Title: Technological and socio-economic implications in the development of implantable drug infusion systems for cancer therapy in tricky anatomic compartments: the case of brain tumours

Authors: Silvia Petroni, Dino Accoto, Barbara Labella, Giuseppe Turchetti, Eugenio Guglielmelli

Addresses: Laboratory of Biomedical Robotics and Biomicrosystems, Universita Campus Bio-Medico, Via Alvaro del Portillo, 200, 00128, Rome, Italy. ' Laboratory of Biomedical Robotics and Biomicrosystems, Universita Campus Bio-Medico, Via Alvaro del Portillo, 200, 00128, Rome, Italy. ' Dipartimento Qualita e Accreditamento, Agenzia Nazionale per i Servizi Sanitari Regionali, via Puglie 23, 00187, Rome, Italy. ' Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Piazza Martiri della Liberta 33, 56127 Pisa, Italy. ' Laboratory of Biomedical Robotics and Biomicrosystems, Universita Campus Bio-Medico, Via Alvaro del Portillo, 200, 00128, Rome, Italy

Abstract: Effective administration of chemotherapeutics to the brain is a difficult task because of several reasons, including the anatomic location and the presence of the brain-to-blood barrier. The socio-economic burden of the pathology, discussed in the first part of the paper, stimulates the development of specific drug delivery systems, briefly reviewed and critically evaluated in a future perspective. Special emphasis is given to a solution under development at University Campus Bio-Medico (UCBM), which is compared to alternative approaches proposed in literature. Eventually, a technological roadmap is outlined and the related potential socio-economic impact is briefly discussed.

Keywords: implantable drug delivery systems; brain tumours; cancer treatment; chemotherapeutics; socio-economic impact; technological implications.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBET.2010.035505

International Journal of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, 2010 Vol.4 No.4, pp.297 - 314

Published online: 30 Sep 2010 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article