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Drug release polymer triggered by ultrasound - Scientists from China and Canada have found that a drug-loaded shape memory polymer can be manipulated by ultrasound and that they can control when and how the drugs are released. Shape memory polymers (SMPs) can be deformed and fixed into a temporary shape and then recover their original permanent shape under external stimuli such as heat, explains lead researcher Hesheng Xia from Sichuan University, Chengdu. Reference: G Li et al, J. Mater. Chem., 2012, DOI: 10.1039/c2jm30848g