The primary objective of the proposed research is to develop new methods for delivering small amounts of biomedically interesting materials, such as neurotransmitters or hormones, for use in neuroscience applications. It was successfully demonstrated during the Phase I work that small quantities of dopamine could be loaded and then released from a conducting polymer system. Phase II development will continue the success of Phase I work and focus on a) fundamental understanding of controlled release mechanisms, b) actual device concepts development, c) in vivo bioelectrode device characterization in animals, d) measurement of other aspects of the reaction of the bioelectrode materials which cannot be obtained in vitro, such as biocompatibility, and e) critical commercialization issues. This conducting polymer bioelectrode will be useful not only for neurotransmitter studies, but also for other applications, such as controlled drug release, demonstrating release of drug chemicals at an appropriate moment in response to an electric signal. The novel delivery system described here is a prototype for a device which could be used to deliver controlled amounts of biomedically interesting materials to specific locations at specific times.
