Study on structural optimum design of implantable drug delivery micro-system

In this paper, design, modeling, and simulation of a new type of controlled drug delivery system based on biodegradable polymers is report. The system consists of arrays of micro-chambers for drug storage to achieve linear release. The micro-chambers were fabricated with biodegradable polymer using the UV-LIGA technology and the controlled release process is the combined results of design of the micro-chambers and the biodegradable characteristics of the polymer. This type of drug delivery system has some unique advantages in controlled long-term drug delivery, such as improved efficiency, reduced side effect, on-spot delivery, and convenient therapy. Mathematical model has been developed for two kind of biodegradable polymer micro-system respectively, and numerical simulations were conducted to analyze the biodegradation and the controlled release process. The mathematical model can be used to optimize the structural design for controlled-release system with the desired release characteristics. (C) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.