Intra-Dermal drug delivery: Opportunities and Challenges?

Here, we propose a novel and simple method to efficiently capture the diffusion of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-dextran from a biocompatible substance and load the drug only to the tip of DNA microneedles. A dispensing and suction method was chosen to fabricate the designed microneedles with efficient amounts of FITC as the drug model. Importantly, the vacuum process, which could influence the capturing of FITC diffusion from the tip, was evaluated during the manufacturing process.

Microneedle developers from Queen’s University Belfast and PDT researchers from the University of São Paulo fabricated arrays of 500-µm-long needles by mixing a water-soluble polymer and a precursor to a PDT photosensitizer. In experiments with mice, these dissolving microneedles proved better than topical cream-based administration – the conventional approach for PDT – at delivering the therapeutic agent to a tumour’s surface. The researchers say that the results are especially promising for the treatment of thicker skin lesions.

Ordinarily, microneedle patches consist of a small polymer square, the underside of which is covered in an array of tiny medication-filled spikes that are made of a water-soluble, biocompatible material. When that patch is pressed against the patient's body, the spikes painlessly penetrate the top layer of skin. They then dissolve, releasing the medication into the bloodstream via the interstitial fluid that surrounds the skin cells.

The monitoring of lymphatic drainage is of great importance, particularly in the context of the early detection and diagnosis of several diseases. Existing methods of imaging and monitoring lymphatic drainage can be costly and require trained personnel, posing problems for at-home or point-of-care monitoring. Recently, an alternative approach has been proposed, consisting of using microneedles to deliver a near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent tattoo to the skin, which can be monitored with traditional laboratory-based fluorescence detectors.

The goal of this study is the preparation of safer coated microneedles so that tips remaining after the initial use are less likely to be reinserted on a second use.

Innoture specialise in transdermal treatment delivery systems. The company utilises a range of biocompatible polymers to produce the individual microneedles as well as the backing substrate for the patch. The microneedles are made from UV curable polymer, and the backing substrate material is PVC or a similar product to allow for sufficient pressure to be applied across the whole patch. This ensures efficient delivery of the vaccine into the skin.

Microneedle arrays (MNA) are considered as one of the most promising resources to achieve systemic effects by transdermal delivery of drugs. They are designed as a minimally invasive, painless system which can bypass the stratum corneum, overcoming the potential drawbacks of subcutaneous injections and other transdermal delivery systems such as chemical enhancers, nano and microparticles, or physical treatments. As a trendy field in pharmaceutical and biomedical research, its applications are constantly evolving, even though they are based on very well-established techniques.

Stem cells are powerful tools that could one day unlock new frontiers in regenerative medicine. Now, a new study has shown that a certain type of stem cell can be delivered into injured tissues with dissolvable microneedles, to heal wounds.

Pharmather Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Newscope Capital Corporation (“Pharmather” or the “Company”) (CSE: PHRM) and a specialty life sciences company focused on the research and development of psychedelic pharmaceuticals, is pleased to announce that the Company has entered into an exclusive license agreement (the “Agreement”) with BioRAE, Inc., for the development and commercialization of a novel biocompatible and biodegradable gelatin methacryloyl microneedle (“GelMA-MN”) delivery technology developed at the University of California, Los Angeles (“UCLA”) for use with psychedelic pharmaceuticals, including, but not limited to Psilocybin, Ketamine, Ibogaine, LSD, MDMA, DMT, and Cannabinoids.

We herein presented a unified procedure performed using percussion CO2 laser drilling with a range of laser parameters, substrate materials and various generated microstructures, enabling a variety of downstream tissue/cellular-based applications. Emphasis is placed on delineating the laser drilling effect on different biocompatible materials and proof-of-concept utilities.

When determining the method of delivery for these genes, there are advantages to choosing a local, rather than systemic delivery of the genetic material. With systemic delivery, there is the possibility of unwanted tissue accumulation or of the genetic material becoming unstable. It is also advantageous to target the skin as a site for local delivery, as it is easily accessible and contains fluid and lymph vessels, as well as immune cells upon which the genetic material can act to initiate treatment.

The microneedle (MN), a highly efficient and versatile device, has attracted extensive scientific and industrial interests in the past decades due to prominent properties including painless penetration, low cost, excellent therapeutic efficacy, and relative safety. The robust microneedle enabling transdermal delivery has a paramount potential to create advanced functional devices with superior nature for biomedical applications. In this review, a great effort has been made to summarize the advance of microneedles including their materials and latest fabrication method, such as three-dimensional printing (3DP).

BARDA will explore the feasibility of two innovative approaches with four new partners: Esperovax, Inc., the University of Connecticut, Vaxess Technologies, and Verndari, Inc. The novel routes of administration they are developing could reduce the dependence on needles and syringes that are used to deliver vaccine via intramuscular injection. Instead, a wearable skin patch or oral option for vaccines may support rapid, large-scale immunization while reducing the strain on the manufacturing supply chain.

The problem is that injecting MSCs into the tissue with regular needles can lead to further damage and scarring. On top of that, it takes significant amounts of the cells to ensure that enough of them stick around to complete their task. Researchers at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and the Terasaki Institute decided to take a different, less invasive approach to deliver MSCs more effectively – with microneedles.

A closed-loop system imitating the function of pancreatic cells, connected to microneedles (MNs) that automatically “release” insulin in response to the blood glucose (BG) levels would be highly satisfactory for improving the quality of life and health for diabetes patients. This paper describes an easy, fast and simple technique of coating a porous polymer layer on stainless steel (SS) MNs that release insulin in a glucose-responsive fashion.

With 3D modeling software, various MN shapes were designed and printed rapidly with custom needle density, length, and shape. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed that our method resulted in needle tip sizes in the range of 1–55 μm, which could successfully penetrate and break off into porcine skin. We have also shown that these MNs have comparable mechanical strengths to currently fabricated MNs and we further demonstrated how the swellability of PLA can be exploited to load small molecule drugs and how its degradability in skin can release those small molecules over time.

However, their much broader regenerative potential, based on their capacity to migrate and engraft in injured tissues and secrete factors that enhance the formation of new blood vessels, suppress inflammation and cell death, and promote healing, makes them exquisite candidates for cell-based therapies for diseases as varied as cardiovascular, liver, bone and cartilage diseases, lung and spinal cord injuries, autoimmune diseases and even cancer and skin lesions.

Many companies have been working on alternatives to needle-based drug and vaccine delivery as well as for minimally invasive patient testing. One extensively investigated alternative in recent decades has been microneedle arrays, a type of minimally-invasive device that painlessly bypasses the skin’s principal barrier to topically-apply drugs.