A new type of microneedle design might take the sting out of shots and stick to the skin better than other approaches.
No one likes getting shots. “They’re painful,” says engineer Howon Lee at Rutgers University in Piscataway, N.J. “I hate them, and everyone hates them.” But they’re an effective way to deliver protective vaccines and medicines. So Lee has helped develop a new type of microneedle — one that can barely be felt.
Scientists have been working on miniature needles for years. The idea is to deliver a liquid drug, but with a needle so small it doesn’t sting. A microneedle pokes into the skin just a fraction as deeply as an ordinary needle. But this has had a downside, too. Most such devices are smooth, notes Lee. They can’t stay put long enough to deliver a full dose.
That’s where Lee’s work is different. His group unveiled a new microneedle device that can stick to skin longer. Its secret? The team added backward-facing barbs to the surface of the needles. These barbs anchor the device in the skin. Lee’s group described its innovation March 10 in Advanced Functional Materials.
