Polymeric Device Characterization for Localized Targeted Drug Delivery Implant for Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer is a major global health problem, and despite technological advancements over the past four decades, the mortality rate for patients diagnosed with cervical cancer has remained unchanged. Currently, treatment options for cervical cancer include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgical intervention. Personalized medical treatment aims to provide the right treatments to the right patients at the right time. Implantable drug delivery systems were developed to overcome problems associated with oral and injectable administration approaches such as patient adherence, bioavailability, and first-pass metabolism, among others. New combinations of biodegradable polymers have enabled numerous novel approaches to drug delivery. The proposed solution is the Multistage Polymer Delivery System (MPDS), which is a polymer device capable of minimally invasive placement and controlled drug administration over a span of several weeks. This study's objective was to show that the MPDS exhibits a linear biphasic controlled release profile, which would indicate potential as an effective treatment vehicle for cervical malignancies. An injection mold technique was developed to manufacture devices in batches. In vitro experiments demonstrated that the device’s geometry and surface area could be varied to achieve various drug release profiles. This study’s results encourage additional development of MPDS devices to treat cervical cancer, as well as other malignancies, such as lung, testicular, and ovarian cancers.