Rolling Microneedle Particles for Low-Discomfort Transdermal Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing transdermal drug delivery methods face challenges in effectively penetrating the skin's protective barrier, particularly for hydrophilic and larger molecular weight compounds, while minimizing discomfort and ensuring rapid healing of skin disruptions.
Innovation Solution
Microneedle particles with specific geometric features, including a support body and microneedles with controlled sharpness and length, designed to roll on the skin and create micropores, facilitating the delivery of pharmaceutical and cosmetic compositions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If microneedle array patches are used to disrupt skin barrier, then skin permeability is improved, but device complexity and application area limitations worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The microneedle array patch is segmented into individual microneedle particles that can be freely dispersed in a carrier composition. This allows the skin barrier disruption function to be distributed across multiple independent particles rather than requiring a complex array structure, enabling simple manual application while maintaining effective skin permeability enhancement.
Solution Approach 2:
A carrier composition acts as an intermediary medium to deliver the microneedle particles to the skin surface. The carrier facilitates easy application and distribution of the particles, eliminating the need for complex applicator devices while ensuring adequate skin coverage and permeability enhancement.
2Reliability
If microneedle concentration is increased to produce more penetrations, then skin permeability is improved, but formulation complexity and cost worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The microneedle particles are designed with optimized geometric parameters including tip sharpness radius of 1-20 μm and length of 10-100 μm. These parameter optimizations enable each particle to create multiple effective penetrations at lower concentrations, reducing the amount of microneedles required in the formulation while maintaining skin permeability effectiveness.
3Ease of operation
If microneedle tip sharpness is increased to reduce penetration pressure, then patient comfort is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The microneedle tip sharpness radius is optimized to 1-20 μm, balancing patient comfort with manufacturing feasibility. This parameter range provides sufficiently sharp tips to reduce penetration pressure and improve patient comfort while remaining achievable with conventional manufacturing techniques, avoiding excessive manufacturing precision requirements.
4Reliability
If microneedle length is increased to enhance penetration depth, then skin permeability is improved, but patient tolerability and healing time worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The microneedle length is optimized to 10-100 μm, providing sufficient penetration depth to enhance skin permeability for topical drug delivery while remaining short enough to avoid significant patient discomfort and ensure rapid healing. This parameter optimization balances permeability enhancement with patient tolerability.
Data Source
AI summary
A microneedle particle arranged to be rolled and massaged on a subject's skin to penetrate the stratum corneum is disclosed. The microparticle comprises a support body, and a plurality of microneedles protruding from the support body (20), each microneedle comprising a tip. The support body maintains the microneedles and tips in a predetermined conformation allowing the microneedle particle to be rolled on the skin. The microneedles have an average tip sharpness radius of less than 20 μm, an average microneedle length of less than 100 μm, and an average tip sharpness to microneedle length ratio of 1:5 to 1:200. Formulations and kits for said use are provided. A microneedle particle manufacturing method using a non-linear two-photon absorption process, a non-therapeutic cosmetic method of skin treatment, and a method of drug delivery through the skin for said microneedle particle are disclosed.