What are microneedles?

Microneedles are extremely small needles used to draw blood or administer drugs without penetrating the skin and underlying tissue as deep as traditional subcutaneous needles or syringes. When used for medical purposes, a number of hundreds of microneeds are inserted into small spots, which are then applied to the skin. Micronements produce microscopic holes in the outer layer of skin and either draw small amounts of blood or supply a drug, a process sometimes called transdermal supply of drug. They cause minimal pain and trauma compared to traditional needles and are used for different medical purposes such as immunization, pain treatment and blood glucose monitoring. Microneedles are a relatively new medical technology and are subject to extensive research and study.

The microneedle size is measured at microns. One micron is a thousandth of a millimeter and a microneedle usually does not have a diameter of more than 1 micron and 1-100 microns long. The patch of coated microneedles are described after the touchlike a feeling similar to abrasive paper. These needles are so small that they were used to supply drugs to individual cells. Needles can be made of various materials, including metals, silicone, polymers, ceramics and glass, and are manufactured by microfabrication techniques similar to processes used in nanotechnology and microchips production.

Microneedles have several advantages over syringes and subcutaneous needles. They are virtually painless because they do not go deep enough to touch the nerves and penetrate only in the farthest layer of skin. Shallow penetration also means that there is less chance of infection and injury. In addition, this technology facilitates the provision of exactly the right amount of drug, allowing lower doses and the development of soluble microneeds can help reduce the problem of discarded needles.

Microneedle Patches are also cheap to produce and do not have to be served by doctors, which makes them ideal PRO extensive vaccination programs in developing countries. The development of immunization patch would also facilitate the administration of children's vaccines and seasonal vaccines against influenza in developed countries. Micronements are used for some types of blood tests, such as monitoring blood glucose for diabetics.

The use of microneeds has already been studied with positive results in areas such as pain treatment, hormone substitution therapy and as a way to manage drugs to treat congestive heart failure. Possible future uses include the delivery of nanoparticles to the body for various treatments, targeted gene therapy and skin rejuvenation.