Israel21C profiles an innovative transdermal drug delivery system from a start up TransPharma Medical Ltd. Together with Teva Pharmaceutical Industries of Israel, the company is currently developing a proprietary transdermal hPTH (1-34) product to treat osteoporosis while eliminating the need for daily injections.
Here’s how the company’s RF-MicroChannel™ technology works:
A densely spaced array of microelectrodes is placed against the skin. A high frequency alternating current is transferred through each of the microelectrodes to create localized ablation of the skin cells in close proximity to the electrodes. This process takes only milliseconds and produces well-defined and completely safe RF-MicroChannels. The RF-MicroChannels penetrate only the outer layer of the skin, where there are no blood vessels or nerve endings. This means no pain or trauma to the skin.
A typical TransPharma Medical RF-MicroChannel microelectrode array incorporates hundreds of microelectrodes, so that many parallel channels are created through the skin within a few seconds. This covers less than 1% of the total treated surface area…
The dimensions and density of the RF-MicroChannels are completely flexible, depending on the electronic and mechanical settings of the ViaDerm system. The drug delivery rate is determined by the size and number of channels created. These, in turn, are a function of the number and density of the activated electrodes and the current driven through them. The depth of a typical channel is less than 100 microns – large enough for even the largest drug molecules…
One of the primary difficulties in penetrating the skin is the very texture and nature of the skin tissue itself. This of course, varies among individuals. TransPharma Medical’s proprietary microelectrode array design, which adapts to variations within and between treatment sites, addresses these variations. This design is essential for the formation of RF-MicroChannels that have a consistent, well controlled depth, so that the drug reaches the subcutaneous capillary bed without unnecessary trauma to the inner skin layers.
RF-MicroChannel Technology offers more therapeutic opportunities than existing technologies under development due to the following:RF-MicroChannels are created within milliseconds, with no resulting skin trauma or pain. Uniformity of RF-MicroChannels through all skin types is fully controlled by a unique feedback mechanism, offering precise and reproducible drug delivery. The size and density of RF-MicroChannels enable delivery of relatively high doses of drugs, which could not previously be delivered transdermally. RF-MicroChannels can be used to deliver a wide variety of molecules through the skin. Other active technologies impose limitations as to molecule size, formulation or dose. RF-MicroChannels formed in the skin remain open for a relatively long time, up to and exceeding 24 hours. This enables sustained-release drug delivery to maintain constant drug blood levels and improved compliance.
A typical TransPharma Medical RF-MicroChannel microelectrode array incorporates hundreds of microelectrodes, so that many parallel channels are created through the skin within a few seconds. This covers less than 1% of the total treated surface area…More from the company…