NASA Testing Remote Delivery
A new remotely controlled drug delivery implant could one day provide extended, adjustable medication for patients who need daily medicine but lack medical access. This could even apply to those on a spacecraft heading for Mars.
The Houston Methodist Research Institute researchers have developed such an implant. They are going have the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory https://www.issnationallab.org test the implant’s ability to be controlled in space from a device on Earth.
The goal is to improve the implant’s ability to transmit signals to Earth and ensure that the drug delivery system is safe for humans. The implant uses nanofluidics technology that combines membranes with very small nanochannels to deliver a controlled drug dose through diffusion.
The researchers will attempt to control the implant using Bluetooth and a Blackberry device on Earth to test different frequencies to determine if the implant can precisely deliver and adjust doses on command. The results will serve as a critical step toward the implant’s future use in space for travelers who may need safe, automated access to a medication that requires frequent dosing.
The team has also designed implants with multiple reservoirs that allow different drugs to be dosed simultaneously. The implant could be pre-programmed, facilitating its function when communications are not possible or delayed because of distance from Earth.
According to Alessandro Grattoni, Professor, Nanomedicine at Houston Methodist Research Institute, “Eventually, doctors on Earth will be able to control drug delivery implants wherever patients are located whether from remote locations on Earth to distance space by using an application on their smartphone or computer.”