Finite element analysis of polymeric microneedle insertion into skin

What is it about?

The researchers developed a detailed computer model to simulate polystyrene microneedles being inserted into a two-layer artificial skin model. They tested various scenarios including what happens when needles are inserted at different angles, how skin curvature affects insertion, and how different needle designs perform (varying shapes, sizes, and spacing between needles). They also compared four different polymer materials commonly used for microneedles. The model treated the microneedles as flexible materials that could bend and deform, rather than rigid objects, allowing the researchers to see where stresses build up and predict potential failure points.

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Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash

Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Microneedles are tiny needles (smaller than 1 millimeter) that can deliver drugs and vaccines through the skin painlessly. While polymer-based microneedles are attractive because they're cheap to manufacture and can dissolve to release medicine, they face a major problem: they're not as strong as metal needles and can break or bend when pressed into skin. Previous computer models treated microneedles like rigid metal objects, which doesn't capture how plastic microneedles actually deform. This study aimed to create a more realistic computer simulation to understand how polymer microneedles behave during skin insertion, especially under real-world conditions like when the needle patch is applied at an angle or on curved body parts.

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