Hi, this is Wayne again with a topic “Sliding through a syringe”.
[ Narrator ] Biologic drugs are used to treat a wide range of diseases and disorders.. They can be tailored to a specific patient’s needs, giving them an element of personalization that assists in their efficacy, and is why globally people are pushing toward biologic drugs.. However, the required injection force for biologic formulations designed for subcutaneous injections can exceed what is possible to apply manually due to their high viscosities and the more concentrated. These biologics are the more viscous they become.. You can imagine trying to inject honey through a needle and how difficult that would be..
As a result, the drugs are often diluted and given intravenously, which requires a visit to a hospital or a doctor’s office.. However, now a team of MIT researchers have developed a simple low-cost technology that makes it possible to easily inject high-concentration drugs and other therapies.. Their device consists of a syringe with two barrels, one inside the other, with the inner tube delivering the viscous drugs and the surrounding tube delivering a thin coating of lubricant to the drug as it enters the needle.. With the lubricant, the researchers found seven times less force was needed for the highest viscosity tested effectively, allowing the injection of any of the more than 100 drugs, otherwise considered too viscous to be administered that way., Because the lubricated fluid passes more easily through the needle.
The viscous payload undergoes minimal shear stress and for this reason the researchers say their system could also be useful for 3D bioprinting of tissues made of natural components where tissues and cells can be destroyed by shear damage.. This technology could help democratize access to healthcare by making it possible for people to self-administer, highly-concentrated drugs or vaccines., Whether their technology will make a difference as researchers hunt for COVID-19 vaccine possibilities and treatments is unclear.. The researchers say, however, that it widens the options as different. Drug formulations are considered. (, synthesizer, music, ) .