Researchers in the United Arab Emirates have developed an innovative catheter capable of delivering medication to broader areas of the brain. The design, created by Batoul Khlaifat and her team at New York University Abu Dhabi, features a helical structure with multiple outflow ports, which may enhance both the safety and efficacy of treatments for a variety of neurological conditions.
Current therapies for brain-related issues, such as Parkinson”s disease, epilepsy, and tumors, often rely on the use of microfluidic catheters that provide controlled doses of drug-infused fluids to very specific brain regions. These modern implants are typically made from highly flexible materials that resemble the soft tissue of the brain, making them less invasive compared to older designs. Nevertheless, there remains significant potential for enhancement, as Khlaifat notes.
“Catheter design and function have long been limited by the neuroinflammatory response following implantation, as well as the uneven distribution of drugs across the catheter”s outlets,” she stated. A significant challenge with this method is that various regions of the brain possess irregular shapes, complicating the targeting process for single drug doses. Consequently, doses must be administered either through repeated insertions from a single port at the catheter”s end or via multiple co-implanted catheters, both of which are highly invasive and risk additional brain trauma.
In their research, Khlaifat”s team examined how many existing problems are rooted in current catheter designs, which are generally basic tubes with a single input and output port. Utilizing fluid dynamics simulations, they investigated how the design of the catheter could be improved by positioning multiple output ports along its length. To ensure even drug outflow, they meticulously adjusted the diameters of each port to compensate for variations in fluid pressure along the catheter.
After this innovation, the researchers analyzed how altering the catheter”s shape could further enhance drug delivery. “We varied the catheter design from a straight tube to a helix of the same small diameter, allowing for a larger area of drug distribution in the targeted implantation region with minimal invasiveness,” explained team member Khalil Ramadi. “This helical shape also helps prevent buckling during insertion, a common issue with miniaturized straight catheters.”
Following their simulations, the team constructed a helical catheter named Strategic Precision Infusion for Regional Administration of Liquid, or SPIRAL. In their initial experiments, they validated their simulations under controlled laboratory conditions, confirming their prediction of uniform outflow rates from the catheter”s outlets.
The helical device was also tested in mouse models alongside its straight counterpart to evaluate its neuroinflammatory response. “There were no significant differences between the two designs,” Khlaifat noted. After confirming the safety of their approach, the researchers are optimistic that SPIRAL could lead to new and improved strategies for targeted drug delivery within the brain.
With the ability to target entire brain regions using smaller, more controlled doses, this next generation of implanted catheters could ultimately provide a safer and more effective alternative to existing designs. “These catheters could be customized for each patient through our computational framework to ensure that only the necessary regions are exposed to therapy, all via a single insertion point in the skull,” described team member Mahmoud Elbeh. “This tailored approach could enhance treatments for brain disorders like epilepsy and glioblastomas.”
The findings of this research are published in the Journal of Neural Engineering.
