MicroCHIPS

MicroCHIPS has developed its core technology for drug delivery by hermetically sealing small quantities of drug in the microreservoirs, and releasing that drug on schedule or demand.

In drug delivery, there are several fundamental challenges:

Long term storage and protection of the compound
Appropriate delivery (i.e. injectable)
Release of precise amounts of a compound at desired intervals
Compliance to prescribed therapy

The ideal drug is one that:

Requires multiple microgram doses for treatment
Can be stored in lyophilized form
Is designed for injection delivery

Precise, long term drug delivery can be achieved by using individual microreservoirs to store and protect the drug, microchip activation to release the drug and telemetry to both control and communicate release. This creates the opportunity for more accurate dosing, reduced cost-of-care, improved patient compliance and ultimately improved patient outcomes.

First application: Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a degenerative disease, in which gradual loss of bone density leads to a number of debilitating conditions resulting from weakened bones and ultimately bone fracture. Osteoporotic bone fractures result in pain, decreased quality of life, disability and lost productivity. Up to 30% of patients suffering a hip fracture will require long-term care, and up to 20% of patients with a hip fracture will die within a year as an indirect result of the fracture.

For the 200 million people worldwide with osteoporosis, poor compliance with therapy increases the long-term risk of living with this disease. Treatment regimens are often long and the benefits of treatment are not acutely obvious. For this reason, patient compliance is low, and yet effectiveness is dependent on long term adherence. The risk to the patient and cost to providers of incomplete therapy is high – resulting in decreased quality of life, increased mortality and morbidity, and increased healthcare costs.

MicroCHIPS' first demonstration of its technology for drug delivery has been focused on the development and testing of a delivery device for PTH(1-34), also known as teriparatide, an anabolic agent for the treatment of osteoporosis. This therapy relies on daily injections to increase bone mass. MicroCHIPS' drug delivery device was designed to deliver precise doses at prescribed intervals and overcome the compliance limitations associated with this type of injectable drug delivery.

MicroCHIPS' recently completed a First-In-Man (FIM) trial demonstrating the feasibility of microchip-based drug delivery in osteoporotic patients. The FIM trial was published in the prestigious journal Science and Translational Medicine, a co-publication of Science Magazine. In the trial, the device was shown to deliver PTH(I-34) as programmed, producing dose and kinetics curves that were similar to traditional injections and actually reduce dose-to-dose variation. This important finding was the highlighted at the AAAS Annual Conference in February 2012, one of the most important forums for breakthrough technologies.