This article discusses the development of highly structured membranes for constant release of therapeutics over a broad range of molecular sizes, at release rates relevant for medical applications. In the experimental study, the constant release was achieved with small molecules such as leuprolide, a common treatment for prostate cancer, as well as with large molecules such as bevacizumab, widely used in the treatment of metastatic colon cancer. Such an approach could be applied to achieve the goal of metronomic delivery of chemotherapeutics, a constant low-dose administration of drugs over a long period of time. By exploiting nanochannels in passive systems, researchers were to achieve a controlled and constant delivery for extended periods of time, mimicking the basal and continuous flow of molecules from natural glands. This functionality cannot be attained at the macro- or microscale without the use of complex pumping devices and other moving components, because the diffusion of molecules is Fickian, meaning that the release rate is dictated by the gradient of molecular concentration.
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February 2011
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Building Nanoglands
In the Search for Personalized Medicine, Nanochannel Implants Mimic the Body's Natural Regulators of Health.
Alessandro Grattoni is interim co-chair and research scientist in the Department of Nanomedicine at the Methodist Hospital Research Institute in Houston.
Scott Parazynski is the chief medical officer and chief technology officer at the Methodist Hospital Research Institute.
Fazle Hussain is the Hugh Roy & Lillie Cranz Cullen Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Houston.
Mechanical Engineering. Feb 2011, 133(02): 23-26 (4 pages)
Published Online: February 1, 2011
Citation
Grattoni, A., Parazynski, S., and Hussain, F. (February 1, 2011). "Building Nanoglands." ASME. Mechanical Engineering. February 2011; 133(02): 23–26. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.2011-FEB-1
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