Medical Design Briefs - December 2023 - 22

n Drug-Delivery
System Improves
Cancer Treatment
A hydrogel-based delivery
system balances
the acidic environment
in a tumor and greatly
enhances the cancerfighting
activity of the
chemotherapeutic drug
it encapsulates in lab
experiments.
The hydrogel system, which is injectable, acts as a buffer
to the drug doxorubicin and directly delivers it to malignant
tumors, helping to reduce unwanted side effects that occur
when the drug isn't released directly in the targeted site.
The researchers say the hydrogel, which was designed to balance
pH levels, has the potential to substantially improve
chemotherapeutic treatments and reduce the risk of aggressive
cancers spreading in the body by neutralizing acid levels
in tumors.
Doxorubicin is toxic and when administered through the
current practice of intravenous delivery, it doesn't discriminate
between cancer cells and non-cancerous healthy cells, leading
to significant side effects. Compounding these challenges is
that there is no current method to directly balance acidic pH
levels in cancerous tumors. (Image credit: Vikas Srivastava/
Brown University)
For more information, visit www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/
roundup/1223/hydrogel.
n Eye Implant
Treats Diabetes
A microscale device
for implantation in
the eye presents new
opportunities for cellbased
treatment of
diabetes and other diseases.
The 3D printed
device aims to encapsulate
insulin-producing
pancreatic cells and
electronic sensors.
The device is designed
as a wedge,
about 240 µm long,
allowing the structure to be mechanically fixed at the angle
between the iris and the cornea in the anterior chamber of
the eye (ACE). The work demonstrates the first mechanical
fixation of a device in the anterior chamber of the eye. It is
designed to hold living mini organs in a micro-cage and introduces
the use of a flap door technique to avoid the need
for additional fixation.
In tests on mice the device maintained its position in the living
organism for several months, and the mini organs quickly
integrated with the host animal's blood vessels and functioned
normally. (Image credit: David Callahan)
For more information, visit www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/
roundup/1223/eye-implant.
22
n Microfluidic Chip
Tests Drug Sensitivity
Researchers have developed
an integrated
microfluidic chip (BSIAST
chip) for rapid AST
from positive blood cultures
(PBCs). Using the
chip, the process from
bacteria extraction to
getting AST results takes
less than 3.5 hours, thus
promising to be a powerful
new tool in managing
bloodstream infections.
In a proof-of-concept study, the BSI-AST chip demonstrated
its effectiveness by conducting direct AST on artificial PBCs
containing E. coli, testing against 18 antibiotics, with results in
less than 3.5 hours.
Moreover, the integrated chip was applied to the diagnosis of
clinical PBCs, showing a categorical agreement of 93.3 percent
with standard clinical methods. The reliable and rapid AST results
of the chip highlight its great potential in clinical diagnosis.
The researchers achieved rapid extraction and enrichment
of bacteria from PBCs by introducing a separator gel to the
microfluidic chip for the first time. Centrifugal microfluidic enrichment
technology also was central to the process. (Image
credit: Liu Yang)
For more information, visit www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/
roundup/1223/microfluidic.
n Magnetic Gel
Improves Wound
Health
An innovative magnetic
wound-healing gel
promises to accelerate
the healing of diabetic
wounds, reduce the rates
of recurrence, and in
turn, lower the incidents
of limb amputations.
Each treatment involves
the application
of a bandage preloaded
with a hydrogel containing
skin cells for healing and magnetic particles. To maximize
therapeutic results, a wireless external magnetic device
is used to activate skin cells and accelerate the wound healing
process. The ideal duration of magnetic stimulation is about
one to two hours.
Lab tests showed the treatment coupled with magnetic
stimulation healed diabetic wounds about three times faster
than current conventional approaches. Furthermore, while
the research has focused on healing diabetic foot ulcers, the
technology has potential for treating a wide range of complex
wounds such as burns. (Image credit: National University
of Singapore)
For more information, visit www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/
roundup/1223/magnetic-gel.
www.medicaldesignbriefs.com
Medical Design Briefs, December 2023
http://www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/roundup/1223/microfluidic http://www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/roundup/1223/hydrogel http://www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/ http://www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/roundup/1223/magnetic-gel http://www.medicaldesignbriefs.com
Medical Design Briefs - December 2023

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