The Need

Currently, the six common drug delivery mechanisms are oral, topical, injection, pulmonary administration, transmucosal, and transdermal. Advanced drug delivery include sustained/extended release, prodrugs, targeted, polymeric, implants, and IUDs. Polymeric drug delivery systems are provide a promising delivery mechanism for anticancer drugs and other pharmaceutical needs. Polymers, unlike non-advanced drug delivery systems, can provide controlled release, cyclic dosage, and tunable release of therapeutics. Also, a polymeric delivery system could deliver therapuetics that are bioactive and biodegradable to improve release kinetics and prevent carrier accumulation. Therefore, it is necessary to develop robust polymeric drug delivery systems.

The Technology

Researchers at The Ohio State University, led by Dr. James Lee, used soft lithography based micro-transfer molding for surface stamping and surface-tension-driven or volume-expansion-driven self-folding to develop a novel production method for polymeric particle-like drug delivery devices. The methodology is able to create three-dimensional polymeric particulate microstructures using the aforementioned folding techniques and two dimensional precursors. This invention contains volume-expendable polymer micro pads, which fold to form micro-roll-like structures that house the drugs. The curvature of the 3D structure can be controlled by adjusting the polymer composition of the swelling layer and layer thickness.

Commercial Applications

• Drug delivery systems
• Pharmaceutical

Benefits/Advantages

• Invention contains volume-expandable polymer micropads, which fold to form micro-roll-like structures that house the drugs.
• Curvature of 3D structure can be controlled by adjusting the polymer composition of the swelling layer and layer thickness.
• Micro-dumplings and micro-rolls produced using the methodology of this invention have higher drug-loading capacities, higher uniformity of size and shape, and better controlled drug release compared to current technologies