Design of Drug Delivery Systems for Therapeutic Proteins Using Microneedles

Abstract

Drug delivery systems are used to safely and effectively introduce therapeutic proteins into the body. There are different mechanisms used for drug delivery, such as oral and transdermal administration, each with its advantages and disadvantages. However, transdermal microneedles have emerged as a powerful new technique that can overcome most of the common limitations associated with other drug delivery routes, such as low bioavailability of topical creams and enzymatic degradation associated with oral administration due to the acidic nature of the stomach. Microneedles are non-invasive, highly bioavailable, and biocompatible, making them an excellent option to deliver certain medications. The mechanism of microneedles starts by disturbing the stratum corneum to create micron-size channels that will directly enable the drug to reach the systemic circulation. The goal of this study is to create microneedles made of hydrogel to improve the delivery of therapeutic proteins. Many factors can impact the effectiveness of drug delivery systems, such as the production process, material selection, and drug characterization. Therefore, to ensure efficient drug delivery, these factors must be taken into consideration. To achieve the objectives of this study, several approaches and strategies were employed. The study involved several stages. First, a needle array was designed and fabricated using a 3D printer. Then, a PDMS mold was fabricated by the reverse micro-molding technique. Next, an ideal hydrogel solution was developed to produce hydrogel-forming microneedles using polymers with excellent mechanical properties. The microneedles were loaded with a drug solution to measure the maximum capacity the sample could absorb. Finally, the hydrogel-forming microneedles were inserted into a pork ear animal model, which has the same thickness as the human stratum corneum. The drug was introduced passively to the meat.

Date of Award	8 Dec 2023
Original language	American English
Supervisor	Sung Mun Lee (Supervisor)