Patent ID: 8349351

Claim:
A method for making a drug delivery system, the method comprising: a) forming a weakly cross-linked polymeric hydrogel having between about 0.1% to 20% moles cross-linking monomer and/or macromer species per total moles of all monomer and/or macromer species present, wherein forming the polymeric hydrogel comprises: forming a solution comprising amounts of bio-template, wherein the bio-template is a drug, a functionalized monomer and a cross-linking monomer; complexing the functionalized monomer and the bio-template in the solution through non-covalent interactions; and initiating copolymerization of the functionalized monomer and the cross-linking monomer; b) forming the weakly cross-linked polymeric hydrogel into contact lens; c) identifying receptor sites at a target biological tissue that are associated with a biological mechanism of a drug at the target biological tissue; and d) synthesizing the functionalized monomer with functional groups that mimic the receptor sites of the target biological tissue to form a matrix for selectively binding the drug of the bio-template and the functionalized monomer to promote the controlled, time release of the drug.