Radio frequency controlled wireless drug delivery devices

Abstract

Drug delivery devices have revolutionized the course of therapeutic treatment in the recent past. These devices provide a firm foundation for diverse strategies to overcome the limitations of systemic administration that cannot provide a high drug potency at the specific disease infected body tissues. The ongoing developments in the pharmaceutical industry have focused on exploring the reliable actuating mechanisms that can provide therapy and dispense drugs precisely to control therapeutic effects with minimum toxicity. The wireless actuation of drug delivery devices has been considered as an intervening noninvasive approach to release encapsulated drug compounds. This review paper highlights implantable and transdermal drug delivery devices that are based on wirelessly controlled microchips, micropumps, microvalves, and magnetic robots. Their key features, such as working principle, dimensions, materials, operating frequency, and wireless actuation through radio frequency for drug delivery are explained. The interaction of radio waves with electrically conductive and magnetic nanoparticles is also discussed for drug delivery. Furthermore, the radio frequency assisted data telemetry and wireless power transfer techniques are elucidated for drug delivery devices. The opportunities to enhance the patients' control on therapeutic indexes and release mechanisms are still possible by incorporating advanced wireless sensors for concocting future innovations in the wirelessly controlled drug delivery devices.

BioMEMS for Life-Saving Biomedical Technologies

“…Subsequently, the device is swallowed or injected and traverses through the body to reach to the desired location or specific tissue sites. A schematic illustration of the whole process is depicted in Figure 4 [17]. As Figure 4 shows, the efficacy of pharmaceutical treatments can be greatly enhanced by physiological feedback from the patient using the bioMEMS based biosensors platform.…”

Appendix A Antennas and Sensors for Medical Applications: A Representative Literature Review

“…Fortunately, with the rapid progress of semiconductor and RF technologies, wireless capsule endoscopy has arisen as a new approach to address the problems with flexible wire endoscopy [84]. Besides diagnostic functionalities, development of wireless capsule endoscopy also enables controllable drug delivery that would allow clinicians to release an appropriate amount of a drug at specific sections of the GI tract [85][86][87]. It is generally achieved by navigating the capsule toward the targeted location and actuating the control unit to release drug through microneedles [88].…”

A thermosensitive material coated resonant stent for drug delivery on demand

“…Categorizing these devices based on how they function should give an idea of some of the various areas currently explored for controlling the local delivery of drugs. Methods commonly employed include the use of microchips, microfluidic pumps, microvalves, microrobots, and radiofrequency (rf) controllable nanoparticles (Khan et al, 2019). Excluding the implementation of rf controllable nanoparticles, these devices are too large for stents in the vascular system.…”