Gastrointestinal-resident, shape-changing microdevices extend drug release in vivo

Abstract

Extended-release gastrointestinal (GI) luminal delivery substantially increases the ease of administration of drugs and consequently the adherence to therapeutic regimens. However, because of clearance by intrinsic GI motility, device gastroretention and extended drug release over a prolonged duration are very challenging. Here, we report that GI parasite–inspired active mechanochemical therapeutic grippers, or theragrippers, can reside within the GI tract of live animals for 24 hours by autonomously latching onto the mucosal tissue. We also observe a notable sixfold increase in the elimination half-life using theragripper-mediated delivery of a model analgesic ketorolac tromethamine. These results provide first-in-class evidence that shape-changing and self-latching microdevices enhance the efficacy of extended drug delivery.

Open-source force analyzer with broad sensing range based on an optical pickup unit

“…These devices include microcontainers (MCs) for achieving a higher oral bioavailability of e.g. poorly water-soluble drugs [1] , [2] and shape-changing microdevices to increase the retention time in the gastrointestinal tract (GI tract) as well as a delay in drug release [3] . The trend of shrinking the device size from the millimeter to micrometer scale leads to an unmet need to evaluate the mucoadhesive properties in vitro and ex vivo of microdevices.…”

4D Printing of Engineered Living Materials

“…When n < 1, the material is shear thinning, whereas n > 1 or n = 1 indicate that the material is shear thickening or Newtonian, respectively. For both bioinks (5 and 11 wt% CNC) and cell-free inks (11,16,19, and 22 wt% CNC), the flow indices were measured using the corresponding viscosity data at shear rates between 10 -1 and 10 1 1 s −1 . For bioinks made of 8 wt% CNC, flow indices were measured using the corresponding viscosity data at shear rates between 10 -2 and 10 0 1 s −1 .…”

Stay Smart: It’s all about the Materials for 4D Printing in Biomedicine

“…The force of the device closing is sufficient to enable the microtips to penetrate the GI mucosa, rooting them in place. From this position, the active substance of choice is steadily released from a drug-eluting chitosan layer at the center of the structure [7].…”