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Octopus Suckers Inspire Transdermal Patches
3D printing is used to create an octopus-inspired transdermal drug patch for oral use.
Using 3D printing, they created a rubbery but strong suction patch that delivers drugs through the inner cheek. https://t.co/zEi1mPOGDT
— Popular Science (@PopSci) September 28, 2023
In a new study published today in Science Translational Medicine, senior author Leroux and his team replicated the suckers found at the end of an octopus’s arms. Using 3D printing, they created a rubbery but strong suction patch that delivers drugs through the inner cheek. The majority of participants in a small human trial reported that the suction patch was a comfortable fit and they would prefer this method to needle injections.“We have developed a very simple and easy to apply delivery system that could potentially replace injectables for several kinds of drugs,” Leroux says.
Octopuses use their grippy suckers to stay anchored in churning oceans or grab squirming prey. “The starting point was mimicking the good suction these creatures had to strongly stick to wet surfaces,” Leroux adds.
Their sucker-based model has a few advantages over swallowing a pill. Because the delivery system is placed in a cheek for absorption over time, the patch can be removed if needed. The domed cup also protects the drugs inside from dissolving in saliva.
Philip K. Dick was a very early science fiction advocate of unusual drug delivery methods, so it's no surprise that he would have introduced readers to this idea long in advance of the actual availability of the technology.
In his 1960 novel Vulcan’s Hammer he describes transdermal drug patches, which weren't available commercially until 1979:
Jason Dill put down the form. He opened a drawer of his desk and got out a flat metal tin; from it he took a capsule which he placed against his wrist. At once the capsule dissolved through the dermal layers; he felt it go into his body, passing into his blood stream to begin work without delay
I can't help but think that PKD would have been amused and fascinated by the biomimicry aspect of this oral transdermal drug patch.
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