Drug delivery implant uptime extended using AI
Engineers have created a robotic implant that monitors scar formation and ensures a stable dose of medicine is maintained.Researchers from the University of Galway and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are developing a smart implant that can recognize changes in the surrounding tissue and adapt to them. The development solves the problem of long-term performance of drug implants due to the formation of fibrotic tissue.
The body perceives any implanted device as a foreign object and begins to reject it. For drug delivery devices, this is associated with the formation of scar tissue around the implant, which gradually clogs the pores and reduces the dose of therapy delivered to the body.
The researchers used mechanotherapy to reduce scar tissue formation. A soft robotic implant makes regular movements in the body, such as inflating and deflating. Timely, repetitive or varied movements help prevent scar tissue formation.
The porous membrane of the device detects scar formation, which plugs the pores, through electrical impedance. Fibrotic cells block the electrical signals that pass through the membrane. The researchers developed a machine-learning algorithm that monitors such changes to predict the amount of drug needed and the strength of mechanical movements to achieve the right dosage.
The study showed that changing the force and the number of times the device was forced to move or change shape allowed the device to release more drug, helping to bypass scar tissue formation.
Implantable drug delivery systems can be used to treat diabetes, chronic pain and other conditions that require regular administration of therapy.