We have developed a non-invasive method to measure radiolabeled pharmaceutical release from biomedical implant surfaces in vivo. This is accomplished by using radioluminescent phosphor particles as light emitting indicators. Rare earth doped gadolinium oxysulfide phosphors (e.g. Gd2O2S:Eu3+) are photostable and emit tissue penetrating, red light with narrow spectral peaks when excited by blue light, X-Rays, or alpha/beta radiation. Radioactive decay from radiolabeled pharmaceuticals will generate luminescence when in close proximity to phosphor particles. As a result, by coating an implant surface with radioluminescent phosphor particles, changes in luminescence intensity indicates the presence, or absence, of radiolabeled pharmaceutical. Our work demonstrates this technique applied in detecting radiolabeled antibiotic concentration on the surface of orthopedic implants. Orthopedic implants are susceptible to colonization by bacterial biofilms, which often require aggressive, and invasive treatment for eradication. Antibiotic eluting implant coatings are a promising candidate for both prevention and treatment. The present method permits surface specific, non-invasive evaluation of drug concentration on biomedical implants in vivo, which is an important metric for development of effective drug release coatings.

Imaging drug release from biomedical implants via radioluminescence

2019 Fall National Meeting

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.