From patches to chips, new ways to deliver drugs explored
SAN FRANCISCO, March 27 -- Innovative drug delivery systems could make the hypodermic needle obsolete. They range from medicated powders pumped into the skin at supersonic speeds to implanted microchips that deliver precise dosages to high-tech molecular transportation systems. Research on these devices and others will be the focus of a daylong symposium on new drug delivery systems at the 219th national meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society. Selected studies are described below.
A nonprofit organization with a membership of 161,000 chemists and chemical engineers, the American Chemical Society www.acs.org publishes scientific journals and databases, convenes major research conferences, and provides educational, science policy and career programs in chemistry. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.