An implantable device with remotely controlled drug delivery

Precision medicine and personalized care have emerged as essential approaches to effectively preventing and treating chronic pathologies. In this context, implantable drug delivery devices have assumed a central role, enabling customized drug administration. Moreover, they address the widespread problem of non-compliance with treatment, enhance drug bioavailability, allow the use of lower dosages, and minimize side effects by keeping drug concentration within the therapeutic window, which decreases the development of drug resistance. To achieve controlled drug delivery, numerous actively controlled stimuli approaches have been used. Among them, ultrasound, magnetic field, and electrical field have been the most popular. However, these devices often rely on impractical continuous external stimuli. To overcome this limitation, we have developed a remotely controllable device utilizing an electro-actuated nanochannel membrane coated with polypyrrole doped with dodecylbenzenesulfonate anion (PPy/DBS). The PPy/DBS coating allows for electrochemically controlled swelling, mechanically opening and closing the nanochannels walls through which drugs are released from the device reservoir into the interstitial space via passive diffusion. These nanochannels naturally remain open in the absence of applied potential and can be closed with a reductive potential. This gating control is reversible, and the required potentials are very low, resulting in ultra-low power consumption. We achieved the integration of the electro-actuated polymeric layer onto our silicon membrane, as demonstrated by both images and quantitative analysis conducted before and after the fabrication process. Additionally, we conducted in vitro degradation testing to assess the chemical robustness of the membrane, considering its potential use in implantable drug delivery systems. Such a physical swelling approach may allow for on-demand dosing control on drugs regardless of their size or charge. Consequently, this implantable device has the potential to revolutionize the way chronic pathologies are managed and to inaugurate in a new era of patient-centered healthcare, by providing new therapeutic platforms that can support chronotherapeutic regimens and individualized therapy.