US researchers develop new drug patch treatment
Flexible microneedle patch attaches to the skin like a normal bandage and improves drug delivery, while cutting waste
An assistant professor at the Virginia Tech – Wake Forest School of Biomedical Engineering in the US has developed a microneedle patch that allows drugs to be delivered directly and fully through the skin.
The new patch is said to be able to improve drug delivery time while cutting waste, and could minimise side-effects in some cases, particularly in vaccinations and cancer therapy.
Details of the delivery technology have been published in the scientific journal, Advanced Materials.
Leading development of the flexible patch was Lissett Bickford, now an assistant professor and researcher of biomedical engineering and mechanical engineering, both part of the Virginia Tech College of Engineering.
Bickford and her research team have developed a new flexible microneedle patch that forms to the skin directly – in a similar way to a regular household bandage – and then fully pierces the skin and dissolves. The softer, more malleable and water-soluble material also allows for more precise control over the shape, size, and composition of the patch, with little to no waste, said Bickford.
The nanoparticle, micro-moulding patch is based on Particle Replication In Non-wetting Templates (PRINT) technology, developed by University of North Carolina researcher and professor Joseph DeSimone. Unlike other methods for making these patches, the new technology allows for quicker and wide-scale production, thereby reducing costs.