Many pills and injections could become history if a group of drug-delivery researchers has its way. The team has fabricated a polymer microchip that stores multiple drug doses and, when implanted in the body, could automatically release the medications at programmed intervals.
The paper-thin, dime-size chip contains a series of tiny reservoirs. Each reservoir can store a single drug dose and is sealed with a membrane made from a second, tailored polymer. By altering the length of this polymer’s molecular chains, the researchers can program the membranes to burst and release the reservoir’s contents at specific times.