New Wearable Patch Developed That Is Capable Of Painlessly Delivering Drugs Through The Skin
Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a wearable patch that can be applied on the skin, painlessly delivering drugs using ultrasonic waves that create tiny channels for medication to be absorbed into the body. According to the researchers, the patch could be adapted for the delivery of hormones, muscle relaxers, and other drugs through the skin. Using ultrasound for transdermal drug delivery It was already known that ultrasound exposure can enhance the skin’s permeability to small-molecule drugs. However, the development of the wearable patch meant there was no need for any bulky equipment, as is usually required for existing techniques. The patch consists of disc-shaped piezoelectric transducers, with each disc embedded in a cavity filled with liquid solution of drug molecules. When an electric current is applied, the piezoelectric elements generate pressure waves in the liquid, creating bubbles with microjets that can penetrate thro...