Small-scale systems for in vivo drug delivery

Abstract

Recent developments in the application of micro- and nanosystems for drug administration include a diverse range of new materials and methods. New approaches include the on-demand activation of molecular interactions, novel diffusion-controlled delivery devices, nanostructured 'smart' surfaces and materials, and prospects for coupling drug delivery to sensors and implants. Micro- and nanotechnologies are enabling the design of novel methods such as radio-frequency addressing of individual molecules or the suppression of immune response to a release device. Current challenges include the need to balance the small scale of the devices with the quantities of drugs that are clinically necessary, the requirement for more stable sensor platforms, and the development of methods to evaluate these new materials and devices for safety and efficacy.

Fabrication and performance of PET mesh enhanced cellulose acetate membranes for forward osmosis

“…Although there are still considerable numbers of studies focusing on membrane preparation (Setiawan et al, 2011), characterization , and antifouling modifications , nowadays increasing numbers of studies are beginning to be carried out on pilot scale and/or industrial level application (Altaee and Hilal, 2015;Hancock et al, 2013). As an environmentally friendly separation process, it has been widely studied in potential applications including wastewater treatment (Achilli et al, 2009;Zhao et al, 2015) and water purification (Cath et al, 2005;Duong and Chung, 2014), seawater desalination (Altaee et al, 2014;McCutcheon et al, 2006), food processing (Jiao et al, 2004;Petrotos and Lazarides, 2001), pharmaceutical applications (LaVan et al, 2003;Su and Lin, 2004), and power generation (Jia et al, 2014;Yip et al, 2011). The Modern Water Inc. (UK) has constructed seawater desalination plants based on the FO process, and Hydration Technology Innovation (HTI) has successfully developed a commercial product (SeaPack) for emergency water supply.…”

Biomedical applications of nanobiosensors: the state-of-the-art

“…[56][57][58]67,68 The design of medical nanorobot will include embedded and integrated devices, which consists of the main sensing, actuation, data transmission, remote control uploading and coupling power supply subsystems. [61][62][63][64]69,70 A first series of nanotechnology prototypes for molecular machines is being investigated in different ways, [71][72][73][74] and some interesting devices for propulsion and sensing have been presented. [75][76][77][78] Sensors for biomedical applications are advancing through teleoperated surgery.…”

“…60 Medical nanorobot manufacturing includes embedded and integrated devices, which can comprise the main sensing, actuation, data transmission, remote control uploading and coupling power supply subsystems addressing the basics to biomedical instrumentation. [61][62][63][64][65] Self-assembling process serves as a powerful tool to generate molecular films of biological molecules on a wide variety of substrates. The ease and simplicity of self assembled monolayers (SAMs) and the ability to control biomolecule surface orientation allow SAMs to play crucial role in the design of artificial biomolecular recognition devices.…”

Nanometer-sized gelatin particles prepared by means of gamma-ray irradiation

“…Nanometer-sized capsules and spheres have attracted growing interests as drug delivery carriers for the treatment of various diseases including cancer and infections and also as an essential part in BioMEMS [1,2]. The most important requirement for such ultra fine particles is biosafety, high stability and controlled functional properties.…”