MEMS Fabricated Chip for an Implantable Drug Delivery Device

We present a silicon-based implantable drug delivery system (IDDS) for the administration of compounds in vivo. The implanted device contains the drug-filled silicon microchip, control circuitry, telemetry capability, and a battery. At the heart of the IDDS is the drug-containing microchip, a MEMS (microelectromechanical systems)-based device. A process was developed for the fabrication of the silicon chip. MicroCHIPS´ drug release technology has been successfully demonstrated in vitro and in vivo using the therapeutic peptide leuprolide as a model compound