KR-20260066362-A - Ultrasound drug delivery patch

Abstract

The present invention relates to an ultrasonic drug delivery patch, which may include a flexible substrate capable of transmitting light, an ultrasonic generating unit that is in contact with one surface of the substrate and generates heat, vibration, or cavitation effects upon supply of external energy, and a coupling gel layer having viscosity that is disposed on one surface of the ultrasonic generating unit and contains a drug to be delivered.

Inventors

• 김종민
• 정기민
• 송찬호
• 손재범
• 황동환

Assignees

• 재단법인 대구경북첨단의료산업진흥재단

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20241104

Claims (6)

1. A flexible substrate capable of transmitting light; An ultrasonic generating unit that contacts one surface of the above substrate and generates heat, vibration, or cavitation effects upon the supply of external energy; and An ultrasonic drug delivery patch comprising a coupling gel layer having viscosity and containing a drug to be delivered, disposed on one surface of the ultrasonic generating unit.
2. In paragraph 1, The above-mentioned ultrasonic generating unit is, Ultrasonic drug delivery patch characterized by including a piezoelectric ceramic that converts electrical energy into ultrasound.
3. In paragraph 2, The above coupling gel layer is, Ultrasonic drug delivery patch characterized by containing a liquid drug.
4. In paragraph 1, The above-mentioned ultrasonic generating unit is, An ultrasonic drug delivery patch characterized by a carbon nanotube layer that converts light energy into heat and vibration.
5. In paragraph 4, The above coupling gel layer is, An ultrasonic drug delivery patch characterized by being a disposable hydrogel patch.
6. In paragraph 4, The carbon nanotube layer above is, An ultrasonic drug delivery patch characterized by a mixed layer of carbon nanotubes and PDMS (Polydimethylsiloxane).

Description

Ultrasound drug delivery patch The present invention relates to an ultrasonic drug delivery patch, and more specifically, to an ultrasonic drug delivery patch utilizing heat, vibration, or cavitation effects depending on the type of drug. Generally, it falls within a range exceeding the audible frequency range of 20 to 20,000 Hz and has two main biological effects. The first is a thermal effect: as ultrasound propagates through biological tissues, acoustic energy is absorbed and converted into thermal energy, raising the tissue temperature; when this temperature exceeds a critical threshold of approximately 60 degrees, necrosis occurs in soft tissues and blood vessels. The second is tissue damage caused by cavitation as a mechanical effect. When biological tissue is exposed to high-energy ultrasound, water inside the cells converts into gas, generating microbubbles; when these microbubbles grow large enough to cause resonance, they rupture, simultaneously generating high-pressure shock waves that damage surrounding tissues. Ultrasound, which possesses such biological effects, is widely used in the medical field for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases; in particular, the use of ultrasound to facilitate drug delivery through the skin is called phonophoresis. Among physical transdermal penetration promotion methods, phonophoresis has the advantages of having a low risk of skin damage, not being limited to the range of target drugs, having a penetration depth of about 5 cm, and a short treatment time. Acoustophoresis is classified into low-frequency acoustics of 20 to 2000 kHz and high-frequency acoustics of 1 to 3 MHz depending on the frequency range. A conventional drug injection device using ultrasound is described in Korean Published Patent No. 10-2019-0073371 (Method and device for delivering an enhanced composition, published June 26, 2019). Conventional technology utilizes radio frequency energy and employs composition delivery elements having an inflatable structure, such as a balloon. Due to the use of an inflatable structure, such a configuration cannot adhere to a patient's skin. As such, there was a problem in that non-patch type devices reduced patient convenience and increased the workload of medical staff. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasonic drug delivery patch according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 2 to 6 are exemplary diagrams of the configuration of an ultrasonic drug delivery patch according to different embodiments of the present invention. To fully understand the structure and effects of the present invention, preferred embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the attached drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but can be implemented in various forms and various modifications can be made. The description of the embodiments is provided merely to ensure that the disclosure of the present invention is complete and to fully inform those skilled in the art of the scope of the invention. In the attached drawings, components are depicted enlarged from their actual size for convenience of explanation, and the proportions of each component may be exaggerated or reduced. Terms such as 'first' and 'second' may be used to describe various components, but said components should not be limited by said terms. These terms may be used solely for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, 'first component' may be named 'second component,' and similarly, 'second component' may be named 'first component.' Furthermore, singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Unless otherwise defined, terms used in the embodiments of the present invention may be interpreted in the sense commonly known to those skilled in the art. Hereinafter, an ultrasonic drug delivery patch according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasonic drug delivery patch according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, an ultrasonic drug delivery patch according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention may include a substrate (10) made of a flexible material, an ultrasonic generating unit (20) disposed on the upper part of the substrate (10) and generating ultrasonic waves of 20 to 2000 kHz, and a coupling gel layer (30) disposed on the upper part of the ultrasonic generating unit (20) and adherable to the body and containing a drug component. Hereinafter, the composition and operation of an ultrasonic drug delivery patch according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention configured as described above will be explained in more detail. First, the substrate (10) uses a transparent or translucent flexib