Abstract

This paper presents the design and implementation of a prototype drug delivery device for application in endoscopic capsules. Traditional endoscopic and colonoscopic techniques are unable to access the small intestine for the delivery of biomarker probes and/or drugs. Thus limit the approach of medical researchers in the prevention and treatment of GIT disorders. The advances in wireless capsule endoscopy have enabled medical researchers to view the inside of the gastrointestinal tract. However, these devices are not capable of delivering biomarker probes and drugs to affected areas of the gastrointestinal tract. The prototype drug delivery mechanism presented in this paper is aimed at delivering a suitable technology for adoption in an endoscopic capsule for the administration of biomarker probes and/or drugs to targeted areas in the GIT without any systemic side effects The design proposed in this paper is based on thermally actuated shape memory alloys. The paper also presents the experimental results obtained using thermally actuated shape memory alloys.

Key words: Endoscopic capsule, prototype drug delivery mechanism, shape memory alloy, biomedical engineering.