Alginate-Backed Hollow Microneedle Arrays for Controlled Drug Delivery

Presenter: Aoife Ruth

Faculty Sponsor: Cathal J. Kearney

School: UMass Amherst

Research Area: Biomedical Engineering

Session: Poster Session 3, 1:15 PM - 2:00 PM, 163, C12

ABSTRACT

In the United States, roughly 50 percent of people have used one or more prescription drug in a 30-day period. Despite large demand, conventional drug delivery methods (pills, IV’s, etc.) remain limited by frequent dosing schedules, off-target negative side effects, and gastrointestinal toxicity. To address these limitations, our research proposes an esDLW-printed hollow microneedle array (HMNA), which enables local drug delivery through millimeter long needles that evade pain receptors. Hollow microneedle arrays offer a unique ability to precisely deliver nanoparticles, small molecules, and biologics across the epidermis.

The platform combats burdensome frequent dosing by filling the drug reservoir with a sustained release alginate carrier. Fluorescein and gold nanoparticles (AuNP) were selected as model drugs and were suspended in alginate solutions of various molecular weights. Release studies were first conducted directly into PBS and then through a model of HMNA. For both molecules and under both experimental conditions, drug was proven to diffuse slower from higher molecular weight alginates. This verifies a sustained dosing model for both small molecules and nanoparticles.

This study next seeks to prove that delivery through HMNAs retains the controlled release kinetic pattern. Drug release studies will be repeated in both PBS and an agarose skin mimic, and further experiments will ensure bioactivity of drug passed through HMNA.

Our sustained release HMNA will address limitations of conventional drug delivery methods by painlessly, locally delivering both nanoparticles and small molecules.

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