Membrane with controllable permeability for drugs

Membranes find application in medicine for the continuous delivery of drugs. The control of the delivered amount would be of great advantage. Therefore a composite membrane comprising a conductive polymer as an active separation layer is developed. By applying various potentials to the membrane system, a controlled permeability through the membrane is achieved. Depending on the redox state of the conducting polymer different rates of permeation for water soluble substances are observed. Dopamine, a neurotransmitter is chosen for testing this new composite membrane. The amount of permeated dopamine is detected on-line with a thermospray mass spectrometer. Changes in the rate of permeation up to 40 % are attained.