Rice University Ph.D. student Tyler Graf holds a microscope slide. It holds an array of more than 300 tiny biodegradable particles. These can be used for time-released drug delivery. (Photo by Brandon Martin/Rice University)
Bioengineers at Rice University developed a new technology for delivering drugs in a time-releasing manner.
Kevin McHugh, corresponding author of a study about the technology, believes this could make missing doses of medicines and vaccines a thing of the past. McHugh and the Rice team saw their work published online in Advanced Materials.
According to McHugh and graduate student Tyler Graf, encapsulating medicine in microparticles that dissolve and release drugs over time isn’t new. However, they believe their method — using 21st century methods to develop next-level encapsulation technology —offers more versatility in medication delivery.
“This is a huge problem in the treatment of chronic disease,” McHugh said in a post on Rice’s website. “It’s estimated that 50% of people don’t take their medications correctly. With this, you’d give them one shot, and they’d be all set for the next couple of months.”
Get the full story at our sister site, Drug Delivery Business News.
