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Ultrasound Promises Non-Invasive Drug Delivery
ISN researchers are studying how ultrasound could be used
to replace hypodermic needles in a variety of medical procedures—including
administering medication, monitoring blood chemistry, and
delivering subcutaneous fluids. The technique uses ultrasound
applied directly to the skin to painlessly increase its permeability,
creating tiny, reversible channels through which fluids can
be extracted and delivered. The treated skin returns to normal
within 24 hours or less.
The technique could be of tremendous value on the battlefield,
where life-saving medications or fluids could be administered
to injured Soldiers quickly and non-invasively. The technology
might also be incorporated into a future battlesuit to painlessly
monitor physiologic status or to provide autonomous injury
treatment in the crucial minutes before medical personnel
have arrived.
Prof. Robert Langer,
of MIT’s Department of Chemical Engineering, originally
developed the technique in the late 1990s with colleagues
Joseph Kost, Daniel Blankschtein, and Samir Mitragotri. Sontra
Medical, a company that has licensed some of their technology,
developed a medical device to anesthetize skin quickly in
preparation for a conventional injection. That device, SonoPrep,
received approval by the FDA in August 2004. Popular Science
named it the most important
medical advance in 2004. Sontra is currently testing their
commercial system for the delivery of flu vaccine as well
as for painkillers like the opiate fentanyl, often used for
cancer patients.
Langer and his group are continuing the research within the
ISN to broaden the range of compounds that can be delivered
through the skin with ultrasound. Their initial studies suggest
compounds with molecular weights up to 20,000 can be delivered
through the skin—which could include medications such
as growth factors and anti-inflammatory drugs.
The researchers also hope to broaden the range of agents
the ultrasound can detect within the bloodstream. A system
for non-invasively monitoring glucose levels in diabetic individuals
is currently in clinical trials, but the technique might also
be used one day for continuously monitoring Soldiers for exposure
to chemical or biological agents.
Prof. Langer and his colleagues have recently published papers
on this work in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences.
More on ISN Project
4.2.
This story original appeared in the March 2005 issue
of ISN News (PDF format).
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