POLYMERIC MICRONEEDLES FOR TRANSDERMAL DRUG DELIVERY

Abstract

Transdermal drug delivery and cosmetic science has gained importance in the past three decades. However, the outermost layer of skin, stratum corneum, only allows the passage of molecules smaller than 500 Da to passively diffuse. Macromolecules, majorly proteins, peptides and vaccines have thus been delivered using painful injections, which significantly reduce subject compliance. In this thesis, we developed a simple method of fabricating polymeric microneedles using a simple photolithographical approach, in a mold and solvent free process. They were shown to deliver a range of drugs/cosmetics, including chemicals rhodamine B and lidocaine and proteins, bovine serum albumin and collagen. Additionally, we fabricated a miniaturized flow through cell (MFtC) for testing the skin permeation of drugs. The MFtC utilizes minimal amount of compound and skin samples. Conclusively, the prepared microneedles and MFtC are expected to serve as potentially useful tools for transdermal drug delivery.