MIT researchers and scientists from MicroCHIPS Inc. say they have used the drug-delivery chip to administer daily doses of teriparatide, an osteoporosis drug normally given by injection.
The trial which included 7 women aged 65 to 70 showed that the programmable device delivered dosages without pain and any adverse side effects.
“This is equivalent to an injection without the pain or trouble," said lead researcher Robert Farra of MicroCHIPS Inc. “Patients with chronic diseases, regular pain-management needs or other conditions that require frequent or daily injections could benefit from this technology.”
The version of microChips implanted inside the body of each studied patient stored 20 doses of teriparatide, separately sealed in tiny reservoirs about the size of a pinprick.
A small electrical current melts down the tiny layer of platinum and titanium capping each reservoir releasing the drug into the blood stream.
Since the chips are programmable, dosages can be scheduled in advance or triggered remotely by radio communication sent from a remote control device located a few inches away from the patient’s body, scientists wrote in the Science Translational Medicine.
Researchers are now working to develop implants that can carry hundreds of drug doses per chip and can also be programmed from far distant.
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