Rapid fabrication of highly customizable solid microneedle arrays

快速制造高度可定制的实心微针阵列

• 批准号: RTI-2022-00028
• 负责人: Dalton, Colin
• 金额: $ 10.6万
• 依托单位: University of Calgary
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Research Tools and Instruments
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=743015
• 关键词: Rapid; fabrication; highly; customizable; solid

There are many drawbacks to hypodermic needles, such as insertion pain, tissue trauma, and expertise needed to perform an injection. Microfabricated microneedle arrays promise painless blood extraction and drug infusion by penetrating only the upper part of the skin, avoiding the nerves. Solid microneedles are coated with a therapeutic agent, allowing the drug molecules to dissolve into the surrounding tissue after penetrating the skin barrier. The dosage depends on the microneedle area and therefore the yield is limited. Microfabrication methods are ideal to create solid microneedle arrays, as the materials are biocompatible, robust and designed for large-scale integration with other micro manufacturing processes. We have demonstrated a new method to make solid microneedle arrays. This proof of concept manual fabrication method is tedious, unreliable and greatly impedes the innovation cycle, taking ~5 minutes to make a single microneedle when hundreds are needed. Working with vendors of automated wire bonders, we have shown that the process can be decreased to ~1 second per microneedle. However, having a sample made by a vendor is costly (several thousand dollars per device), and takes up to a month for delivery. This greatly impedes the experimental investigation needed for this research, where hundreds of device iterations need to be tested and experimentally validated. The requested automated wire bonder will provide dedicated access for my students, allowing for efficient and reliable fabrication of new designs of large area, high-density arrays in a repeatable, reliable, cost efficient, and extremely timely process (devices can be made and tested the same day). This will greatly increase our research productivity and maintain our competitive edge. The requested automated wire bonder will directly support the training of my HQP who are investigating methods to overcome the solid microneedle yield issue through integrating microfluidic channels next to the base of the solid microneedles, in part supported by my Discovery Grant. Without this equipment we will not be able to investigate large scale arrays for the delivery of relevant amounts of liquid into the area next to the perforated skin. As our microneedles are metal and individually electrically addressable, the ability to increase the uptake of drugs through the process of electroporation and iontophoresis will be investigated. The bonder will be housed in a multi-user cleanroom facility, with experienced technicians maintaining the equipment, extending its operational lifetime and facilitating HQP training. The equipment will be utilized extensively for the current research program and, when idle, will be available to other researchers thereby increasing their research productivity. Long-term this research will move from the bench to the bedside, by creating a solid microneedle system that can be used without direct medical supervision, thus reducing healthcare expenditure.

皮下注射针的缺点，例如插入疼痛，组织创伤以及进行注射所需的专业知识。微生物的微针阵列通过仅穿透皮肤的上部，避免神经，可以无痛地提取血液提取和药物输注。固体微针涂有治疗剂，使药物分子在穿透皮肤屏障后溶解到周围的组织中。剂量取决于微针面积，因此产量受到限制。微加工方法是创建固体微针阵列的理想选择，因为这些材料具有生物相容性，可靠且设计用于与其他微型制造工艺进行大规模集成。我们已经展示了一种制造固体微针阵列的新方法。这种概念验证手动制造方法是乏味，不可靠的，并且极大地阻碍了创新周期，在需要数百个时，需要5分钟才能制作一个微针。与自动金属债券供应商一起工作，我们已经表明该过程可以将每微管降至约1秒。但是，拥有供应商的样本是昂贵的（每台设备几千美元），并且最多需要一个月的交货。这极大地阻碍了这项研究所需的实验研究，在该研究中，需要对数百个设备迭代进行测试和实验验证。请求的自动电线螺栓将为我的学生提供专门的访问权限，从而可以在可重复，可靠，成本效益和极其及时的过程中有效且可靠地制造大面积，高密度阵列的新设计（可以在同一天制作和测试）。这将大大提高我们的研究生产力并保持我们的竞争优势。请求的自动电线螺栓将直接支持我的HQP培训，HQP正在研究通过整合固体微针底部旁边的微流体渠道来克服固体微针的产量问题，部分得到了我的发现赠款的支持。没有这些设备，我们将无法调查大型阵列，以将相关量的液体输送到穿孔皮肤旁边的区域。由于我们的微针是金属的，并且可以单独地进行电气寻址，因此将研究通过电穿孔和离子噬菌体增加药物摄取的能力。该螺栓将安置在多用户清洁室设施中，经验丰富的技术人员维护设备，扩大了其运营寿命并促进HQP培训。该设备将用于当前的研究计划，并在闲置时向其他研究人员使用，从而提高其研究生产力。 长期的这项研究将通过创建可在没有直接医疗监督的情况下使用的坚固微针系统，从而减少医疗保健支出，从而从长凳转移到床边。