According to the report of Mehr news agency, quoting Tehran University, this product, under the supervision of Dr. Ali Pourkhalilfaculty member Schools The interdisciplinary sciences and technologies of the University of Tehran have been designed and built, on the first day of the 25th Exhibition of Research, Technology and Technology Market Achievements of the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, it was unveiled in the presence of the Minister of Science, Research and Technology.
Dr Pourkhalil The head of the research and production team of this product, referring to the main problem in the local treatment of joint diseases such as arthritis Rheumatoid With systemic drugs, he said: in arthritis RheumatoidUsually, the drug is administered orally or by injection of methotrexate. These methods deliver the drug to the entire body and cause severe side effects such as nausea, hair loss, liver damage, and digestive problems, but the produced microneedle patch delivers the drug directly to the inflamed joint through the skin, so it has very few side effects and the drug affects exactly where there is pain and inflammation.
The purpose of this research and product production is to help arthritis patients Rheumatoid He said and added: These patients are forced to use the drug every week orally or by injection, and the side effects of the drug greatly reduce the quality of life of these patients. Therefore, our goal was to create a simple treatment method, without injection pain and with very few side effects, so that the patient can easily stick this drug on the joint at home without going to medical centers, and the drug will be released automatically within a few days.
Explaining the technical innovation and design of this product, he said: This patch is like a small sticker that is placed on a joint (such as a knee or wrist). In this patch, instead of ordinary glue, very special and elastic materials (hyperelastic) and intelligent austic structure are used, so that even when the joint moves or swells, the patch does not tear off and remains strong.
Faculty member Schools Interdisciplinary Sciences and Technologies of Tehran University explained about the characteristics of microneedles in this patch as follows: microneedles are very small (the diameter of a hair) and are made of hydrogel. As soon as the patch is placed on the joint, these needles are gently inserted into the skin (painless), then they swell up by absorbing body water and lock into the skin like a small hook so that the patch remains motionless, while the biggest problem with the previous patches was that they were torn off quickly on swollen moving joints or separated from the skin when the hand got wet, but the new design is such that the patch gets wet even while moving. Or the swelling of the joint remains firm.
Dr. Pour Khalil explained the drug release and control mechanism by this patch on the target tissue as follows: The drug (methotrexate) is inside the hydrogel microneedles. When the needles penetrate the skin and absorb some water, they slowly release the medicine over several days just under the skin near the joint. This makes the medicine work only on the inflammation site instead of spreading throughout the body.
Dr. Pourkhalil stated that the biggest advantage of this product compared to injection or pill is the significant reduction of systemic side effects, elimination of injection pain, the possibility of using it at home and better adherence of the patient to the treatment, among the main advantages, and very high adhesion in real conditions, no need for chemical glue, stable drug release, and a design compatible with joint movements are among the unique advantages of this patch.
According to Dr. Pourkhalil, this product is on the way to commercialization and its patent has been registered, and by attracting investors, it will soon enter the stages of semi-industrial production and clinical trials.
In response to the question whether this technology can be used in other drugs? He said: The same patch can be used for other anti-inflammatory drugs, joint pain relievers, even skin cancer and other skin diseases.
In the end, Dr. Pourkhalil answered the question whether this patch can improve access to treatment in deprived areas or for patients who do not have access to regular injections. He said: Exactly. The patient just takes a few patches from the pharmacy and uses them at home. There is no need for injections in the clinic or frequent trips. This issue is very helpful especially for remote villages and cities.
RCO NEWS



