01/05/2015
Squeezing cells to get the drugs in
A new drug-delivery technology that squeezes cells to force the medication inside could offer new treatment options for cancer and HIV patients.
The microfluidic device will work using a sample of white blood cells extracted from the patient. Those cells will be inserted into a reservoir in the device along with the material to be introduced, and the mixture will then be sent flowing though the device's 75 micro-channels. A carefully timed flow will push the blood cells through a constriction halfway through, stretching them out and allowing the desired material to enter the cells. The white blood cells can then be injected back into patient.
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