Microneedle Patch Insulin Delivery with Glucose Sensor
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional insulin injection methods cause pain and inconvenience for patients with diabetes, as they require frequent injections, lead to tissue lumps, and are bulky, making them difficult to carry and use in daily life.
Innovation Solution
A portable, painless liquid supplying device with a substrate, liquid storage chamber, flow-guiding-and-actuating unit, switching valves, microneedle patch, sensor, and driving chip that automatically injects insulin into subcutaneous tissue with minimal invasion, allowing for real-time blood glucose monitoring and controlled insulin delivery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional syringe injection is used for insulin delivery, then insulin can be administered into subcutaneous tissue, but it causes pain and tissue lumps due to frequent injections
Solution Approach 1:
The microneedle array divides the injection function into multiple tiny needles (e.g., 9-49 microneedles per array), each creating minimal tissue damage. This segmentation allows frequent injections without causing the tissue lumps associated with single large-bore syringes, as the distributed micro-punctures heal quickly and don't aggregate fat deposits.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical parameters of the needle from conventional large-bore (23-25 gauge) to micro-scale (50-500 micrometers diameter). This parameter change enables painless or minimally painful injection while maintaining effective insulin delivery, eliminating the pain-tissue damage cycle of conventional syringes.
2Productivity
If insulin pump with indwelling needle is used, then injection frequency is reduced, but the device becomes bulky and inconvenient to carry
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the essential insulin delivery function from the bulky pump system and combines it with a microneedle array. The insulin reservoir is miniaturized to fit within or alongside the microneedle array, eliminating the need for a separate large pump mechanism. This allows the device to be worn as a simple patch on the body without the volumetric weight of traditional pumps.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the insulin reservoir, delivery mechanism, and microneedle array into a single integrated patch device. This consolidation eliminates the separate components of traditional pumps (reservoir, pump mechanism, control unit), creating a compact wearable that provides continuous or on-demand insulin delivery without the bulk of conventional systems.
3Device complexity
If conventional syringe injection is used, then insulin delivery is simple, but it requires multiple daily injections and patient manual operation
Solution Approach 1:
The microneedle array device enables self-service through automatic or on-demand insulin delivery triggered by glucose sensor feedback. The system automatically activates the microneedles to deliver insulin when hyperglycemia is detected, eliminating the need for manual injection decisions and operations. Patients simply wear the device, and it autonomously manages insulin delivery based on real-time glucose monitoring.
4Reliability
If frequent injections are administered through syringe, then blood glucose control is maintained, but subcutaneous tissue produces lumps
Solution Approach 1:
The microneedle array segments the insulin delivery into multiple micro-streams through numerous tiny needles arranged in a grid pattern. This distribution prevents the concentration of insulin and mechanical trauma in a single location, allowing frequent injections to be administered without the fat deposit accumulation and tissue lumps caused by repeated punctures through large-bore syringes.
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid supplying device for a human insulin injection includes a substrate, a liquid storage chamber, a flow-guiding-and-actuating unit, a sensor and a driving chip. The flow-guiding-and-actuating unit includes a liquid guiding channel having a liquid guiding outlet in fluid communication with a liquid storage outlet of the liquid storage chamber. The sensor contacts with the human skin to measure a blood glucose level contained in sweat. The driving chip is configured to control the actuation of the flow-guiding-and-actuating unit, control open/closed states of the switching valves and receive the measured data from the sensor for determination. By driving the flow-guiding-and-actuating unit, a pressure gradient is generated, and an insulin liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber is transported to the liquid guiding outlet through the liquid guiding channel, flowing into a microneedle patch, and injected into a subcutaneous tissue through a plurality of hollow microneedles.