Advances in MEMS micropumps and their emerging drug delivery and biomedical applications

Abstract Successful outcomes in the management of many clinical conditions depend to a large extent on the efficiency of drug administration and the efficiency of lab-on-chip (LOC) microfluidic device and micropumps. Over the years, it has been realized that efficient drug administration depends upon the preferential temporospatial presentation of drug to the site of action. However, delivery of a particular site is largely governed by the pharmacokinetic processes related to absorption, distribution and metabolism. To circumvent the adverse effects, it is often desired to control the rate of dosing from delivery system. Developments in the fields of micro and nano-fabrication along with microfluidics have enabled very vast control over this process. This has led to the development of various types of micropumps for specialized function. In the present review, the development and applications of MEMS-based micropumps are discussed. A discussion about microneedles and wearable drug delivery process and biocompatibility is made. Finally, we discuss how these developments can be integrated with microneedles, wireless technology to enable clinical translation.