Microprosthetic Implant Implant for the Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction Matt Schwartz and Robert Douglas Advisor – Dr. Franz Baudenbacher

Thesis A microprosthetic drug delivery implant has the potential to provide a biomimetic treatment option for erectile dysfunction. – Minimally invasive – Patient compliance – Targeted drug release and control

Erectile Dysfunction Background Erectile Dysfunction (ED) – Prevalence in men = 52% 1 – Current treatment options Prescription oral pills Injection therapy Penile prosthetics – Drug therapy market size $3.1 billion in 2005 Estimated growth of 6.5% annually through

Pathophysiology Physiology of erection Erectile tissue – cavernous smooth muscles – Low blood flow in flaccid state – Stimulation causes arterioles to dilate 3 Neurophysiologoy – Cavernous nerves – neurovascular control of erection/detumescence – Dorsal nerve – sensory function Pathology of ED – Psychogenic – Neurogenic Estimated at 10-19% Iatrogenic – Arteriogenic – Combination

Problem and Solution Diagnostics are expensive and inefficient – “There is a pressing need for new technologies for diagnosing and treating communicable and non- communicable diseases” 1 Benefits of syringe design – Parallel testing based on symptom and/or circumstance – Easy to administer – Disposable – Low power consumption (plunger driven flow) – Rapid and reliable results (MEMS) – Low cost

Completed Work Researched diseases and diagnostic assays Investigated current technologies for blood filtration

Ongoing Work Design for proof of concept experiment – Filtration mechanism Membrane Nanofibers Design specific mechanism – Single disease and assay selection HIV – Immunoassay Malaria – Immunochromatography Cancer – Immunoassay (i.e. prostate specific antigen) – Compare efficiency of syringe to standard assay processes Specificity Sensitivity Timing

Future Work Extend proof of concept results to further design Calculate maximum possibilities for parallel testing Explore avenues for prototype manufacturing

Conclusions Primary focus – Determining the most suitable test for proof of concept Secondary focus – Designing filter for syringe implementation Tertiary focus – Symptomatic, geographical, and situational based diagnostic groupings d

References 1.Feldman HA, Goldstein I, Hatzichristou DG, Krane RJ, McKinlay JB. Impotence and its medical and psychosocial correlates: Results of the Massachusetts Male Aging Study. Urology 1994; 151: Elder, Melissa. Men’s Health: The Worldwide Market for Current and Emerging Drug Therapies, 2 nd ed. Kalorma Information. May Robert C. Dean, MD and Tom F. Lue, MD. Physiology of penile erection and pathophysiology of erectile dysfunction. Urol Clin North Am November; 32(4): 379-v.