Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41017942›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology2025

Refillable silicone pump with precise switching for timed therapeutic delivery.

Naaz Thotathil, John J Amante, Micah Wingell, Grace W Hutter, Ultan Fallon, Yiling Fan, Keegan Mendez, Ellen T Roche, Cathal J Kearney

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Naaz Thotathil *Kearney Lab, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, United States.
John J Amante *Kearney Lab, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, United States.
Micah WingellKearney Lab, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, United States.
Grace W HutterRoche Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States.
Ultan FallonRoche Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States.
Yiling FanRoche Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States.
Keegan MendezRoche Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States.
Ellen T RocheRoche Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States.
Cathal J KearneyKearney Lab, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, United States.

Funding

It Will All Get Better with Time: Circadian Rhythms in Tissue EngineeringR35GM147272 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST · PI Cathal J Kearney · 2022 to 2026
$1.9M
NIGMS NIH HHS R35 GM147272
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: Given the precise temporal coordination of natural biological processes, administering therapeutic agents at specific times can be used to enhance efficacy in a range of applications. To achieve such controlled drug delivery, various stimulus-responsive techniques (e.g., ultrasound, temperature changes, and electromagnetic radiation) have been developed. However, many of these current methods exhibit limitations, such as premature leakage prior to stimulus activation or delayed and prolonged responsiveness to stimuli. Our research introduces a soft robotic pressure-actuated drug delivery pump aimed at improving therapeutic efficacy through precisely-timed drug administration. Methods: This device utilizes silicone - a low-modulus material - for both the therapeutic reservoir and the actuation chamber to create a biocompatible and conformable interface, facilitating controlled drug release and offering the potential to be adapted as an implantable drug delivery system. Two ports in the actuation chamber allow the therapeutic reservoir to be refilled. We actuated the pressure reservoir of the device in the range of 28.5 - 59.8 mmHg and tested: the pressure-dependent release from the device; repeated release; baseline release, and the ability to deliver a wide-range of therapeutics. Results: Importantly, the system demonstrated a reliable On/Off mechanism - confirmed by actuating to ∼80% of opening pressure over 5 days - which addresses a key limitation in many existing technologies. In vitro, the device was used to deliver a range of therapeutics and had non-significant differences versus manual delivery of therapeutics in relevant assays: antibiotics (doxycycline; reduced E. coli viability by 49.6% vs. 49.8%); adeno-associated virus (AAV; transduced 73.5% vs. 76.2% of cells); dexamethasone (2D fibroblast scratch wound closure 50.9% vs. 51.0%); and successful delivery of viable cells (viability of 83% vs. 100%). We additionally developed a finite element model to model the pressure/volume release trend, and demonstrated the effect of membrane stiffness on release. Discussion: Our results demonstrate that the device can consistently administer therapeutics and molecules of various sizes and functions while maintaining their bioactivity, showcasing its potential for repeated, precisely-timed therapeutic delivery.

Indexed as

finite element modelingon-demand drug deliveryrefillable drug delivery devicesoft roboticswound healing

Identifiers

PMID41017942
PMCPMC12460454

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.