Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
6451596 Current Opinion in Biotechnology 2017 5 Pages PDF
Abstract

•Transcutaneous patches provide a painless and self-administered method to patients.•Bioresponsive controlled release can maximize therapeutic efficiency.•Biotriggers include pH, serum glucose levels, and enzyme activity.

Transdermal drug delivery systems that utilize transcutaneous patches of arrayed microneedles have attracted increasing interest in medical practice as an alternative method to hypodermic injection. Over the past ten years, research has focused on leveraging physiological signals associated with diseases or skin-specific tissues to create bioresponsive patches that release drug directly in response to an internally-generated stimulus. This review surveys the recent advances in the development and use of bioresponsive transcutaneous patches for on-demand smart and precise drug delivery, exploiting different physiological signals including pH, serum glucose levels, and enzyme activity. The clinical potential of these devices, including challenges and opportunities, is also discussed.

Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering Chemical Engineering Bioengineering
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