Controlled Drug Delivery Using Microdevices

Abstract

Therapeutic drugs administered systematically are evenly distributed to the whole body through blood circulation and have to cross many biological barriers before reaching the pathological site. Conventional drug delivery may make drugs inactive or reduce their potency as they may be hydrolyzed or degraded enzymatically and are rapidly excreted through the urinary system resulting in suboptimal concentration of drugs at the desired site. Controlled drug delivery aims to localize the pharmacological activity of the drug to the desired site at desired release rates. The advances made by micro/nanofluidic technologies have provided new opportunities for better-controlled drug delivery. Various components of a drug delivery system can be integrated within a single tiny micro/nanofluidic chip. This article reviews recent advances of controlled drug delivery made by microfluidic/nanofluidic technologies. We first discuss microreservoir-based drug delivery systems. Then we highlight different kinds of microneedles used for controlled drug delivery, followed with a brief discussion about the current limitations and the future prospects of controlled drug delivery systems.

Development and characterization of polymeric-based nanoparticles for sustained release of amoxicillin – an antimicrobial drug

“…While these advantages can be significant, the possible disadvantages cannot be ignored, such as non-biocompatibility or toxicity of the materials used and undesirable by-products of degradation [4]. Controlled release supported by biodegradable and biocompatible nanotechnology-based carriers can possibly improve the therapeutic efficacy of drugs, minimize their systemic adverse effects, and increase patients' adherence to the regimen through decreasing the administration frequency and dose [5][6][7].…”

Microfluidic Platforms for the Detection of Disease Biomarkers

“…It possesses several features including low-cost, simple and fast analysis, low reagent consumption, high capillary electrophoresis separation efficiency, precise control over the fluid behavior, and high efficiency and sensitivity because of its high surface to volume ratio and micro liter volume of micro channel. These devices with inherent miniaturization, integration, and automation can analyze complex biological fluids for healthcare applications [13,14]. Different varieties of microfluidic platforms have been used for the detection of disease biomarkers including silicon and glass, polymers, paper, and hybrid devices.…”

Multiplexed instrument-free meningitis diagnosis on a polymer/paper hybrid microfluidic biochip

“…With various advantages including low sample/reagent consumption, integration, miniaturization and automation, the microfluidic lab-on-a-chip provides a platform for a variety of human health diagnostics with high efficiency (Dou et al 2016a; Dou et al 2016b; Dou et al 2015; Fu et al 2016; Li et al 2011; Li et al 2012; Li and Zhou 2013; Liu et al 2011; Sanjay et al 2016a; Sanjay et al 2015; Shen et al 2014; Tian et al 2016; Zhang et al 2014), as well as the possibility for multiplexed detection (Fang et al 2012; Zuo et al 2013). By taking advantage of different substrates, we previously developed a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)/paper hybrid microfluidic device integrated with aptamer-functionalized graphene oxide nanosensors for one-step detection of multiple foodborne pathogens simultaneously (Zuo et al 2013).…”