Tiny magnetic implant offers new drug delivery method

University of British Columbia researchers have developed a magnetic drug implant—the first of its kind in Canada—that could offer an alternative for patients struggling with numerous pills or intravenous injections.

The device, a silicone sponge with magnetic carbonyl iron particles wrapped in a round polymer layer, measures just six millimetres in diameter. The drug is injected into the device and then surgically implanted in the area being treated. Passing a magnet over the patient’s skin activates the device by deforming the sponge and triggering the release of the drug into surrounding tissue through a tiny opening.