Researchers at Northwestern University in Illinois have developed a nanodiamond patch designed to release chemotherapy drugs directly to the area where tumours have been removed.
Made from a polymer called parylene, the biomedical device is embedded with specks of diamonds, which researchers say have a high surface area that makes them ideal for delivering drugs.
Tests on the patch—which resembles a piece of plastic wrap—found the cancer drug doxorubicin is released slowly and evenly over time, limiting its toxic effects. The nanodiamonds are compatible with body tissue and do not cause cell inflammation.
Dean Ho, assistant professor of biomedical engineering and mechanical engineering at Northwestern, led the research into the patch.
“One of the most significant aspects of this work is that the fabrication procedures are highly scalable, meaning hundreds, or even thousands, of devices potentially could be manufactured in parallel and at low cost,” Ho said.
The research was reported in the journal ACS Nano.
