Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) engineers found a way to enhance the permeability of skin to drugs, making transdermal drug delivery more efficient.
Ultrasound, sound waves with frequencies greater than the upper limit of human hearing, can increase skin permeability by lightly wearing away the top layer of the skin, an effect that is transient and pain-free.
"This could be used for topical drugs such as steroids - cortisol, for example - systemic drugs and proteins such as insulin, as well as antigens for vaccination, among many others," said Carl Schoellhammer, MIT graduate student in chemical engineering and co-author of the study.
Researchers found that applying two separate beams of ultrasound waves, one each of low and high frequency, can uniformly boost permeability across a region of skin more rapidly than using a single beam of ultrasound waves.
"It's a very innovative way to improve the technology, increasing the amount of drug that can be delivered through the skin and expanding the types of drugs that could be delivered this way," said Samir Mitragotri, professor of chemical engineering at the University of California in a MIT statement.
Such a system could be used to deliver any type of drug that is currently given by capsule, potentially increasing the dosage that can be administered.
Ultrasound transdermal drug delivery could also offer a noninvasive way for diabetics to control their blood sugar levels, through short or long-term delivery of insulin, the researchers said in the statement.
The study appears in the Journal of Controlled Release.