Medicine Delivered By Mist

For people who suffer from epidermolysis bullosa, disorders that cause the skin to become fragile and blister, applying topical treatments is a painful ordeal. Madhavi Gavini and Rathi Srinivas looked for a better way to deliver medical help. Their solution: a handheld device that acts like a nebulizer and can deliver treatments and pain relievers via a superfine and powerful mist that penetrates deep into the skin. While developing the technology, with funding from the National Institutes of Health, the two inventors decided to broaden its applicability to more common skincare concerns, such as treating wrinkles and blemishes with retinal, collagen and glycolic acid mist treatments. The pair say their device allows the skin to absorb larger molecules than are typical in topical treatments.

The approach has garnered glowing reviews in Instyle, Laptop Mag and other publications. More than 1 million of its skincare treatment capsules been sold since it launched a year ago. The pair is also working with researchers from MIT, Tufts and Walter Reed Army Institute of Research on developing the device, called Droplette, for a variety of diseases including genetic disorders, wounds and skin infections. NASA, too, has come calling, awarding them a grant to test aspects of their tech on the International Space Station. “They were fascinated by the fluid physics that drives our device,” says Srinivas.