Reducing Passive Drug Diffusion from Electrophoretic Drug Delivery Devices through Co-Ion Engineering.

Implantable electrophoretic drug delivery devices have shown promise for applications ranging from treating pathologies such as epilepsy and cancer to regulating plant physiology. Upon applying a voltage, the devices electrophoretically transport charged drug molecules across an ion-conducting membrane out to the local implanted area. This solvent-flow-free "dry" delivery enables controlled drug release with minimal pressure increase at the outlet.

Foreign Body Reaction to Implanted Biomaterials and Its Impact in Nerve Neuroprosthetics.

The implantation of any foreign material into the body leads to the development of an inflammatory and fibrotic process-the foreign body reaction (FBR). Upon implantation into a tissue, cells of the immune system become attracted to the foreign material and attempt to degrade it. If this degradation fails, fibroblasts envelop the material and form a physical barrier to isolate it from the rest of the body.

Materials and Device Considerations in Electrophoretic Drug Delivery Devices.

Electrophoretic drug delivery devices are able to deliver drugs with exceptional temporal and spatial precision. This technology has emerged as a promising platform for treating pathologies ranging from neuropathic pain to epilepsy. As the range of applications continues to expand, there is an urgent need to understand the underlying physics and estimate materials and device parameters for optimal performance.

Mapping the salinity gradient in a microfluidic device with schlieren imaging.

This work presents the use of the schlieren imaging to quantify the salinity gradients in a microfluidic device. By partially blocking the back focal plane of the objective lens, the schlieren microscope produces an image with patterns that correspond to spatial derivative of refractive index in the specimen. Since salinity variation leads to change in refractive index, the fluid mixing of an aqueous salt solution of a known concentration and water in a T-microchannel is used to establish the relation between salinity gradients and grayscale readouts.