Rapid Advances in Microneedle Technology Spur Industry Growth

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Technology moves fast. We have seen this across a variety of industries. In the field of transdermal drug delivery, rapid advances in microneedle technology mean this article is already out of date. And that is a good thing. Why? Because rapid advances in microneedle technology spur industry growth, improved transdermal drug delivery means better patient outcomes.

Modern dissolving microneedle patches are a hybrid of the hypodermic needle and the transdermal patch, delivering vaccines and other medicines across the dermal barrier. [1] Researchers around the globe are dedicating vast amounts of time and money to champion this drug delivery mechanism that redefines efficiency and effectiveness.

Rapid advances in microneedle technology and a series of recent updates in manufacturing and delivery methods confirm the significance of this ground-breaking health care sector.

Today, advances are coming at a record pace. Only a handful of years ago, few people outside the limited field of researchers had even heard of microneedles. Sure, some of us remember “the patch” to quit smoking or combat motion sickness. But they were nothing like modern iterations.

Potential Treatments Using Dissolving Microneedles

A 2019 review of microneedle applications published in Science Direct spotlighted a raft of research demonstrating that dissolving microneedles were safe and effective for a range of treatments.

It highlighted results from a 2004 study where researchers found microneedles to be more effective than traditional methods in delivering insulin. Similar findings demonstrated successful applications for dissolving microneedles for vaccines, peptides, hormones, cosmetics, lidocaine, neuropathic pain management, drug delivery to the eyes, melanoma treatment, chemotherapy delivery for breast cancer, and other cancer treatments.

While 2019 sounds current, rapid advances in microneedle technology coupled with cutting-edge manufacturing techniques and new delivery mechanisms have produced further innovation.

The list of microneedle types and applications continues to multiply.

Dissolving Microneedle Patch or Micro-Array Patch?

The field of transdermal drug delivery is new enough that even the terminology remains unresolved. Dissolving microneedle (dMN) and micro-array patch (MAP) are interchangeable. Both are transdermal drug delivery mechanisms capable of releasing a range of medicinal and cosmetic applications across the skin barrier.  

We use both terms interchangeably, respecting and reflecting the terms researchers, publications and companies apply. Regardless of the terminology, both are revolutionizing how drugs are delivered. And best of all, the scope of treatments grows daily.

Microneedles are everywhere. For example, the market for a dissolving microneedle patch for cosmetics is flourishing. And as researchers discover new manufacturing methods and applications at a surprising pace, several new technologies are emerging within the field.

Until recently, we focused on four main types of microneedles. You can learn more about them here. We can now add swellable microneedles and porous microneedle patches to the list of solutions.

Source: Recent advances in porous microneedles: materials, fabrication, and transdermal applications

Any way you look at the field, rapid advances in microneedle technology is revealing advanced treatments. The microneedle/micro-array patch is destined to replace traditional delivery mechanisms with a host of knock-on advantages: equitable drug delivery, reduction of harm, and environmental benefits.

Swellable Microneedles

Swellable microneedles are a newer addition to the microneedle family. The way they are made allows the mechanical strength and swelling ability to be tuned according to its intended application. Research points out that a water-soluble, swellable microneedle with coated (encapsulated) drugs is capable of “prolonged and uniform drug release with adjustable delivery rates by altering the crosslinking degree.” [2]

Additionally, swellable microneedle technology furthers the shift from needle-based analysis methods like blood sampling to collect body fluids. Moving away from needle-based blood sampling using new approaches “to gain access to biofluids beneath the skin in a nearly pain-free manner” is essential. This helps eliminate the risks and problems associated with the 100-year-old technology of the hypodermic needle.

“There is an urgency to update historical medical breakthroughs with modern technology and speed their implementation. The dissolving microneedle patch will redefine how we deliver drugs. It will reduce costs and improve global access to lifesaving treatments.”

Click here to read more on this topic.

While swellable microneedles can extract interstitial fluid, it requires additional steps using centrifuges and solvent extraction, making them less efficient than even newer solutions.

They show more potential with an integrated chip for the real-time detection of biomarkers. This is good news for improved point-of-care testing, defined as “the test performed at or near a patient.” It has the added benefit of reducing caseloads for medical practitioners.

Porous Microneedles

Recent advances in porous microneedles create opportunities to deliver liquid and dried medicines. Previously, the hollow type dispensed liquids and dissolving or coated microneedles delivered dried drugs.

A recent Springer article highlighted research into porous microneedles, noting they have “distinctive and unique characteristics, where porous structures inside MNs with continuous nano- or micro-sized pores can transport drugs or biofluids by capillary action.” Polymeric and non-polymeric materials are used to configure their structures, and “adjustable porosity by different fabrication methods enables the achievement of sufficient mechanical strength by optimising fluid flows inside MNs.”

Microneedles for Fluid Extraction

Alongside transdermal drug delivery, microneedles can also be used for fluid extraction. From blood sampling to interstitial fluid extraction, microneedles represent a non-invasive, painless method for a range of analytics.

