Light Activated Polymer Developed for Use in Drug Delivery Systems

Medipacs, a Tucson AZ. biotech company, has announced the development of a new photo (light) activated polymer actuator that can reversibly expand and contract up to 100% in volume and produce pressures greater than 2 pounds per square inch when exposed to certain wavelengths of light. The new patent pending material has been in development for two years and is intended for use in the Pulse Activated Cell System or PACS. The proprietary PACS Digital Pump™ technology is being developed by Medipacs to drive or pump fluids for drug delivery and infusion therapies in the medical market.

The new photo activated polymer is a major breakthrough in an effort to develop an extremely low energy consuming pump system. This polymer will enable systems and systems components that use very little or no electrical power at all. and it is viewed as a major building block of the Medipacs system and components. Company spokesperson Laurie Hassey envisions its use beyond medical devices and as a new alternative energy technology. “Once you realize that by simply exposing the material to light generates movement of the material you start to see the possibilities. We envision uses from water pumps for remote areas and third world countries to active materials that can bend or track in the direction of the sun, in much the same way a living plant does. These and other concepts take advantage of a photo chemical process in the polymer and do not need any electrical power to create movement.”

Medipacs is a startup company at the Arizona Center for Innovation a business incubator located at the University of Arizona Science and Technology Park. The company is developing the next generation of medical pump and drug delivery devices that interact with the patient, autonomously monitoring, mixing and delivering drugs and fluids according to the patients needs. Future devices are in the form of pre-dosed patches, ambulatory monitors with interactive pumps, artificial organs and bioreactors.