[nanoPost] Nanomagnetic Drug Delivery

Company USA

Conventional technology for drug-eluting devices has been successful, but limited in the range of control it provides to physicians. For current drug-eluting devices, the drug is loaded into a polymer matrix. The drug elutes from the coating over a period of time determined by the drug's properties, drug loading, polymers used, coating thickness and other design parameters. 

The company is developing a novel nanomagnetic particle-based technology that will provide physicians with a higher degree of control than is currently on the market and can selectively bind drugs to these nanoparticles to enable targeted delivery. 

These nanoparticles can be pre-loaded into a coating on a stent or other medical device. Drugs can later be selectively released by applying a controlled electromagnetic field at a specific frequency.   

This "active" drug-elution technology also allows for reloading a drug-eluting device in the body. A nanomagnetic layer is added to create a strong local magnetic-field gradient. By applying an external magnetic field, the nanomagnetic particles are attracted to the nanomagnetic coating and become embedded in the polymer coating.  

At a later time, the physician can release the drug from the device coating by applying an electromagnetic signal, which causes the drugs to shake loose from the nanomagnetic particles and be released into the site of action. 

The company is also developing one of the most exciting applications for this technology: nanoparticles can be tuned to respond selectively to different wavelengths, allowing multiple drugs to be delivered at different times, controlled by unique signals.   

A coating could be loaded with multiple drugs to treat different complications. Drugs on a stent could fight restenosis and thrombus formation, or drugs for an orthopedic implant could promote bone growth and fight infection. This could also be used with a single drug in a coating to load and deliver multiple courses of therapy. By controlling drug delivery externally with selective magnetic application, this technology can provide some of the exciting features of a "lab on a chip" with a far simpler implant.

Drug-Eluting Implanted Devices

Implantable devices are a high growth area in the medical field. These include drug-eluting stents and orthopedic implants for hips and knees, as well as devices such as brachytherapy seeds.

Stents - By using anti-proliferative compounds that elute from the surface of a stent, the latest generation of stents has enabled a significant reduction in restenosis rates (when there is a re-narrowing of the vessel after stent implantation). The company's new technology provides opportunities to further improve the performance of drug eluting stents and other combination devices. 

Orthopedic Implants - The orthopedic implant market has the potential to benefit significantly from a combination product. Complications associated with orthopedic implants can be quite severe. When they occur, it is critical to deliver drugs to treat the threat or face the possibility of repeat surgery, which is very traumatic to the patient. The ability to deliver drugs from the surface (or targeted to the surface) of orthopedic implants to promote bone growth or fight infection can help reduce the need for costly and traumatic surgery.

Brachytherapy Seeds - Brachytherapy seeds are used to treat cancer in indications such as prostate cancer, by inserting a radioactive seed into the tumor site to directly irradiate the tumor. Combining radiation with multiple courses of drug therapy could significantly improve clinical outcomes.  

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