Porous Ceramic Microneedle Array Manufacturing via Soft Mold Filling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing microneedle array production methods are expensive and result in fragile, limited-functionality microneedles, making them unsuitable for cost-effective and robust applications such as drug delivery and skin penetration.
Innovation Solution
A method using a soft production mold with a ceramic or polymer-ceramic slurry to create porous microneedles integrated with a base plate, allowing for customizable geometry, increased strength, and enhanced functionality through microsized channels and additives for tailored properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional microneedle production methods are used, then microneedles can be manufactured, but the production cost is high and the microneedles are fragile
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs porous ceramic materials to fabricate microneedles that maintain structural integrity while enabling drug delivery functionality. The porous structure provides both mechanical strength and drug reservoir capacity, eliminating the fragility issue of conventional microneedles while reducing production costs through a single-step manufacturing process
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses composite ceramic-polymer materials that combine the mechanical strength of ceramics with the flexibility and ease of processing of polymers. This composite approach produces robust microneedles that are resistant to breakage during handling and application, while the materials can be processed using cost-effective techniques
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional microneedle production methods are used, then microneedles can be manufactured, but the functionality is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The porous ceramic microneedles serve multiple functions simultaneously: they act as structural elements for skin penetration, drug reservoirs for controlled delivery, and delivery channels for various therapeutic agents. This multi-functionality is achieved through a single manufacturing process, enhancing adaptability without increasing production complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The microneedles exhibit local quality variations with different pore sizes, drug loading capacities, and release rates in different regions of the same microneedle structure. This allows customization of drug delivery profiles while maintaining a unified manufacturing process, thereby increasing functionality without proportionally increasing production complexity
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method of manufacturing of a microneedle array comprising the steps of selecting a soft production mold comprising a set of microscopic incisions defining geometry of the microneedles, said soft production mold being capable of providing the microneedle array integrated into a base plate; using a filler material for abundantly filling the microscopic incisions of the soft production mold thereby producing the microneedle array with pre-defined geometry integrated into the base plate; wherein for the filler material a water or alcohol based ceramic or polymer-ceramic slurry is selected. The invention further relates to a microneedle array 16, a composition comprising a microneedle array, a system for enabling transport of a substance through a barrier and a system for measuring an electric signal using an electrode.