University of Michigan, 2008 - $16,710

This E-Team is developing the NovaPatch, a new drug delivery patch that will enable the transmission of "macromolecule" drugs (such as insulin, protein and vaccines) through the skin. Currently, passive diffusion patches are used to deliver fewer than twenty types of drugs because existing skin patches do not work for macromolecule drugs. NovaPatch will enable diffusion of large molecule drugs by temporarily opening windows in the walls of the skin to increase skin permeability, effectively enabling the drugs to reach the body. The process is pain-free and invisible to the eye.