A polymer-based membrane could be used as a drug delivery platform. Developed by researchers at the University of California, Riverside, the membrane is made from threads of a polymer commonly used in vascular sutures. It can be loaded with therapeutic drugs and implanted in the body before mechanical forces activate its electric potential, slowly releasing the drugs. The researchers published information on the system in ACS Applied Bio Materials.

Led by UC Riverside associate professor of bioengineering, Jim Nam, the researchers found that poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluro-ethylene), or P(VDF-TrFE) — which can produce an electrical charge under mechanical stress (a property known as piezoelectricity) — has the potential for use as a drug delivery vehicle.

This article was originally posted on R&D World’s sister publication Drug Delivery Business

Researchers at the University of California, Riverside, are touting a polymer-based membrane as a potential drug delivery platform.

The researchers developed the membrane made from threads of a polymer commonly used in vascular sutures, according to the university’s website. The membrane can be loaded with therapeutic drugs and implanted in the body before its electric potential is activated by mechanical forces and the drugs are slowly released. The researchers published information on the system in ACS Applied Bio Materials.

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