Houston Methodist Hospital has tested a unique drug delivery system that will be indispensable for patients with chronic illnesses - arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, writes Eurek Alert. This is a small implant with nano-channels that can be remotely controlled via Bluetooth.
The implant, located under the skin, gives a completely controlled release of two drugs (in the experiment they were drugs for arthritis and hypertension) without the use of pumps. It can be used for a year without refilling drugs. Next year they want to test the technology in space on the ISS.
The system has three modes of drug release - standard, reduced and increased activity. And the mode of operation can be easily built to the needs of each patient. The implant uses a nanofluidic membrane, including tubules, through which controlled drug delivery occurs.