能够进行体液化学采样、诊断、随后的化学调节、混合和药物剂的流体输送）将在医疗保健方面提供重大突破，在疼痛管理、IV治疗、药物和流体输送以及胰岛素治疗方面具有军事和民用医疗保健的重大商业化潜力。 Medipacs将展示低成本，安全的药物输送贴片的可行性，首先针对胰岛素输送，然后针对更复杂的药物，使用电活性聚合物（EAP）水凝胶驱动器。这些致动器在蠕动动作中充当活塞以泵送流体。 该STTR项目中要解决的研究问题是（1）水解不稳定性;（2）驱动的再现性不足;以及（3）目前正在开发的用于研究Medipacs技术可行性的驱动器材料的低响应。 研究计划是（1）将树枝状大分子作为化学交联剂掺入基于聚乙二醇（PEG）的EAP水凝胶致动器中;（2）改变水凝胶PEG组分的分子量;（3）研究水凝胶的不同交联化学。优化的材料将被小型化为组件，以纳入贴片原型泵。Medipacs PACS架构是一种平台技术，将使下一代人工器官和生物反应器成为可能。

This Small Technology Transfer Research (STTR) Phase I project develops a small, affordable, lightweight, Liquid Drug Delivery Patch based on the Medipacs Digital Pump platform. The availability of a safe, system integrated, lightweight, and robust fluid pump platform that enables body fluids chemistry sampling, diagnostics, subsequent chemistry adjustment, mixing, and fluid delivery of pharmacologic agents would provide a significant breakthrough in medical care with significant commercialization potential for military and civilian healthcare in pain management, IV therapy, drug and fluid delivery, and insulin therapy. Medipacs will demonstrate the feasibility of low-cost, safe Drug Delivery Patch targeted first for Insulin delivery, and then for more complex drugs, that uses Electro Active Polymer (EAP) hydrogel actuators. These actuators act as pistons in a peristaltic action to pump fluids. The research problem to be addressed in this STTR project is the (1) hydrolytic instability; (2) insufficient reproducibility of actuation; and (3) low response of actuator materials currently under development to investigate the feasibility of Medipacs technology. The research plan is to (1) incorporate dendritic macromolecules as chemical cross linking agents into the poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-based EAP hydrogel actuators; (2) vary the molecular weight of the PEG component of the hydrogel; and (3) investigate different crosslinking chemistry for the hydrogels. Optimized materials will be miniaturized into components for incorporation into a patch prototype pump. The Medipacs PACS architecture is a platform technology that will enable the next generation of artificial organs and bioreactors.