Implantable Iontophoretic Devices for Cancer Therapy

Chemotherapy has a fundamental limitation for the treatment of brain tumours – poor penetration through the blood-brain barrier, leading to sub-therapeutic concentrations in brain tumours. This study focuses on an implantable electrophoretic drug delivery device (left behind in the tumour after biopsy), which uses an electric field to improve drug transport. The technology is called iontophoresis – a ‘dry’ delivery that only delivers the charged drug ions into the tumour region by electric fields and avoids pressure-related problems. This study explores a novel iontophoretic device which significantly improves the efficiency of drug delivery.