# Liquid-infused tympanostomy tubes with novel material design for efficient drug transport

> **NIH NIH R43** · PIONEAR TECHNOLOGIES, INC. · 2022 · $349,501

## Abstract

Project Summary
 Otitis media (OM) is the leading cause of healthcare visits in the world, affecting more than 700 million
people worldwide1 and accruing a significant economic burden of over $5 billion annually in direct and indirect
costs in the US alone2. Children are particularly susceptible to this disease; 90% of children will contract OM by
the age of five3,4, with 40% of cases eventually becoming recurrent or chronic5. The gold standard for treatment
of recurrent acute OM and chronic OM with effusion is myringotomy surgery with tympanostomy tube insertion,
in which a small tube is inserted into the tympanic membrane to ventilate and drain fluids out of the middle ear.
Nearly 700,000 children in the US are treated with tympanostomy tubes (TTs) annually. To help resolve
infection and prevent otorrhea, tube insertion is commonly supplemented with a regimen of topical antibiotics.
However, due to their lumen geometry and material composition, existing TTs are not optimized for
reliable delivery of drugs into the middle ear and frequently become occluded by cellular debris,
pathogenic bacteria, blood, and pus. Such challenges hinder OM treatment and prompt invasive TT
replacement surgeries in up to 20% of children with TTs.6
 To combat these challenges simultaneously, PionEar Technologies Inc. is developing
tympanostomy tubes (PionEar TTs) with a patent-pending material design that synergistically reduces
the pressure barrier for drugs to penetrate into the middle ear and suppresses bioadhesion, thus
maximizing the therapeutic benefit of topical drugs and facilitating earlier eradication of infection. Novel
bio-inspired PionEar TTs possess (1) precisely engineered lumen geometry that is optimized to promote
spontaneous transport of therapeutics even without tragal pumping, and (2) slippery liquid-infused materials
that further minimize contact line pinning while suppressing bioadhesion7–9. PionEar tubes are biocompatible
and non-ototoxic, minimally invasive, and simple-to-manufacture. They preserve critical functionality of existing
tympanostomy tubes: to enable ventilation and drainage of the middle ear and prevent water from entering the
middle ear.10,11 In an SBIR Phase I, we propose to assess the in vivo performance of PionEar tubes for
promoting more efficient drug delivery and resolution of OM compared to commercial tubes in a gold-standard
OM chinchilla model. Demonstration of proof-of-concept will prepare the technology for successful Phase II
application and future commercialization. If successful, PionEar TTs would alleviate the prevalent issue of
recurrent ear infections and complications, and open up new avenues for the treatment of OM.
 PionEar Technologies Inc. was born out of three years of rigorous translational medicine research and
collaboration between Harvard’s Wyss Institute, J.A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and
Massachusetts Eye and Ear. Its novel TT technology was awarded the Grand Prize at the Co...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10324862
- **Project number:** 1R43DC019318-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** PIONEAR TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Ida Pavlichenko
- **Activity code:** R43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $349,501
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-07-08 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10324862

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10324862, Liquid-infused tympanostomy tubes with novel material design for efficient drug transport (1R43DC019318-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10324862. Licensed CC0.

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