A Skin-Contact-Actuated Micropump for Transdermal Drug Delivery

Abstract

In this paper, a skin-contact-actuated dispenser/micropump for transdermal drug delivery applications is presented. The micropump consists of stacked polydimethylsiloxane layers mounted on a silicon substrate and operates based on the evaporation and condensation of a low-boiling-point liquid. Therefore, there is no need for a heater and a power source, since only the thermal energy provided by skin contact is required for the actuation. A prototype device with overall dimensions of 14 mm × 14 mm × 8 mm is fabricated and characterized. For a perfluoro compound working fluid (3M FC-3284), a flow rate of 28.8 μ L/min and a maximum back pressure of 28.9 kPa is measured.

MEMS: Enabled Drug Delivery Systems

“…The maximum volumetric fl ow rate and back pressure of the pump were 28.8 µL/min and 28.9 kPa, respectively. [ 63 ]…”

A 3D-Printed Modular Microreservoir for Drug Delivery

“…Transdermal administrations have been used widely because of their ease of use, minimal invasiveness, capability for self-administration, and low sustainable cost [ 7 ]. These devices generally consist of a reservoir, a microneedle, and a pumping mechanism for effective delivery through the microneedles [ 8 , 9 ]. Transdermal drug delivery devices with reservoir capacities of 5, 12, 20, 70, and 100 µL were used for trace blood tests [ 10 ], insulin administration to diabetic rats [ 11 ], general pharmaceutical applications [ 12 ], fast-onset and sustained delivery of lidocaine [ 13 ], and general transdermal drug delivery applications [ 8 ].…”

Thermal analysis of wirelessly powered thermo-pneumatic micropump based on planar LC circuit

“…The ability to enable release of drugs to the targeted area in a controlled manner reduces the side effects to the patient while enhancing therapeutic effectiveness [5]. Transdermal and subcutaneous drug delivery systems using micro needle [6][7][8], for instance, have been proven as a viable method in delivering adequate dosage administration across the skin. Nonetheless, most of the micropumps proposed [9][10][11] for drug delivery application involve utilizing active power circuitry, making the system tend to have relatively large dimensions with limited space and constricted the system's mobility.…”

“…Passive activated micropump eliminates the needs for active power circuitry and hence potentially advantageous in term of small dimension, long shelf life, cost and robustness of the devices. The passively operated micropump has been reported to use several mechanisms, including body heat-powered [12] and fermentation-powered [13] operations to initiate thermal transfer from human body to the micropump device. They deliver the drugs to the targeted location based on thermo-pneumatic pumping.…”