Implantable Mems Drug Delivery Systems for Administration of Unaltered Therapeutic Agents

Drug therapy intervention plays a major role in the management of many ocular diseases. However, precise delivery of pharmaceutical solutions to a specified target within the body is an ongoing challenge in many areas of drug delivery. Current routes of ocular treatment (topical, systemic or intraocular injections) have limited efficacy due to physiological barriers, potential side effects, and occasional patient compliance. Thus, a new paradigm for treatment ocular diseases using micromachined drug delivery devices is explored as an optimal means of pharmacologic management. Our intraocular MEMS drug delivery devices are refillable for chronic use and capable of controlled delivery of unaltered therapeutic agents. Only a single surgical intervention is required to implant the device following which long term operation with potentially fewer side effects is possible.