IVF patients must inject themselves with hormones daily at specific times in the weeks leading up to egg retrieval, a process that can be physically and emotionally taxing.

The team’s new system uses a hydrogel microneedle patch filled with specially engineered nanoparticles that hold and release a key IVF hormone, leuprolide, when stimulated by near-infrared light. The light can be programmed to release the drug at the desired time.

Toward personalized, programmable dosing

Current light-triggered drug delivery systems often release foreign materials into the body, posing regulatory and safety challenges.