PERMEATION DEVICE AND METHOD FOR REDUCING AQUEOUS BOUNDARY LAYER THICKNESSES

摘要

The invention provides a permeation device comprising a receiving vessel having an aperture adapted for receiving an insert well. Both the vessel and well are used as either donor or acceptor compartments for permeability assays. The vessel or well comprise a porous support, which comprises, for example, biological or biomimetic materials, adapted for a molecular entity to permeate therethrough. A permeation device of the invention can be used for a Caco-2 type cell assay or PAMPA. In one embodiment, a stirring member disposed in the vessel can provide solution agitation to reduce aqueous boundary layer(s) thickness adjacent to the support. Boundary layer thicknesses can be reduced by a device of the invention to less than about 15 pm such that a molecular entity permeating the support closely approximates in vivo absorption and transport conditions. The invention also provides a method for changing boundary layer thicknesses using such a device.