Wearable Patch to Painlessly Administer Medication Through the Skin
April 28, 2023
The skin is an attractive means of drug administration since it allows targeted drug delivery and localized effects at the site of application, but a challenging one at the same time because of its outer layer that restricts the absorption of most small molecules.
A MIT team of researchers developed a wearable patch that produces painless ultrasonic waves to the skin creating minuscule channels permitting small drug molecules passage through the skin. This approach could be of great help for a variety of skin conditions and cosmetic applications, or could even be adapted to release hormones and myorelaxants.
“The ease-of-use and high-repeatability offered by this system provides a game-changing alternative to patients and consumers suffering from skin conditions and premature skin aging,” says Canan Dagdeviren, an associate professor in MIT’s Media Lab and the senior author of the study. “Delivering drugs this way could offer less systemic toxicity and is more local, comfortable, and controllable.”
SOURCE: https://news.mit.edu/2023/wearable-patch-can-painlessly-deliver-drugs-through-skin-0419