At-Home Drug Delivery Experiment: Teaching Mass Transfer Using Food Dyes, DIY Spectrometer

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic required many laboratory classes to be conducted online or in a hybrid fashion which motivated many educators to explore ways to provide hands-on learning opportunities for students who took courses remotely. Here, a simple at-home experiment is presented in which students studied mass transfer through designing an at-home drug delivery experiment. They utilized safe household items such as food coloring, cardboards, cell phones, and no special equipment. The goal of the experiment was to control the release of the food coloring (drugs), and deliver the most dyes over the longest time period (up to 7 days) from a drug carrier of their choice. They compared the experimental data with a diffusion (mass transfer) model and evaluated the results. The students also applied a two-compartment model to simulate the pharmacokinetics of the drug delivery. Students wrote individual laboratory reports in the format of a research article (e.g. Journal of Controlled Release) which required them to present appropriate technical background, design of the experiments, results, analysis, and the overall findings. Written and oral feedback were given, and students were required to revise the report if not satisfactory. At least four learning outcomes were measured which includes: (i) design of experiments, (ii) analyze and interpret the results, (iii) written communication, and (iv) use of modern tools (e.g. MATLAB). Based on the assessments, the experiment was successful in achieving the expected learning outcomes