An overview of microneedle applications, materials, and fabrication methods

Microneedle-based microdevices promise to expand the scope for delivery of vaccines and therapeutic agents through the skin and withdrawing biofluids for point-of-care diagnostics – so-called theranostics. Unskilled and painless applications of microneedle patches for blood collection or drug delive...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Beilstein journal of nanotechnology Vol. 12; no. 1; pp. 1034 - 1046
Main Authors: Faraji Rad, Zahra, Prewett, Philip D, Davies, Graham J
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Frankfurt am Main Beilstein-Institut zur Föerderung der Chemischen Wissenschaften 13.09.2021
Beilstein-Institut
Subjects:
Chemical compounds
Coronaviruses
Design
drug delivery
Drug delivery systems
Drug dosages
Hydrogels
Hypodermic needles
Influenza
Manufacturing
Materials selection
Medical equipment
Medical research
Medical screening
Microelectromechanical systems
microelectromechanical systems (mems)
microfabrication
microneedles
Molecular weight
Nanoscience
Nanotechnology
Needles
Pain
Pharmacokinetics
Pharmacology
Point of care testing
point-of-care diagnostics
Production methods
Review
Skin
Three dimensional printing
Vaccines
ISSN:2190-4286, 2190-4286
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Microneedle-based microdevices promise to expand the scope for delivery of vaccines and therapeutic agents through the skin and withdrawing biofluids for point-of-care diagnostics – so-called theranostics. Unskilled and painless applications of microneedle patches for blood collection or drug delivery are two of the advantages of microneedle arrays over hypodermic needles. Developing the necessary microneedle fabrication processes has the potential to dramatically impact the health care delivery system by changing the landscape of fluid sampling and subcutaneous drug delivery. Microneedle designs which range from sub-micron to millimetre feature sizes are fabricated using the tools of the microelectronics industry from metals, silicon, and polymers. Various types of subtractive and additive manufacturing processes have been used to manufacture microneedles, but the development of microneedle-based systems using conventional subtractive methods has been constrained by the limitations and high cost of microfabrication technology. Additive manufacturing processes such as 3D printing and two-photon polymerization fabrication are promising transformative technologies developed in recent years. The present article provides an overview of microneedle systems applications, designs, material selection, and manufacturing methods.
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ISSN:2190-4286
2190-4286
DOI:10.3762/bjnano.12.77