title: Micromechanical devices for intravascular drug delivery.
abstract: Microfabrication technology, more commonly applied to the manufacture of integrated circuits, can be used to build devices useful for mechanical delivery of drugs and genes. Microprobes fabricated using silicon micromachining have been used to deliver DNA into cells as an alternative to bombardment and microinjection. This idea can be extended to intravascular stents with integrated microprobes capable of piercing compressed plaque and delivering anti-restenosis therapies into coronary arteries. Preliminary experiments using filleted rabbit arteries have demonstrated transection of the internal elastic lamina. New nonplanar microfabrication technologies are necessary for creating practical devices with cylindrical symmetry; a promising possibility is to use microfabricated structures of anodic metal oxides.
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903, USA. reed@virginia.edu
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Reed
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kneller
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Watkins
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Vorp
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nadeem
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rebello
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mescher
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Rosenblum
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Feldman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D001158:Arteries; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000628:therapy*; D004247:DNA / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004343:Drug Implants; D015316:Genetic Therapy; D006801:Humans; D015607:Stents
chemical_list: D004343:Drug Implants; D004247:DNA