Interconnected Microparticle Arrays for Drug Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current microsphere-based drug delivery systems face challenges such as aggregation, uneven drug release, and inability to be retrieved post-administration, limiting their effectiveness and versatility.
Innovation Solution
An implantable surgical array comprising a plurality of array elements, such as particles or microparticles, interconnected by a flexible thread, allowing for customizable configurations, including adjustable thread lengths and mechanical locking of elements to prevent migration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If microspheres are administered as a suspension through subcutaneous or intramuscular injections, then drug delivery is achieved, but the microspheres cluster or form shapeless masses leading to uneven exposure to surrounding tissue fluids
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the microsphere suspension into discrete, pre-formed arrays where individual microspheres are spaced apart and attached to a carrier structure. This segmentation prevents aggregation while ensuring uniform distribution and exposure to tissue fluids, directly resolving the contradiction between achieving reliable drug delivery and avoiding microsphere clustering.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a carrier structure as an intermediary element that holds individual microspheres in a controlled arrangement. This carrier acts as a mediator between the microsphere suspension and the tissue environment, preventing direct aggregation while maintaining uniform exposure to tissue fluids, thus resolving the technical contradiction.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional microsphere-based drug delivery systems are used, then drug delivery is achieved, but the systems cannot be retrieved once deployed
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces dynamic retrievability to the otherwise static microsphere system. The carrier structure and associated features enable controlled retrieval of the entire array after deployment, providing adaptability while maintaining consistent drug delivery performance throughout the therapeutic period.
3Quantity of substance
If traditional sutures are used for targeted therapeutic applications, then localized drug delivery is achieved, but the restricted size and diameter present obstacles in terms of drug loading capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The invention transitions from a one-dimensional suture approach to a three-dimensional array structure. By arranging microspheres in spatial arrays with varying depths and configurations, the system dramatically increases drug loading capacity without increasing the superficial diameter, effectively resolving the contradiction between quantity of substance and length of moving object.
4Ease of operation
If minimally invasive surgical procedures are used, then patient recovery is shortened and surgical trauma is reduced, but the spatial limitations of MIS devices challenge microsphere-based systems
Solution Approach 1:
The invention employs a nested configuration where the microsphere array is compacted into a small delivery catheter for minimally invasive insertion, then expands to its full functional configuration at the target site. This nesting approach enables ease of operation through small incisions while accommodating the necessary array structure, resolving the contradiction between minimally invasive deployment and device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
This invention pertains to an advanced implantable surgical array system, wherein array elements, composed of hydrogels or organogels, are intricately connected by a flexible thread. These elements are uniquely embedded within the device through a novel method that involves casting the hydrogel or organogel directly around the thread from a liquid/fluid precursor solution, which upon drying or cross-linking, integrates the thread into the array elements without the necessity for traditional threading techniques. The disclosed arrays are versatile, capable of being configured into various structural forms including single particle arrays, chain-like arrays, as well as two-dimensional and three-dimensional matrices. This innovative approach not only facilitates controlled drug delivery over extended periods but also incorporates features to prevent element migration and enables the device to assume expanded or compressed configurations for ease of implantation.