Cylindrical Microneedle Wireless Capsule for Targeted Drug Delivery
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical capsule technologies for delivering biopharmaceuticals are limited by inability to control specific location and time delivery, reliance on gastrointestinal peristalsis for movement, lack of control over actions like acceleration and reversal, and inefficiency due to large size and slow module reaction speeds, leading to ineffective oral administration of sensitive drugs.
Innovation Solution
A cylindrical microneedle wireless capsule system comprising a flexible plastic outer shell, ring-shaped magnet and miniature motor controller, biopharmaceutical drug chamber, magnetic sensor, and control component with integrated circuit, FPGA controller, and wireless antenna module, allowing remote control and precise delivery of biopharmaceuticals through the gastrointestinal tract.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If biopharmaceuticals are orally delivered, then the administration is non-invasive and convenient, but the drugs are degraded by protease, endonuclease, bacteria, and extreme pH values in the gastrointestinal tract, resulting in loss of drug effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The capsule is divided into multiple functional modules: a protective shell that shields biopharmaceuticals from gastrointestinal degradation, a microneedle array for targeted delivery, and a control module for precise activation. This segmentation allows the drug to remain protected until it reaches the target location, resolving the contradiction between oral convenience and drug effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The capsule is designed to travel through the gastrointestinal tract to a predetermined location before activating the microneedles for drug delivery. The control module receives wireless signals to trigger microneedle penetration and drug release only when the capsule reaches the target site, ensuring the drug is delivered intact and effective while maintaining oral administration benefits.
2Ease of operation
If current medical capsule technology is used, then oral delivery is possible, but specific locations at specific times cannot be monitored or controlled
Solution Approach 1:
The capsule incorporates a control module with wireless communication capability that receives signals from an external controller and provides feedback on capsule status and location. This feedback mechanism enables real-time monitoring and precise control of drug delivery timing and location, resolving the contradiction between oral delivery ease and monitoring precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The control module serves multiple functions: tracking capsule location, receiving wireless control signals, timing drug release, and communicating with external systems. This multi-functionality allows a single device to achieve both oral delivery convenience and precise location-time monitoring control.
3Device complexity
If medical capsule technology relies on gastrointestinal peristalsis for movement, then the system is passive and simple, but it cannot be controlled for actions like acceleration, stopping, and reversing
Solution Approach 1:
The capsule incorporates a miniature motor that can be activated by wireless signals to provide controlled movement. This dynamic element allows the capsule to accelerate, stop, reverse, or maintain position as needed, transforming the passive peristalsis-dependent system into an actively controllable one while maintaining reasonable operational simplicity.
4Productivity
If experimental endoscopic capsules are used, then they can deliver drugs, but they are too large for the size, with module reaction speeds that are particularly slow, making efficiency and agility low
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces the bulky mechanical endoscopic structure with a streamlined capsule design that uses wireless electromagnetic signals for control and communication. This substitution eliminates the need for large mechanical components, reducing capsule size while improving response speed and delivery efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The capsule design optimizes physical parameters including size, mass, and material properties to achieve rapid response times and high agility. The microneedle array and drug chamber are miniaturized to fit within a small capsule while maintaining functional effectiveness, resolving the contradiction between delivery efficiency and capsule size.
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
Enables precise, pain-free delivery of biopharmaceuticals to specific locations within the body, reducing the need for injections and improving the efficiency and agility of drug delivery, enhancing the therapeutic effectiveness of biopharmaceuticals like insulin.
Implementation Method 1
a ring-shaped magnet and miniature motor controller capable of transporting biopharmaceuticals (insulin)
Implementation Method 2
a magnetic sensor
Implementation Method 3
a high voltage charge pump
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a cylindrical microneedle wireless capsule system and an operation method thereof, comprising a cylindrical microneedle wireless capsule and a control component of the cylindrical microneedle wireless capsule thereof. The functionality of the cylindrical microneedle wireless capsules of the present invention is used for an oral delivery, and for serving as a platform for a variety of biopharmaceutical therapeutic drug molecules that are currently limited to injection.