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The efficient and reproducible delivery of drugs
to and through the skin has been a goal of researchers
for a long time.
The skin as an area for delivery is attractive because of
its ease of access and prevalence.
Currently, most drugs are given using a hypodermic needle,
because they cannot pass through the outermost layer
of the skin, which acts as a barrier.
That's where our technology comes in:
we've developed a device that can painlessly and safely
remove the top layer of the skin.
I know that sounds a little scary, but it's not.
After pre-treatment with our device, a patient can place
a patch over the pre-treated area with the necessary drug,
and receive the required dose of that drug.
Better yet, this treatment is totally reversible, and the skin
regrows its top layer only a few hours later.
Our device works using ultrasound.
As you can see here, ultrasound causes small bubbles
to form in the solution; under the influence of the
ultrasonic waves, these bubbles grow in size and eventually
become unstable. At this point, they implode and the
surrounding fluid rushes into that space, creating
a jet of fluid which removes the top layer of the skin.
Because these jets do not penetrate deep within the skin,
however, there's no pain associated with this treatment.