LAUSR

Iontophoresis is an electrical current-based, non-invasive drug delivery technology, which is particularly suitable for intraocular drug delivery. Current ocular iontophoresis devices use low current intensities that significantly limit macromolecule and nanoparticle (NP) delivery efficiency. Increasing current intensity leads to ocular tissue damage due to Joule heating and electrochemical (EC) reactions. Here, we describe a hydrogel ionic circuit (HIC)-based iontophoresis device for high-efficiency intraocular macromolecule and NP delivery. Our HIC-based device is capable of minimizing Joule heating, effectively buffering EC reaction-generated pH changes, and absorbing electrode overpotential-induced heating. As a result, our device allows safe application of high current intensities (∼87 mA cm-2 , more than 10 times higher than current ocular iontophoresis devices) to the eye with minimal ocular cell death and tissue damage. Our high-intensity iontophoresis significantly enhances intraocular macromolecule and NP delivery to both anterior and posterior segments by up to 300 times compared to conventional iontophoresis. Therapeutically effective concentrations of bevacizumab and dexamethasone are delivered to target tissue compartments within 10-20 min of iontophoresis application. Our studies highlight the significant safety enhancement enabled by a HIC-based device design and the potential of our device to deliver therapeutic doses of macromolecule and NP ophthalmic drugs within a clinically relevant time frame. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.