title: A cyclically actuated electrolytic drug delivery device.
abstract: This work, focusing on an implantable drug delivery system, presents the first prototype electrolytic pump that combines a catalytic reformer and a cyclically actuated mode. These features improve the release performance and extend the lifetime of the device. Using our platinum (Pt)-coated carbon fiber mesh that acts as a catalytic reforming element, the cyclical mode is improved because the faster recombination rate allows for a shorter cycling time for drug delivery. Another feature of our device is that it uses a solid-drug-in-reservoir (SDR) approach, which allows small amounts of a solid drug to be dissolved in human fluid, forming a reproducible drug solution for long-term therapies. We have conducted proof-of-principle drug delivery studies using such an electrolytic pump and solvent blue 38 as the drug substitute. These tests demonstrate power-controlled and pulsatile release profiles of the chemical substance, as well as the feasibility of this device. A drug delivery rate of 11.44 ± 0.56 μg min(-1) was achieved by using an input power of 4 mW for multiple pulses, which indicates the stability of our system.
authors.affiliation: School of Engineering, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. ying.yi@alumni.ubc.ca.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Buttner
authors.forename: Ian G
authors.initials: IG
authors.lastname: Foulds
mesh_terms: D004396:Coloring Agents; D055664:Electrochemical Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D015918:Infusion Pumps, Implantable; D056656:Lab-On-A-Chip Devices; D008962:Models, Theoretical
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents