Drug delivery to be pain-free with
the help of 3D printed needles
US researchers have developed a new technique to produce a
3D ‘micro-printed’ array of needles capable of delivering drug without causing
any pain, thereby offering a potential alternative to painful injections. The
needles are made from a biomaterial that would degrade in the patient’s body
after delivering the drug. The device could be used in treatments for a wide
range of diseases, including skin cancers. In this study, the researchers
reported producing a drug-loaded array for transdermal delivery of a
chemotherapeutic drug where the drug is administered through the skin.
The arrays consist of 25 poly (propylene fumarate)
microneedles, each needle having a tip and base diametre of 20 micrometre and
200 micrometre, respectively, and a height of one mm. Constructing the array
was challenging, said one of the study authors Jae-Won Choi from University of
Akron in Ohio, US. ‘3D printing this array was difficult, as the printable
biomaterial contains some non-printable solvents and drugs,’ Choi noted. Dacarbazine,
commonly used to treat skin cancer, was blended into the solution prior to
crosslinking (a final part of the 3D printing process).
The needles were then tested and shown to be able to
withstand the stresses and strains they would likely be submitted to when
inserted into the body. ‘We’d like to have a faster drug release, but this will
require more material research. Once we improve this process we can look at
developing more controlled drug release,’ Choi noted. ‘I would hope we will see
this being used clinically in five-10 years’ he noted. The results were
published in the journal Biofabrication.
Source: www.thehealthsite.com
06.10.2015
Nobel Prize 2015 for Medicine
awarded to path breakers in parasitic medicine
The Nobel Prize 2015 in Medicine have been jointly shared
by Scientists from Ireland, Japan and China. William C. Campbell and Satoshi
Ōmura, and Youyou Tu have won the 2015 prize for their discoveries that helped
doctors fight malaria and infections caused by other roundworm parasites.
Campbell and Omura won it for their novel therapy for infections caused by
roundworm parasites. They discovered a drug called Avermectin, which
lowered the incidence of River blindness and Filariasis.
Ms Tu YouYou, the first Chinese medicine Laureate won it
for her discovery of a therapy for malaria. She discovered the drug Artemisinin
that significantly reduced the mortality rates of patients suffering from
Malaria. Their discoveries have revolutionised the treatment of parasitic
diseases and the benefits of their discovery to mankind are immeasurable.
Born in 1930, Youyou Tu graduated from the Pharmacy
Department at Beijing Medical University in 1955. She is a Chinese citizen and
worked at the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine from 1965 and
is currently the Chief Professor at the same institute. William C Campbell
was born in Ireland in 1930 and after completing BA from the University
of Dublin, Ireland in 1952, he completed his Ph.D. from University of
Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA in 1957. He worked with Merck Institute for
Therapeutic Research till 1990 as a Senior Scientist and Director for Assay
Research and Development. He is currently a Research Fellow Emeritus at Drew
University, Madison, New Jersey, USA.
Satoshi Omura, the Japanese born in 1935 received
his PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences in 1968 from University of Tokyo, Japan and
a PhD in Chemistry in 1970 from Tokyo University of Science. After working as a
researcher with Kitasato Institute, Japan from 1965-1971 he worked as a
Professor at the same University from 1975-2007. From 2007 onwards, he has been
Professor Emeritus at Kitasato University.
Source: www.thehealthsite.com
06.10.2015
Life is chance
to change and to be better than before
Eljess Rey Cadiz
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