Scientists unlock precise drug delivery by combining electronics with chemistry
Researchers have engineered a device that uses electrical signals to trigger the release of drugs and proteins on demand, overcoming long-standing technical barriers that limited what molecules could be delivered. The breakthrough combines iontronic pumps with click chemistry, enabling hospitals and pharmaceutical companies to control dosing electronically—potentially transforming treatment of cancer, chronic diseases, and beyond.
Originaltitel: Iontronic click-to-release enables electrically controlled delivery of drugs and biomolecules beyond charge and size limitations
Iontroniska enheter kan nu leverera stora proteinmolekyler och läkemedel utan att begränsas av laddning eller storlek. Forskare vid TU Wien och Linköpings universitet integrerade iontronisk elektroforetisk transport med bioortogonal klick-kemi, där laddade tetrazinmolekyler fungerar som "molekylära saxar" och aktiveras elektriskt för att klippa av immobiliserade nyttolasten från TCO-länkare. Systemet uppvisade styrbar tetrazinleverans över flera dagar och elektroniskt kontrollerad frigivning av allt från små läkemedel som CA4 till stora proteiner som bovint serumalbumin. Denna hybrid eliminerar de tidigare begränsningar som band iontroniken till små, laddade molekyler. För materialleverantörer öppnas marknad för organiska elektronik i elektroceuticumappar; för produktutvecklare möjliggörs programmerbara, elektroniskt styrda läkemedelsdispensering med exakt dosering. Tekniken utgör grund för nästa generations implanterbar eller bärbar läkemedelsteknik.
<p>Dynamic and programmable control of therapeutic delivery is a long-standing goal in medicine. Iontronic devices offer precise electronic control over the dosage of bioactive molecules, yet their use has been confined to charged, low-molecular-weight compounds that are electrochemically stable during transport. Here, we present a hybrid delivery platform that integrates iontronic transport with bioorthogonal click-to-release chemistry. In this system, iontronic pumps electrophoretically deliver charged tetrazines as molecular scissors that selectively react with immobilized trans-cyclooctene (TCO)-linked payloads, enabling on-demand bioorthogonal cleavage of the TCO linker and controlled payload release. This approach retains the electronic precision of iontronics while overcoming molecular size, charge, and stability constraints. We demonstrate tunable tetrazine delivery over several days and electronically controlled release of immobilized payloads from small bioactive molecules, such as the antimitotic agent CA4, to the large protein bovine serum albumin. Hence, by integrating bioorthogonal click-to-release strategies, iontronic delivery is extended to biologically relevant macromolecules, providing a foundation for advanced programmable electroceutical devices.</p>