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cUPS(Comfortable Ultrasound Sonophoresis Patch)
[https://news.mit.edu/2023/wearable-patch-can-painlessly-deliver-drugs-through-skin-0419#:~:text=In%20hopes%20of%20making%20it,that%20drugs%20can%20pass%20through. The cUPS(Comfortable Ultrasound Sonophoresis Patch)] is a new medical invention created by MIT(Massachusetts Institute of Technology). It’s a patch which is applied to the skin in order to administer medication to the patient in a swift and painless manner. For decades pills which are uncomfortable to swallow and syringes which are just painful for some people, have been used in the medical profession. Making it especially difficult to administer medication in certain scenarios. But the medical scientists and enthusiasts at MIT decided to take a different approach to the issue. Thus the cUPS was created.

Process of creation
The creation of the cUPS was a long and challenging road. As previously stated, pills and syringes have been the two main sources of delivering medication for a long time. But the problem with both of these options is that they are uncomfortable and according to Shah “they don’t allow one to take in the exact dosage needed.” Giving the medical team at MIT their first challenge. The MIT team wanted to come up with a way to perform transdermal drug delivery with a lightweight, wearable patch, in hopes of making it easier to use for a variety of reasons. The solution found was that ultrasound has been known to make the skin more permeable to small molecules. And the challenge with this was that most of the treatment that was already taking place using the ultrasound method required big machines. So, the team decided to make a device that was not only small enough but was also lightweight and wearable in the form of a patch.

History and contents
Research on Transdermal drug delivery dates to the 1960s. In 1975 researchers found that the stratum corneum’s penetrability varied between the size of the molecule. Which could be controlled by optimizing or changing the formula. Following this discovery hundreds more ideas on innovation sprouted. These ideas were grouped into two categories. Passive delivery and active delivery. Some examples of passive delivery systems were hydrogel patches and microneedle patches. While active delivery systems included electric-stimulated patches, ultrasound stimulated patches and photothermal stimulated patches. The cUPS would be considered an active delivery system. Seeing as the device is comprised mainly of a few things. A patch embedded with several disc-shaped piezoelectric transducers and each disc is embedded in a polymeric cavity. The disc-shaped piezoelectric transducers turn electric currents into mechanical energy which allows passage for the drug molecules broken down in a liquid solution held in the polymeric cavity. To which an electric current is applied generating pressure waves in the fluid and creating bubbles that burst against the skin. These bursting bubbles produce microjets of fluid that can penetrate through the stratum corneum. The patch itself is made of a silicone-based polymer (PDMS) that can stick to the skin without the use of tape.

Testing
Testing began with the use of pigskin. By delivering a form of vitamin B called niacinamide found in some moisturizers and sunscreens. The tests were successful as they showed that with the aid of ultrasound the amount of drugs that could pass through the skin was about 26 times greater than the skin that had no ultrasonic aid. The researchers also compared the results from their new device to micro needling, another technique sometimes used for transdermal drug delivery, which entails puncturing the skin with tiny sterile needles. The researchers found that the device was able to deliver the same amount of niacinamide in 30 minutes that could be delivered with micro needling over a six-hour period.

Uses in medicine
The main objective for this device was to eliminate the need for oral and intravenous forms of delivering the medication. The current model of the cUPS allows drugs to penetrate a few millimeters into the skin, making this approach useful for drugs that work locally inside the skin. Since the device is applied directly to the skin it makes treating wounds and skin conditions like acne or eczema far easier. The cUPS also eliminates some fears people might hold against needles or pills. Additionally, scientists are currently working on ways to utilize the device to administer drugs that need to be in the bloodstream like caffeine or fentanyl. This would remove the necessity for administering some forms of infusion therapy. They are also investigating the feasibility of implanting similar devices within the body to administer medication for treating various diseases like cancer. Another potential use for this device is because it’s painless factor. Although the use is more cosmetic than medical, tattoos are pretty but painful. With the application of this device even tattoos could be a quick, simple and painless process. Finally, since the device is worn and the medication is applied to the skin, scientists hope that it will perform as well as other similar devices used today. Most of which avoid gastrointestinal degradation and hepatic first-pass metabolism, providing good drug bioavailability and patient compliance.