Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Innovative design of hollow polymeric microneedles for transdermal drug delivery

  • Technical Paper
  • Published:
Microsystem Technologies Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Hypodermic injections give the best results in terms of drug administration efficiency, but benefit from a negative image among patients due to the fear of pain linked to needles. Transdermal drug delivery (TDD) has thus been greatly developed in the past ten years in order to be able to by-pass the skin protective layers in a minimally invasive way. With the advent of micro electro mechanical systems, opportunities have appeared, particularly in the area of microneedles. In this paper we present a new design of hollow polymeric microneedles aimed at being used for TDD by allowing injection of a liquid in the non-innerve part of the dermis. The design has been studied in order to be able to manufacture these microneedles arrays using techniques that may be applicable to industrial production at low cost. The envisioned microfabrication processes and their stacking are presented which involve injection micromolding and excimer laser ablation. Microneedles are also numerically characterized in terms of mechanics and microfluidics showing that the design also involves interesting features in terms of needles resistance and microfluidic. Due to the innovative double-molding technique, the micro-needles are indeed emptied leaving a cavity. An outlet channel on the side of the needle allows fluid flowing out of the needles. The characteristics of this outlet channel contribute to flow homogenization when several needles are placed in an array pattern. This microneedle design thus combines interesting characteristics in terms of ease of fabrication at large scale, mechanical resistance and fluid dynamics.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14
Fig. 15
Fig. 16
Fig. 17
Fig. 18

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Al-Qallaf B, Das DB (2008) Optimization of square microneedle arrays for increasing drug pereability in skin. Chem Eng Sci 63:2523–2535

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bodhale D, Nisar A, Afzulpurkar N (2010) Structural and microfluidic analysis of hollow side-open polymeric microneedles for transdermal drug delivery applications. Microfluid Nanofluid 8:373–392

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burton S, Ng CY, Moeckly C, Brandwein D, Gilbert T, Johnson N, Brown K, Alston T, Prochnow G, Siebenaler K, Hansen K (2011) Rapid intradermal delivery of liquid formulations using a hollow microstructured array. Pharm Res 28:31–40

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davidson A, Al-Qallaf B, Das DB (2008) Transdermal drug delivery by coated microneedles: Geometry effects on effective skin thickness and drug permeability. Chem Eng Res Des 86:1196–1206

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davis S, Landis B, Adams Z, Allen M, Prausnitz M (2004) Insertion of microneedles into skin: measurement and prediction of insertion force and needel fracture force. J Biomech 37:1157–1163

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frick T (2003) Resistance forces acting on suture needles. J Biomech 34:1335–1340

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gardeniers HJ, Luttge R, Berenschot EJ, Boer M, Yeshurun S, Hefetz M, van’t Oever R, van den Berg A (2003) Silicon micromachined hollow microneedles or transdermal liquid transport. J Microelectromech Syst 12(6):855–862

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giboz J, Copponnex T, Mele P (2007) Microinjection molding of thermoplastic polymers: a review. J Micromech Microeng 17:R96–R109

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gill H, Prausnitz M (2007) Coated microneedles for transdermal delivery. J Control Release 117:227–237

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Griss P, Stemme G (2003) Side-opened out-of-plane microneedles for microfluidic transdermal liquid transfer. J Microelectromech Syst 12(3):296–301

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gupta J, Felner E, Prausnitz M (2009) Minimally invasive insulin delivery in subjects with type 1 diabetes using hollow microneedls. Diabetes Technol Ther 11(6):329–337

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Henry S, McAllister D, Allen M, Prausnitz M (1998) Microfabricated miconeedles: a new approach to transdermal drug delivery. J Pharm Sci 87(8):922–925

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ji J, Tay F, Miao J (2006) Microfabricated hollow microneedle array using icp etcher. J Phys Conf Ser 34:1132–1136

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jiang J, Moore J, Edelhauser H, Prausnitz M (2009) Intrascleral drug delivery to the eye usinh hollow microneedles. Pharm Res 26(2):395–403

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Khumpuang S, Maeda R, Sugiyama S (2003) Design and fabrication of a coupled microneedle array and insertion guide array for safe penetration through skin. In: Proceedings of 2003 international symposium on micromechatronics and human science

  • Kim K, Lee JB (2007) High aspect ratio tapered hollow metallic microneedles arrays with microfluidic interconnector. Microsyst Technol 13:231–235

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim M, Hwang YY, Kyung JB, Park JH (2010) Novel treatment of fecal incontinece using microneedle and topical application of phenylephrine. In: Proceedings of the first international conference on microneedles, Atlanta

  • Lhernould MS, Delchambre A, Rgnier S, Lambert P (2007) Electrostatic forces in micromanipulations: review of analytical models and simulations including roughness. Appl Surf Sci 253:6203–6210

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martanto W (2005) Microinjection into skin using microneedles. Ph.D. thesis, Georgia Institute of Technology

  • Matteucci M, Fanetti M, Casella M, Gramatica F, Gavioli L, Tormen M, Grenci G, De Angelis F, Di Fabrizio E (2009) Poly vinyl alcohol re-usable masters for microneedle replication. Microelectron Eng 86:752–756

    Google Scholar 

  • McAllister D, Wang P, Davis S, Park JH, Canatella P, Allen M, Prausnitz M (2003) Microfabricated needles for transdermal delivery of macromolecule and nanoparticles: Fabrication methods and transport studies. In: National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol 100, pp 13755–13760

  • Moon S, Lee S (2005) A novel fabrication method of a microneedle array using inclined deep X-ray exposure. J Micromech Microeng 15:903–911

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mukerjee E, Collins S, Isseroff R, Smith R (2004) Microneedle array for transdermal biological fluid extraction and in situ analysis. Sens Actuators A114:267–275

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roxhed N, Griss P, Stemme G (2008a) Membrane-sealed hollow microneedles and related administration schemes for transdermal drug delivery. Biomed Microdevices 10:271–279

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roxhed N, Samel B, Nordquist L, Griss P, Stemme G (2008b) Painless drug delivery through microneedle-based transdermal patches featuring active infusion. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 55(3):1063–1071

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sammoura F, Kang J, Heo YM, Jung T, Lin L (2007) Polymer microneedle fabrication using a microinjection molding technique. Microsyst Technol 13:517–522

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stoeber B, Liepmann D (2005) Arrays of hollow out-of-plane microneedles for drug delivery. J Microelectromech Syst 14(3):472–479

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sullivan S, Koutsonanos D, Martin M, Lee J, Zarnitsyn V, Choi S, Murthy N, Compans R, Skountzou I, Prausnitz MR (2010) Dissolving polymer microneedle patches for influenza vaccination. Nat Med 16:915–920

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Teo A, Shearwood C, Ng K, Lu J, Moochhala S (2006) Transdermal microneedles for drug delivery applications. Mater Sci Eng B132:151–154

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work has been possible thanks to the support of the Walloon Region and SIRRIS research center.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. ULB, Bio Electro and Mechanical Systems (BEAMS), av. F.D. Roosevelt 50, 1050, Brussels, Belgium

    Marion Sausse Lhernould & A. Delchambre

Authors
  1. Marion Sausse Lhernould
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. A. Delchambre
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marion Sausse Lhernould.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Sausse Lhernould, M., Delchambre, A. Innovative design of hollow polymeric microneedles for transdermal drug delivery. Microsyst Technol 17, 1675 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00542-011-1355-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00542-011-1355-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation