(619a) Biodegradable Nanoporous Devices for Controlled Drug Delivery

Many protein- and DNA-based drugs exhibit high sensitivity to the surrounding physiological conditions as a result of their delicate physicochemical characteristics. They need to be properly protected during administration and their release needs to be precisely controlled. A novel particulate-like miniature device has been developed based on the integration of a number of micro-manufacturing modules. The main part of the device is a nanoporous controlled gate and a drug reservoir loaded with a therapeutic agent. A method to create nanoporous composite membranes via phase inversion has been developed. The pore size and membrane structure were controlled by polymer composition and evaporation time. A sacrificial template nano-imprinting method was applied for the nanonozzle preparation. To improve the biocompatibility of the devices, a hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate was coated onto the device surface by UV-polymerization. Carbon dioxide (CO2) -assisted bonding was applied for device assembling to minimize the negative effect of the manufacturing process on the protein bioactivity. The biocompatibility, biodegradation, and release performance of bioactive compounds (lysozyme and interferon-a) were evaluated in animal studies. Such devices are able to enhance the bioavailability of existing therapeutic agents and provide a continuous, pre-designed release profile within the local tumor environment, potentially without the need for surgical implantation.