Microfabrication technologies for oral drug delivery

Abstract

Micro-/nanoscale technologies such as lithographic techniques and microfluidics offer promising avenues to revolutionalize the fields of tissue engineering, drug discovery, diagnostics and personalized medicine. Microfabrication techniques are being explored for drug delivery applications due to their ability to combine several features such as precise shape and size into a single drug delivery vehicle. They also offer to create unique asymmetrical features incorporated into single or multiple reservoir systems maximizing contact area with the intestinal lining. Combined with intelligent materials, such microfabricated platforms can be designed to be bioadhesive and stimuli-responsive. Apart from drug delivery devices, microfabrication technologies offer exciting opportunities to create biomimetic gastrointestinal tract models incorporating physiological cell types, flow patterns and brush-border like structures. Here we review the recent developments in this field with a focus on the applications of microfabrication in the development of oral drug delivery devices and biomimetic gastrointestinal tract models that can be used to evaluate the drug delivery efficacy.

Implantable microchip: the futuristic controlled drug delivery system

“…Drug delivery remains a vital challenge in medicine and microfabrication techniques may be utilized to develop novel drug delivery devices which are not convenient with current systems. Conventionally, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are utilized for the production of micron scale functional devices, such as sensors, switches, filters and gears, from silicon, the dominant material used throughout the IC industry (Sant et al, 2012). Microfabrication techniques can be considered as surface or bulk micromachining, which are based on IC manufacturing technologies.…”

Current Trends in MEMS Drug Delivery Techniques

“…Besides drug delivery, MEMS techniques can be used to develop in vitro gastrointestinal track models that can help to improve drug delivery [1]. The gastrointestinal track also known as mucosal track provides immense opportunities for proper drug delivery, especially, for peptides and proteins.…”

“…Micro patches are thin and flat so that maximum area of these patches can come in contact with the intestinal villi. Besides, due to their flat design, very less amount of area of these patches achieves contact with the liquids flowing through the intestine hence, preventing such devices from releasing drugs into the intestinal fluids rather than towards the intestinal villi [1].…”

“…Skin nerves are situated 100-200 microns below them [4], [5]. Microneedles increase the permeability of the skin by creating micro-paths across the stratum corneum for delivering drugs [1], [6].…”

“…The use of micro electromechanical systems for carrying out the process of drug delivery truly enhances this mechanism and leads to higher therapeutic benefits. MEMS techniques have permitted the evolution of miniaturised diagnostic tools which provide higher efficiency in the process of drug delivery [1]. These drug delivery systems developed by MEMS techniques enable controlled drug release kinetics, thus, preventing the wastage of drugs and reducing their side-effects.…”