The U.S. National Cancer Institute defines dermal interstitial fluid (ISF) as “fluid found in the spaces around cells. It comes from substances that leak out of blood capillaries (the smallest type of blood vessel). It helps bring oxygen and nutrients to cells and to remove waste products from them. As new interstitial fluid is made, it replaces older fluid, which drains towards lymph vessels. When it enters the lymph vessels, it is called lymph. Also called tissue fluid.”

Interstitial fluid is considered a “novel source of biomarkers that complements conventional sources like blood, urine and saliva.” An early approach to collecting ISF used solid microneedles. As we have observed in earlier articles, both solid and hollow microneedles have limitations for transdermal drug delivery, which also applies to fluid extraction.

However, “both solid- and hollow-type MNs were fabricated using non-biocompatible materials, which results in potential risks to the health of patients with long-term administration or broken leftovers in the skin.”

All indicators suggest that porous microneedles have the most significant advantages for fluid extraction. Only five years young, porous microneedles were developed for collecting skin interstitial fluid.

Rapid advances in microneedle technology will lead to future benefits. However, most research in play today and products likely to hit the market soon involve the dissolving microneedle patch.

A Dissolving Microneedle Patch for Sexual and Reproductive Health

Dissolving microneedles present a host of solutions for sexual and reproductive health. They are not only effective, but they are also discrete and result in improved patient compliance. A handful of studies for contraception and HIV treatment are currently underway.

One such example is an investigation of a dissolving microneedle (dMN) patch for contraception using levonorgestrel (LNG). Researchers note, “commercially available long-acting injections and subcutaneous implants require painful invasive administration, typically by trained healthcare professionals, generate biohazardous sharps waste and, in the case of implants, require removal within a clinical setting.”

The study found a “sustained drug release over weeks and months.” These developments suggest that a dissolving microneedle patch for contraception may soon be on the market.

Similarly, a Nestorone nanosuspension-loaded dissolving microneedles array patch is gaining traction. The “on-demand” dMN would be applied before sexual activity to protect against pregnancy, also known as female-controlled pericoital contraceptive.

As research advances in microneedle-based contraception, the PATH Center of Excellence for Microarray Patch (MAP) Technology analyzed how such an approach might work. They reported that a hormonal contraceptive MAP “only works if there is a global marketing agreement that encompasses both LMIC and HIC markets to support cost-sharing across regional markets.” It notes that “successful introduction of the MAP in LMICs only would require substantial donor and developer alignment and commitment,” meaning women in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) continue to face a series of challenges accessing and discreetly using contraceptives.

Rapid Advances in Microneedle Technology for a Range of Treatments

Professor Ryan Donnelly of Queen’s University of Belfast (QUB) is a leading researcher in dissolving microneedle technology. He has written hundreds of peer-reviewed publications and holds several microneedle patents.

One of Donnelly’s targets is sexual health and HIV/AIDS treatment. His unit reports that in terms of sexual and reproductive health, microneedles are “capable of delivering contraceptive and antiretroviral drugs to the body,” increasing patient compliance, thereby “reducing the burden on health care personnel.”

Rapid advances in microneedle technology lead to “the next generation of bioinspired MNs (BMNs), with the goal of improving functions such as amelioration of mechanical properties and tissue adhesion.” Donnelly and his team recently published an investigation of Bioinspired microneedle patches: Biomimetic designs, fabrication, and biomedical applications.

Donnelly has developed and patented hydrogel-forming microneedle delivery technology and inked an agreement with PharmaTher, a Canadian “specialty life sciences company focused on the research and development of psychedelic pharmaceuticals.” The Company will deliver Ketamine  as a “therapeutic solution to treat mental health disorders, neurological and pain disorders.”

The range of treatments using rapid advances in microneedle technology continues to grow. The result is improved treatment to safely administer medicines without professional supervision, making it easier for patients to comply with dosing regimes.

The Fast-Detaching Dissolving Microneedle

Updating historical medical breakthroughs with modern technology like the SeriTech fast-detaching dissolving microneedle will redefine drug delivery.
The SeriTech fast-detaching dissolving microneedle.

There is one commonality almost all traditional dissolving microneedles share: lengthy application times. Typically, a dissolving microneedle remains on the skin for 30 minutes to several hours, which adds risks like skin rashes and infection.

SeriTech introduces the first fast-detaching dissolving microneedle. With a 2-minute application time, the risk of complications associated with longer on-skin time is removed.

SeriTech believes the fast-detaching dissolving microneedle patch will redefine how we deliver drugs by reducing costs and improving global access to lifesaving treatments. There is an urgency to update traditional systems with technology-centric mechanisms. Click here to read more on this topic.

SeriTech continues advancing the field of dissolving microneedles with research into integrating silk proteins in the structure of the tip array. Fibroin and sericin are natural silk proteins that offer several advantages. They are biocompatible and biodegradable, reducing the risk of complications in external and internal applications.

SeriTech is “Unveiling the Potential of Natural Silk Proteins” in its ongoing commitment to developing technology-inspired health care solutions for everyone.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] https://www.seritech.co/dissolving-microneedles-for-vaccine-delivery/

[2] https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13346-021-01045-x