Materials and Device Considerations in Electrophoretic Drug Delivery Devices

Shao-Tuan Chen,Christopher M Proctor,George G Malliaras

doi:10.1038/s41598-020-64114-0

Shao-Tuan Chen, Christopher M Proctor + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-64114-0

Copy DOI

Journal: Scientific Reports	Publication Date: Apr 28, 2020
Citations: 9	License type: open-access

Affiliation: University of Cambridge

Abstract

Electrophoretic drug delivery devices are able to deliver drugs with exceptional temporal and spatial precision. This technology has emerged as a promising platform for treating pathologies ranging from neuropathic pain to epilepsy. As the range of applications continues to expand, there is an urgent need to understand the underlying physics and estimate materials and device parameters for optimal performance. Here, computational modeling of the electrophoretic drug delivery device is carried out. Three critical performance indices, namely, the amount of drug transported, the pumping efficiency and the ON/OFF ratio are investigated as a function of initial drug concentration in the device and fixed charge concentration in the ion exchange membrane. The results provide guidelines for future materials and device design with an eye towards tailoring device performance to match disease-specific demands.

Highlights

C IM 3000 mM 2000 mM 500 mM 300 mM 200 mM 50 mMAround 40000 and quickly decreases as the capacitive charging of the electrodes screen out the applied potential
Neurological disorders affect over 6% of the world population and cause major economic losses
The electrophoretic drug delivery device we investigate consists of three main components: the source reservoir loaded with drug solution, an ion exchange membrane (IEM) and a target electrolyte (Fig. 1)

Summary

C IM 3000 mM 2000 mM 500 mM 300 mM 200 mM 50 mM

Around 40000 and quickly decreases as the capacitive charging of the electrodes screen out the applied potential. Increasing these concentrations reduces the ionic resistance of the electrolyte. The increased electrostatic attractions between the fixed charge polymers on the IEM and drug ions would increase the amount of drug transported for both active pumping and passive diffusion (amount of www.nature.com/scientificreports transported drugs at steady-state between ON and OFF states can be found in Fig. S1), and the ON/OFF ratio is much less dependent on CIM compared to CD. For chronic treatments such as seizure control for which minimal passive leakage may be a requisite for safe and long-term implantation, a lower initial drug concentration CD is desirable to achieve a high ON/OFF ratio for electrophoretic drug delivery devices

Findings

Discussion

Conclusion