Chinese researchers develop band-aid for organs, facilitating drug delivery

BEIJING -- Have you ever wondered how drugs find their way through the body? Traditional drug delivery methods work like sending a package to an unfamiliar city, often getting lost or ending up in the wrong place. But now, Chinese researchers have developed smart "band-aids" for organs that are likely to make drug delivery more precise and efficient.

A collaborative research team from Beihang University, Peking University and other institutions has developed an electronic patch that acts as a band-aid for organs.

According to the researchers, existing oral or intravenous drugs often float around in the bloodstream and struggle to find their exact target site. Not only is this inefficient, but it can also harm healthy organs along the way. Meanwhile, large-molecule drugs face an even tougher challenge in that they are often blocked by the cell membrane, which acts as a security gate.

The team integrated flexible electronics and micro-nano processing technologies to create the ultra-thin patch, which is as thin as a regular sheet of printed paper and can be attached directly to the surface of an organ.

The patch's unique structure enables its wireless power supply. It can safely perforate cell membranes at a low voltage and, through the ultra-high electric field strength formed within the nano-pores, can deliver drug molecules to the target site rapidly and precisely.

"It's like creating a highway for drug delivery," said Chang Lingqian, a professor at Beihang University's School of Biological and Medical Engineering.

"This study has already been applied in medical aesthetics and skin trauma repair, and it holds great promise for future treatments of major health issues like cancer and trauma," Chang added.

The findings of the study were published in the international academic journal Nature on April 30.