Presenter: Henley Chen

Faculty Sponsor: Sunandita Sarker

School: UMass Amherst

Research Area: Biomedical Engineering

Session: Poster Session 4, 2:15 PM - 3:00 PM, Auditorium, A78

ABSTRACT

Delivering drugs directly to the brain is a major medical challenge due to the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The olfactory pathway, which connects the nasal cavity to the brain, offers a promising route to bypass this barrier, but current methods lack the sustained, controlled release needed for long-term treatment. To address this, we developed the Osmotic MicroNeedle Implant (OMNI), a miniature, power-free device designed for extended implantation.

OMNI is a first-of-its-kind device fabricated entirely using multi-material 3D Direct Laser Writing. It integrates two key components: a soft osmotic chamber with a semi-permeable membrane, and a drug reservoir connected to a hollow microneedle array. After implantation in the olfactory submucosa, the device uses the body’s own interstitial fluid as a power source. Fluid enters the osmotic chamber, causing an osmotic agent to expand. This expansion pressurizes the reservoir, driving the drug through the microneedles and directly into the tissue.

We validated the device in vitro. Accelerated testing showed that the osmotic engine activates upon fluid contact, generating sustained pressure. In a tissue-mimicking gel, the fully assembled OMNI successfully expelled a drug surrogate and delivered it locally without any external power. This work establishes the feasibility of a fully additive manufactured, implantable osmotic pump for the CNS. By enabling long-term, controlled, and targeted drug delivery, OMNI offers a potential new strategy for treating chronic neurological conditions.