Researchers develop new mechanism of drug release over an extended period

Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Mass. have developed a new mechanism of drug release. It uses 3D superhydrophobic materials that make use of air as a removable barrier, which controls the rate at which a drug is released. "The ability to control drug release over a 2-3 month period is of significant clinical interest in thoracic surgery with applications in pain management and in the prevention of tumor recurrence after surgical resection," says Yolonda Colson, director of the Brigham and Women's Hospital Cancer Center, who assisted Boston University graduate student Stefan Yohe with the study, in which he monitored drug release in aqueous solution and mesh performance in cytotoxicity assays. The research team was able to show how the rate of drug release related to the removal of the air pocket and demonstrated that the rate of drug release can be kept constant over an extended period of time.