Emergency delivery of Vasopressin from an implantable MEMS rapid drug delivery device

Abstract

An implantable rapid drug delivery device based on micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology was designed, fabricated and validated for the in vivo rapid delivery of vasopressin in a rabbit model. In vitro characterization of device performance found the device capable of reliably and reproducibly delivering 85% of its loaded drug solution. A comparison of intraperitoneal and subcutaneous injections of vasopressin in rabbits was performed to determine the implantation location for the device. Both routes of delivery were found to be viable implantation locations, and the less invasive subcutaneous site was chosen. Vasopressin was released from the subcutaneously implanted device in anesthetized rabbits and found to exert a measurable effect on blood pressure. The bioavailability of vasopressin delivered from the device was found to be 6.2% after one hour. Proof-of-concept experiments were also conducted to address long-term stability of drugs in the implanted device and wireless activation of the device. These experiments defined areas of future research for improvement of the device.