Surface Acoustic Wave devices for ocular drug delivery

In this work we are reporting on the development of a novel Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) device based on MEMS technology for drug delivery in the treatment of ocular diseases. The miniaturized SAW drug delivery device will be placed on the eye surface to allow non-invasive long-term drug application based on the programmed timeline and electronic control of a drug regiment. This novel drug delivery method is expected to lead to better clinical outcomes in the treatment of various eye diseases, and improved patient compliance with therapy. The device can be programmed for delivery of precise amounts of drugs at predetermined times over several months, and will use acoustic streaming to push the drug outside of the reservoir. Our modeling results were obtained using COMSOL multiphysics program and Coventor microfluidic simulator. Different force values were applied to investigate the force necessary to push the drug through the outlet.