Back to the topic of small delivery channels for medical purposes.A Eurekalert press release from Johns Hopkins says researchers have "devised a self-assembling cube-shaped perforated container, no larger than a dust speck, that could serve as a delivery system for medications and cell therapy." The researchers report in Biomedical Microdevices that "the relatively inexpensive microcontainers can be mass-produced through a process that mixes electronic chip-making techniques with basic chemistry. Because of their metallic nature, the cubic container's location in the body could easily be tracked by magnetic resonance imaging."
One Hopkins scientist says, "We're talking about an entirely new encapsulation and delivery device that could lead to a new generation of 'smart pills.' The long-term goal is to be able to implant a collection of these therapeutic containers directly at the site or an injury or an illness."
Check out this new nanotechnology advances of David Gracias' at his Hopkins web site.
