Feasibility Study: A Novel Technique for Forming Diffusion-Controlled Drug Delivery Polymer Microcapsules

用于受控药物输送的微型设备的开发目前是一个紧张的研究活动领域。这些设备可以在体内局部给药，最大限度地提高患者的安全性和舒适性，并可以极大地降低治疗成本。然而，就成本和可靠性而言，有两个显著的障碍阻碍了它们在临床实践中的应用。首先，缺乏既具有成本效益又能提供足够质量控制的高效药物包埋方法。在这一方案中，我们确定了一种基于同轴电流体流动的药物包封化的新方法，为大规模生产聚合物微胶囊提供了一种简单的一步法。第二，尚未开发出控制和/或改变药物释放速度的可靠手段。我们将研究使用超声波来改变植入/注射设备的扩散速度，以提供一种准确和非侵入性的给药控制手段。成功的结果将对制药和医疗保健行业产生重大影响，该项目已经从这些行业获得了相当大的支持，并将为未来开展这项工作的更大规模的研究项目提供基础。

The development of microdevices for controlled drug delivery is currently an area of intense research activity. These devices enable localized administration of a given agent in vivo which maximises patient safety and comfort and can greatly reduce treatment costs. There are, however, two significant barriers in terms of cost and reliability which have hindered their uptake in clinical practice. Firstly, methods for efficient drug encapsulation which are both cost-effective and provide adequate quality control are lacking. In this proposal we identify a novel approach to drug encapsulation based on co-axial electro-hydrodynamic flow which offers a simple, one-step method for the mass production of polymer microcapsules. Secondly, a reliable means of controlling and/or varying the rate of drug release has yet to be developed. We will investigate the use of ultrasound to vary the rate of diffusion from implanted/injected devices to provide a means of controlling drug administration that is accurate and non-invasive. A successful outcome will have significant impact for the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries, from whom the project has already attracted considerable support, and will provide the basis for future, larger research projects to develop the work.