Chaudhuri BP, Ceyssens F, Van Hoof C, Puers R. A novel method for monolithic fabrication of polymer microneedles on a platform for transdermal drug delivery.
ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2013;
2013:156-9. [PMID:
24109648 DOI:
10.1109/embc.2013.6609461]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
This paper reports on the creation of a novel method for monolithic fabrication of out-of-plane polymer (SU-8) microneedles incorporating sharpness of needle-tips, hollowness of needle lumen as well as a platform on which the microneedles stand orthogonally with the hollow of the needle lumen continuous through the platform. In essence, both the microneedle as well as the platform on which it stands, are made of the same polymer material, rendering the process monolithic. The microneedle tips produced were quite sharp with tip diameters ranging between 5 to 10 µm, needle heights greater than 1 mm and resulting aspect ratio of 40. Further, mechanical tests performed on the fabricated microneedles demonstrate a critical compressive failure load of about 173 mN on average per microneedle, which translates into a safety factor greater than one for skin penetration.
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