SGER: Microfabricated Microneedles: Feasibility Studies of Transdermal Insulin Delivery

这项研究的目标是测试一种新的经皮给药方法，该方法涉及使用标准微加工技术将微米尺寸的针阵列蚀刻到硅中。这种无痛渗透皮肤的微针的设计是基于对皮肤解剖学的理解。微针能穿透皮肤10-15微米多一点，应该能提供穿过角质层的运输途径，但这样做无痛，因为微针不能到达深层组织中的神经。为了将这项技术应用于透皮给药，研究人员建议创建长度为100微米左右的尖端微针的三维阵列。因为皮肤表面不是平坦的，这些微针的全长不会穿透皮肤。微加工技术可以根据无痛输送的需要进行修改，使针头更长或更短。

9813321PrausnitzThe goal of this proposed research is to test a novel approach to transdermal drug delivery involving the use of standard microfabrication techniques to etch arrays of micron-size needles into silicon. The design of microneedles, which painlessly permeabilize the skin, is based on an understanding of skin anatomy. Microneedles, which penetrate the skin a little more than 10-15 microns, should provide transport pathways across the stratum corneum, but do so painlessly since the microneedles do not reach the nerves found in deeper tissue. To adapt this technilogy for transdermal drug delivery, the investigator proposes creating three-dimensional arrays of sharp-tipped microneedles on the order of 100 microns in length. Because the skin surface is not flat, the full length of these microneedles will not penetrate the skin. The microfabrication technique can be modified to make longer or shorter needles as required for painless delivery.