Silicone-Refillable Device for Wound Healing Optimization

Presenter

Naaz Thotathil

Campus

UMass Amherst

Sponsor

Cathal J. Kearney, Department of Biomedical Engineering, UMass Amherst

Schedule

Session 1, 10:30 AM - 11:15 AM [Schedule by Time][Poster Grid for Time/Location]

Location

Poster Board A3, Campus Center Auditorium, Row 1 (A1-A20) [Poster Location Map]

Abstract

Delays in the wound healing cascade – such as stress, infection, disease, etc., – can result in chronic wounds. Since there are signaling factors in the body that coordinate this cascade, it is important to consider the rhythmic and timed delivery of drugs to optimize wound healing. Researchers have created technologies for controlled drug release using stimulus-driven methods such as ultrasound and temperature. A recent method of drug delivery that is being explored is soft robotics systems, which can be precisely controlled and leak-free, making them suitable for carefully timed delivery of drugs. Here we present the development and testing of a refillable silicone device that allows for repeated administration of therapeutics at defined times and doses. The device has two adjacent chambers: one chamber is air-filled for trigger-pressure input, and the other chamber is drug-loaded with a pressure-sensitive release valve. Modulating the input pressure, the pressure chamber will push against the drug chamber, enabling on-demand drug release. The refillable pump can be made to release drugs with set times, doses, and rhythms. Food dye and several bioactive ingredients, such as antibiotics, viruses, and glucocorticoids have been released and have a consistent release at varying pressures, and consistent repeated  release up to 12 times was demonstrated. Ongoing work is confirming the ability to repeatedly release varying bioactive doses from our devices. Longer term, biological agents relevant to wound healing will be released from the device to drive synchronized wound healing.

Keywords

Drug Delivery , Soft Robotics , Timed Delivery , Wound Healing , Drug Release

Research Area

Engineering

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