J. Xi, X.A. Si
California Baptist University,
United States
Keywords: brian tumor treatment, nose-to-brain drug delivery, olfactory targeting, electromagnetic guidance, pulsating flow
Summary:
A olfactory delivery efficiency of 40% can be achieved using this new delivery system. This will also significantly reduces drug waste in the nasal valve region. This device does not depend on inhalation conditions, making it well suited for seniors or patients with breathing difficulties. This device is designed specifically for olfactory delivery for the treatment of neurological disorders, such as Holoprosencephaly in infants, Cerebral Palsy in children, and Alzheimer’s diseases in senior populations. Merits of the new device include: 1. Electric guided drug particles can be contact-free from the airway walls, which significantly reduces the drug loss and increases the olfactory dosage. 2. The proposed delivery device has the potential of alleviating or overcoming the nose-to-brain bottleneck posed by extremely low olfactory deposition. 3. Delivery does not rely on inhalation maneuvers, making it suitable for seniors or patients with respiratory distresses. 4. Electric guided drug particles can be free of ferric magnetic materials, therefore minimizing side effects from metallic accumulations. 5. The proposed platform can be easily adapted for target drug delivery at respiratory sites other than the olfactory region by modifying electrode layouts and voltage input frequencies. This new device addresses a major challenge of nose-to-brain delivery: lack of effective method to delivery drugs to the olfactory region. The capacity of delivering clinically significant dosages to the olfactory mucosa has multiple advantages in the treatment of neurological disorders. First, it could provide a practical solution to the long-standing problem of extremely low olfactory dosages and make the direct-nose-to-brain drug delivery clinically feasible. Drugs deposited in the olfactory region can directly enter the brain, leading to quick therapeutic onset. Second, the proposed delivery system requires no or little modification of the drug particles. As a result, neurological drugs that cannot permeate the BBB may work with the intranasal delivery, thus greatly increasing the option of candidate agents to combat brain tumors. Third, site-specific doses to the olfactory region can improve the therapeutic efficacy and minimize adverse systematic side-effects. Finally, drug particles under the control of an electric field are less dependent on inhalation conditions, which make it well suited to be used by seniors or patients with breathing difficulties. This advantage is especially desirable when medications need to be administered over a sustained period of time.