Problem Overview:
Controlled drug delivery using ultrasonic waves as a remote trigger is the future of medicine. The process is characterized by inserting medication and microbubbles into polymer capsules and injecting them into one’s bloodstream. Then, an ultrasonic wave causes the microbubbles to oscillate and eventually implode, generating enough force to rupture the capsule and deliver the medicine to a designated site. While this could be very successful, there are many dangerous risks involved. Current existing technology has proved that microbubbles that are not encapsulated can be deadly. For example, the short life of the microbubbles can lead to spontaneous collapse of these bubbles in the human body which have the potential to kill healthy arteries and tissues. Subsequently, the microbubbles have been shelved until the method becomes more secure. The goal is to make these bubbles safe and functional by inserting them into a polymer capsule without forfeiting the ability to deliver medicine on command. Designing a new innovation for drug delivery will allow this method to then be used in today’s medical environment.
Design Constraints:
- Manufacturing of capsules (overall size, chemicals/materials used for capsule, drug content, stability and strength of capsule's surface layer, efficiency and attachment of anti-sites)
- Safety considerations and possible side effects of medication
- Type of drug input (in the form of IV injections/shots, or in pill form)
- Bubble size and amount within each capsule
- Concerns on pre-mature drug leakage
- Length of time needed for capsule to be inside the bloodstream and be able to reach/attach to the designated site
Pre-Existing Solutions:
Ultrasound is a cost-effective and
versatile medium to treat various diseases. Ultrasound has some advantages to
address the aspect of targeted drug delivery and control the release of drug
into proper site. The exposure of ultrasound and the cavitation can induce a
temporarily increase in porosity and permeability of the cell membrane. This is
called sonoporation. And this has been used for the last couple of years.
Sonophoresis has been used to treat diabetes and other diseases.
- For Cancer Therapy -
- Doxorubicin
- Paclitaxel
-
Herceptin
- For Angiogenesis/Arteriogenesis -
- pDNA-VEGF
- For Osteogenesis -
- pDNA-rhBMP-9
- For Diabetes -
- Betacellulin pDNA—human insulin, hexokinase
- For Hemophilia -
- pDNA—human factor IX
- For CNS disease -
Design Goal:
One design goal is to make the capsules capable of rupturing through the cavitation of the microbubbles. To do this, different arrangements and amounts of microbubbles will be tested inside the capsule. The design will be deemed successful if the medicine inside the capsule is delivered to the designated site, specifically to cancer tumors, and if human tissues are not harmed. Since it is unlikely that these ideas will be tested realistically, the use of simulations and calculations will help to decide on the best option. The second design goal is to attach anti-sites on the surface of the capsule so that it is able to attach to the site inside of a human body. Also, the anti-sites being attached to the polymer capsule will hopefully weaken it so that it can be ruptured easier.
Project Deliverables:
Week of April 18:
- Finalize Problem Statement: This is the one paragraph that describes as specifically as possible the problem that is being attempted to solve. State why the problem is problem and why this is the particular problem that have been chosen. Describe the particular aspect of the problem on which the design team wants to work on.
- Summarize the State-of-Art: List and briefly describe what has been and currently is being done to address the problem
- List the possible solutions that have been identified as being potentially feasible design alternatives
Week of April 25:
- Begin to evaluate each of the alternatives listed from last week.
- Do research on each of the alternative so as to be able to evaluate each alternative according to the criteria such as but not limited to cost, efficacy, ease of use, environmental impact, safety etc.
- Come up with at least one additional criterion for evaluating the design alternatives
- Propose an initial weighting formula that will be used to select the alternative that will become the focus of the design efforts throughout the remainder of the term
Project Schedule:
(click on image to enlarge)
Project Budget:
Realistically, an actual budget is not necessary for the project since the project design will be based on hypothetical ideas and solutions, and a prototype does not need to be developed as well. Any mentioned cost below are only theoretical assumptions made to the design solutions.
Material cost
Material cost
- SV-25 SONOVUE
MICROBUBBLE (Sulphur Hexafluoride Micro Bubble Contrast Agent) -
- Testing Quantity: 5
- Manufacturer link: http://protechinternational.com/product_info.php?products_id=218
No comments:
Post a Comment