A novel 3D printed hollow microneedle microelectromechanical system for controlled, personalized transdermal drug delivery

Economidou, Sofia N. and Uddin, Md. Jasim and Marques, Manuel J. and Douroumis, Dennis and Sow, Wan Ting and Li, Huaqiong and Reid, Andrew and Windmill, James F.C. and Podoleanu, Adrian (2021) A novel 3D printed hollow microneedle microelectromechanical system for controlled, personalized transdermal drug delivery. Additive Manufacturing, 38. 101815. ISSN 2214-8604 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addma.2020.101815)

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Abstract

The advancement of drug delivery devices is critical for the individualization of patient treatment and the improvement of healthcare. Here, we introduce the 3DMNMEMS, a novel device that combines 3D printing, microneedles (MNs) and Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS), allowing versatile and controllable by the user transdermal drug delivery. Hollow MNs were designed and 3D printed using Stereolithography, followed by integrating into a MEMS. By employing advanced imaging techniques, we monitored the distribution of liquid delivered by the device within skin tissue in real time. In vivo testing revealed that the delivery of insulin using the 3DMNMEMS achieved improved glycemic control to diabetic animals compared to subcutaneous injections. These results demonstrated the potential of the 3DMNMEMS as a universal transdermal drug delivery system for personalized care.