Issue link: https://tmcpulse.uberflip.com/i/807066
t m c » p u l s e | a p r i l 2 0 1 7 11 chance to miss the medication." Grattoni's implantable device works by delivering medication through silicon membranes microfabricated with the same leading-edge technolo- gies used to produce computer chips. The nanochannels that regulate the drug release from the implant are very small—20,000 times smaller than a human hair. Because patients taking this type of medication typically must return to the doctor every six months for a checkup, Grattoni is working on an implant that can be refilled transcutaneously in the doctor's office every six months or even once a year. Right now, the device can deliver HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, medication for up to 70 days. Grattoni was recently awarded a $4 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to increase the drug delivery time frame for HIV PrEP. If success- ful, the research will move to the next phase, patient clinical trials. One of the biggest challenges is assuring drug stability throughout that six-month to one-year window, partic- ularly since the drugs will be kept at body temperature and be surrounded by biological fluids. Pharmaceutical company Gilead is supporting the study and partnering to address drug formulation needs, Grattoni said. Already, the device can remain in the body for a few years, he added, though he would like it to last as long as five or six years before it needs to be replaced. Houston Methodist is leading the study, but researchers from four other Texas Medical Center institutions are involved: Ming Hu, Ph.D., professor of pharmaceutics at the University of Houston, is helping with the pharma- cokinetic analysis; Jagannadha Sastry, Ph.D., Kathryn Shelton, DVM, Ph.D., and Pramod Nehete, Ph.D., with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center are helping with animal studies; Arduino, from UTHealth, is providing the clinical perspective; and Jason Kimata, Ph.D., associate profes- sor at Baylor College of Medicine, is lending virology expertise. The project has garnered attention outside of the TMC. Grattoni received the 2016 AIDS Foundation Houston Shelby Hodge Vision Award. And, as director of the Center of Space Nanomedicine at Houston Methodist, Grattoni expects the device to be tested aboard the International Space Station over the next five years. "We've gotten to the point with the research where we have tested the implant to deliver the drug at the pre- ventative level with no adverse effects," Grattoni said. "We are now working to test our approach on a larger number of subjects and move toward commer- cial development." Grattoni shows the tiny HIV drug delivery implant. The device, placed under the skin, can release HIV preventative medicine for up to six months. Our art car delivers warm cookies. cookiedelivery.com Celebrate the Art Car Parade with warm cookies, delivered. The implantable device stays under your skin, so it would not give you the chance to miss the medication.