Electroosmosis, the bulk fluid flow upon application of an electric field to a porous matrix such as brain or other animal tissue, is crucial to the electrokinetic transport of molecules in humans and other animals. Electrokinetic transport is able to avoid many of the complications encountered in traditional bulk injection of drugs in that it does not involve the pressurized injection of large amounts of fluid and does not rely on the porosity of the tissue or dimensions of the extracellular space to determine the final penetration depth. Rather, transport is instead predominantly guided by the chemical properties of the drug and tissue, enabling predictable and reproducible injections.
Description
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have developed devices and methods for electrokinetic transport of fluids to patients. A drug source, such as a reservoir or infusion pad, connected to a hollow fiber catheter and a counter-electrode is placed at the point of drug delivery. The current is passed from the reservoir to the counter electrode. The drug-carrying solution is delivered along a current path from the source to the counter-electrode via electrokinetic transport. This yields a number of desirable advantages, including no observed backflow, the ability to control the directionality of flow and better target specific locations, and ability to perfuse into areas of high pressure resistance, such as tumors.
Applications
• Novel form of convection-enhanced drug delivery system for the clinical management of malignant brain tumors, as well as any tissue or matrix with a non-zero zeta-potential.
Advantages
• Predictable and reproducible injections rely on measurable chemical properties, not porosity or extracellular space, which can vary
• No observed backflow along infusion capillaries
• Ability to control directionality allows better targeting of desired delivery site
• Minimal tissue deformation from the infusion
• Controllably perfuse areas of low pressure resistance
• Can theoretically perfuse into areas of high pressure resistance, such as tumors
Invention Readiness
In vivo data
IP Status
https://patents.google.com/patent/US9872982B2
