MIT Researchers Develop Double-Barreled Syringe

MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) reported at August 24, that their researchers have developed double-barreled syringe technology could enable injection of concentrated biologic drugs.

Need to be stated, that according to the article this technology would be low-cost, to administer powerful drug formulations that are too viscous to be injected using conventional medical syringes. In details the syringe was described in the journal “Advanced Healthcare Materials.”

Usually pharmacists need to diluted and injected intravenously some drugs, but syringe was created as an option for highly effective, and extremely concentrated, biopharmaceuticals, or biologics.

Double-Barreled Syringe Convenience

“Where drug delivery and biologics are going, injectability is becoming a big bottleneck, preventing formulations that could treat diseases more easily,” says Kripa Varanasi, MIT professor of mechanical engineering. “Drugmakers need to focus on what they do best, and formulate drugs, not be stuck by this problem of injectability.”

Varanasi and Vishnu Jayaprakash, a graduate student in MIT’s mechanical engineering department worked under this project, and the main idea were to use lubricant in the syringe to help liquid to be injected.

“The viscous fluid to be injected is surrounded with a lubricating fluid, easing the fluid’s flow through the needle. With the lubricant, just one-seventh of the injection force was needed for the highest viscosity tested, effectively allowing subcutaneous injection of any of the more than 100 drugs otherwise considered too viscous to be administered in that way,” – according to the article.

That develop related with previously intentioned LiquiGlide by MIT. LiquiGlide is a liquid-impregnated surface material that can be used to prevent viscous products, medical devices and pharmaceuticals in particular.

EpiPen Alternative

MIT stated that this new technology would be cheaper and safer than other analogs. For example, EpiPen package (which contains 2 auto-injectors) will cost roughly $650 to $700 if you are paying cash, although pharmacy coupons or manufacturers discounts may lower the price.

“Because of their high viscosities, administering the drugs subcutaneously has involved methods that have turned out to be impractical and expensive. Generally, the drugs are diluted and given intravenously, which requires a visit to a hospital or doctor’s office. Jet injectors, which shoot the drugs through the skin without a needle, are expensive and prone to contamination from backsplash. Injecting encapsulated drugs often results in their clogging the needle and additional complexity in drug manufacturing and release profiles. EpiPen-style syringes are also too expensive to be used widely,” – article stated.

To date there is a question, about capable of using this technology with the future COVID-19 vaccine?

“Whether the technology will make a difference as researchers hunt for Covid-19 vaccine possibilities and treatments is unclear. The researchers say, however that it widens the options as different drug formulations are considered,” – authors answered.

Authors of the project hoped to commercialized the product, and to go out on the big pharmacy chains.

“This innovative technology has the potential to have a fundamental and wide-ranging impact on how drugs are delivered in the body,” Pramod Bonde, Yale School of Medicine associate professor of surgery says.