Locally targeted drug delivery to magnetic stents for therapeutic applications

The ability to safely and effectively deliver high dosages of drugs to specific sites in the human body is fundamental to the advancement of drug delivery research. Drugs with proven effectiveness under in vitro investigation often reach a major roadblock under in vivo testing due to a lack of an effective delivery strategy. In addition, many clinical scenarios require delivery of agents that are therapeutic at the desired delivery point, but otherwise systemically toxic. This paper proposes a method for targeted drug delivery by applying high magnetic field gradients within the body to an injected superparamagnetic colloidal fluid carrying a drug, without relying on magnetic coils held external to the body to provide the force. The experimental flow model presented gives insight into the use of magnetic carriers for site-specific delivery of therapeutic agents