Transdermal delivery of macromolecules mediated by microneedle arrays

传统药物是治疗疾病症状的小化学分子。生物药物是大的生物分子，称为肽和蛋白质，这些靶向疾病的潜在机制和途径。它们可以处理传统药物无法达到的人体目标。最近，在生物技术这一领域出现了迅速和革命性的发展。治疗性肽和蛋白质预计将在未来几年广泛用于癌症，高血压，疼痛和血栓以及许多其他疾病的疫苗和治疗。然而，这些“生物技术”分子的成功临床应用的主要挑战之一是它们有效地递送到作用部位。当这些药物被吞咽时，身体会分解它们，并且它们通常不会被很好地吸收到血液中。因此，它们必须经常通过注射给药，这会引起疼痛，这意味着这些药物通常只给住院的人使用。如果这些新药可以通过皮肤输送，那么与其管理相关的许多问题都可以克服。然而，为了做到这一点，有必要克服皮肤外层的屏障。这个皮肤层，被称为角质层，已经进化到保护我们免受外部环境的影响。它可以防止污垢和微生物的进入，也可以防止大多数药物的进入。在这个项目中，将开发一种新型的透皮贴剂，它将绕过角质层屏障。在它的表面上会有许多微小的针，刺穿角质层而不会引起任何疼痛-据说感觉像猫的舌头或鲨鱼皮。这些针要么会迅速溶解，在角质层上留下小孔，让蛋白质和肽进入体内，要么会膨胀，变成一种类似海绵的材料，保持孔的开放，并允许持续的药物输送。这里开发的技术是独一无二的，可能会彻底改变肽和蛋白质的递送。这可能对患者有很大的好处，因为它将使这些先进的药物容易为每个人所用。

Traditional pharmaceutical drugs are small chemical molecules that treat the symptoms of a disease. Biopharmaceuticals are large biological molecules, known as peptides and proteins and these target the underlying mechanisms and pathways of a disease. They can deal with targets in humans that are not accessible with traditional medicines. Recently, there have been rapid and revolutionary developments in this field of biotechnology. Therapeutic peptides and proteins are expected to be used extensively in coming years as vaccines and treatments for cancer, high blood pressure, pain and blood clots, as well as many other illnesses. However, one of the major challenges to successful clinical use of these 'biotech' molecules is their efficient delivery to the site of action. The body breaks these drugs down when they are swallowed and they are generally not well-absorbed into the blood. As a result, they have to be given frequently by injection, which causes pain and means that such drugs are usually only given to people in hospital. If these new drugs could be delivered across the skin, then many of the problems associated with their administration could be overcome. However, in order to do this, it is necessary to overcome the barrier presented by the outer layer of the skin. This skin layer, known as the stratum corneum, has evolved to protect us from the external environment. It prevents entry of dirt and microorganisms, but also most medicines. In this project, a novel type of transdermal patch will be developed that will by-pass the stratum corneum barrier. On its surface will be many tiny needles that pierce the stratum corneum without causing any pain - the sensation is said to feel like a cat's tongue or sharkskin. These needles will either dissolve quickly, leaving tiny holes in the stratum corneum, which will let proteins and peptides enter the body, or swell, turning into a jelly-like material that keeps the holes open and will allow continuous drug delivery. The technology developed here is unique and could potentially revolutionise delivery of peptides and proteins. This is likely to be of great benefit to patients, as it will make these advanced medicines readily available to everybody.