Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Aug 18: In a groundbreaking development, researchers at Stanford University are designing a non-invasive drug delivery system that uses ultrasound and sugar-stabilised nanoparticles to target specific areas of the body with remarkable precision — potentially transforming the way medications are administered and reducing harmful side effects.
The technique, described in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, combines ultrasound waves with specially engineered nanoparticles containing a small amount of sugar. These nanoparticles remain inert as they travel through the bloodstream but release their drug payload only when activated by a targeted ultrasound beam.
In experiments on rats, the system successfully delivered ketamine to specific brain regions and painkillers to precise nerve sites in limbs, demonstrating the potential to localise treatment and avoid systemic exposure.
“Turns out just a little bit of sugar is all you need to make this work,” said Raag Airan, Assistant Professor of Radiology at Stanford Medicine, who led the study. The team discovered that a 5% sucrose solution inside the nanoparticles achieved the best results — making them stable in the body yet highly responsive to ultrasound.
This means that drugs can now be delivered throughout the body but only released exactly where and when needed. According to Airan, this opens the door to maximising therapeutic benefits while reducing off-target effects, particularly for potent drugs with complex side effects like ketamine.
The research team initially explored various core substances to enhance the nanoparticles' response to ultrasound but found success only when they incorporated sugar into the design. Sucrose helped maintain stability at body temperature and enabled the particles to respond effectively to focused ultrasound beams.
When tested in rats, the sugar-enhanced nanoparticles released three times more ketamine in targeted brain regions compared to non-targeted areas — a clear sign of controlled, localised drug delivery.
If proven effective in humans, the system could revolutionise treatments for depression, chronic pain, and neurological conditions by allowing doctors to isolate specific effects of drugs — such as targeting only the emotional benefits of ketamine while avoiding its disorienting side effects.
Beyond psychiatry and pain management, the researchers believe the platform could improve safety and precision in a wide range of drug therapies, offering a new frontier in personalised medicine.