Microneedle Patches

Researchers are developing transdermal vaccine & drug delivery microneedle patches with potential improved biopharmaceutical stability and enhanced scalability.

Researchers used the spray deposition process to fabricate multilayered microneedles to modulate the rate of drug release in the body. In addition, multi-section microneedle arrays were fabricated, which could deliver multiple drugs simultaneously or in a controlled manner using proper combinations of materials and drugs. In a proof of principle biopharmaceutical model, the researchers used bovine serum albumin in a microneedle patch. The results demonstrated that the proposed spray-based process improved the retention of the secondary and tertiary structure of encapsulated proteins compared to conventional microneedle fabrication methods.

Vaccination using this system could potentially reduce the number of vaccinations required by allowing both bolus & sustained vaccine release. This would especially be advantageous in livestock production.

ADVANTAGES:

• Fewer vaccinations, especially important in livestock production
• Does not require painful needle injections or trained health personnel
• No hypodermic needle biohazardous waste