Invited Paper TF-ThM11
Micro and Nanostructured Interfaces for Therapeutic Delivery

Thursday, November 12, 2009, 11:20 am, Room B4

Efficient drug delivery remains an important challenge in medicine. Continuous release of therapeutic agents over extended time periods and in accordance to a pre-determined temporal profile; local delivery at a constant rate to overcome systemic toxicity; improved ease of administration, and increasing patient compliance are some of the unmet needs of the present drug delivery technology. This talk will discuss in vivo drug delivery strategies that capitalize on the strengths of micro and nanofabrication. By taking advantage of our ability to control topography and chemistry at submicron size scales, we have developed organic and inorganic interfaces which modulate cell function while at the same time allow for controlled drug release kinetics. Due to our ability to create monodisperse features (pores, wires, and hollow tubes)as small as several nanometers in a variety of non-planar biocompatible materials, these interfaces offer advantages in their reproducibility, stability, and their ability to intimately contact cell and tissue surfaces. Such nanoengineered interfaces may be optimized for biomolecular selectivity and surface bioactivity, leading to unique interfacial properties not achieved through existing drug delivery approaches. Nanotechnology can add functionality to current drug delivery platforms while becoming an enabling technology leading to new basic discoveries in the biological sciences.