An adhesive drug-loaded microcapsule which releases therapeutic cargo upon mechanical stretching.

Medicated dressings can improve healing of open wounds and improve pain management in patients. However, drug-coated bandages lack stimuli-response release mechanisms, so therapeutics are not released in a controlled and sustained manner. Poor control of cargo release in current wound-healing membranes generates large fluctuations in dosing, whereas controlled release mechanisms create relatively constant drug concentrations at the wound site. Stable drug-release maintains therapeutic dose over the entire duration of wound-healing and promotes better antimicrobial and pain-killing effects.

The technology is mechanically-activated microcapsules (MAMCs) which can be loaded with therapeutic cargo. The MAMCs are coated in an adhesive polymer so they can be bonded to fabrics, membranes, or bandages. Once MAMC-coated dressings are applied to a wound, stretching of the material due to bodily movement induces tensile strain which releases drug from capsules at the wound site. The mechano-responsive microcapsules can be loaded with any combination of antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medication and painkillers depending on the medical need.

Uniform drug-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolide) acid microcapsules are made using a capillary microfluidic device. Strain-responsive polymeric capsules are coated with poly-dopamine which serves as an adhesive for coating MAMCs onto wound-healing fabrics and membranes. When mechanical strain is applied to MAMC-coated materials, therapeutic molecules are released form microcapsules due to Poisson-ratio squeezing, controlling the release of drugs.

• Adhesive coating prevents detachment of drug-loaded microcapsules from wound dressings
• Significant drug release from adhesive microcapsules at 50% stretch strain