High-Payload Hydrophobic Implantable Depots for Sustained Release
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional implantable drug delivery systems suffer from burst release of therapeutic agents, require non-therapeutic carriers, and have complex manufacturing processes, leading to reduced therapeutic payloads and increased size and cost.
Innovation Solution
Implantable depots composed primarily of therapeutic agents in hydrophobic forms, without carrier materials, that control release profiles based on the agent's properties, allowing for sustained and controlled delivery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If conventional implantable systems use carrier materials to package and control delivery of therapeutic agents, then controlled release is achieved, but the amount of therapeutic agent that can be incorporated is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes carrier materials, fillers, and excipients from the implantable system, using only the therapeutic agent itself (in hydrophobic form) as the depot material. This extraction of non-therapeutic components directly increases the proportion of therapeutic agent in the implant while simplifying the device structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical form of the therapeutic agent to a hydrophobic form, which enables the agent to form a stable depot structure without requiring carrier materials. This parameter change (from hydrophilic to hydrophobic form) allows the therapeutic agent to self-structure and control its own release.
2Reliability
If conventional implantable systems include carriers, fillers, and excipients, then the implant can be manufactured with controlled release properties, but the size of the implant increases
Solution Approach 1:
By removing carriers, fillers, and excipients from the formulation, the patent reduces the total volume of the implant while maintaining controlled release properties through the hydrophobic characteristics of the therapeutic agent itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The therapeutic agent serves multiple functions: it is both the active pharmaceutical ingredient and the depot material that controls its own release. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate carrier components, reducing overall implant size.
3Reliability
If conventional implantable systems use multiple non-therapeutic components, then release control is achieved, but manufacturing costs and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates carriers, fillers, and excipients from the formulation, simplifying the manufacturing process to involve only the therapeutic agent in hydrophobic form. This reduction in component count directly decreases manufacturing complexity and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
By formulating the therapeutic agent in hydrophobic form, the patent enables self-structuring and self-controlled release properties, eliminating the need for complex manufacturing processes required to integrate multiple carrier materials and control release mechanisms.
4Speed
If conventional implantable systems provide burst release upon contact with physiologic fluids, then initial therapeutic effect is achieved, but true controlled release mechanism is lacking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical form of the therapeutic agent to hydrophobic form, which fundamentally alters the release mechanism. The hydrophobic agent resists immediate dissolution in aqueous physiologic fluids, enabling sustained controlled release over time rather than burst release, while still providing initial therapeutic effect.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides higher therapeutic payloads, smaller implant sizes, and reduced manufacturing complexity while achieving controlled and sustained release of therapeutic agents over extended periods.
Implementation Method 1
Implantable depots composed primarily of therapeutic agents in hydrophobic forms, without carrier materials, that control release profiles based on the agent's properties
Data Source
AI summary
Implantable depots for the sustained, controlled release of therapeutic agents, and associated systems and methods, are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, for example, an implantable depot for treating pain includes an analgesic constituting at least 50% of a total mass of the implantable depot. At least some or all of the analgesic can be in a free base form. When implanted at a treatment site in vivo, the implantable depot can be configured to release the analgesic over a release period of at least 3 days.