title: Needle-free jet injection using real-time controlled linear Lorentz-force actuators.
abstract: Needle-free drug delivery by jet injection is achieved by ejecting a liquid drug through a narrow orifice at high pressure, thereby creating a fine high-speed fluid jet that can readily penetrate skin and tissue. Until very recently, all jet injectors utilized force- and pressure-generating principles that progress injection in an uncontrolled manner with limited ability to regulate delivery volume and injection depth. In order to address these shortcomings, we have developed a controllable jet injection device, based on a custom high-stroke linear Lorentz-force motor that is feed-back controlled during the time-course of an injection. Using this device, we are able to monitor and modulate continuously the speed of the drug jet, and regulate precisely the volume of drug delivered during the injection process. We demonstrate our ability to control injection depth (up to 16mm) and repeatably and precisely inject volumes of up to 250μL into transparent gels and post-mortem animal tissue.
authors.affiliation: Auckland Bioengineering Institute and Department of Engineering Science, University of Auckland, 70 Symonds Street, Auckland, New Zealand. a.taberner@auckland.ac.nz
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Taberner
authors.forename: N Catherine
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Hogan
authors.forename: Ian W
authors.initials: IW
authors.lastname: Hunter
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000295:instrumentation*; D007267:Injections / Q000295:instrumentation*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013997:Time Factors