High-aspect-ratio microdevices and methods for transdermal delivery and sampling of active substances
First Claim
1. A method of delivering an active agent to a human being, comprisingselecting a site of skin for delivery of the active agent,pushing a plurality of microneedles attached to a substrate to the selected site,allowing the microneedles to pierce through the outer layer of the site of the skin,immediately removing the plurality of microneedles after piercing the site of skin to generate a plurality of microscale or nanoscale transdermal conduits lined with tissue displaced by the microneedles,applying a skin patch comprising the active agent to the site of skin, andcausing the active agent dispersed in a medium on the skin patch to be delivered transdermally through the plurality of microscale or nanoscale conduits into the human being,wherein the microneedles are solid microneedles having an aspect ratio of about 10:
- 1 or higher.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
High-aspect-ratio microdevices comprising microneedles, microknives and microblades and their manufacturing methods are disclosed. These devices can be used for the delivery of therapeutic agents across the skin or other tissue barriers to allow chemical and biological molecules getting into the circulation systems. The microneedles can also be used to withdraw body fluids for analysis of clinically relevant species when the device has an integrated body fluid sensor or sensor array in the vicinity of microneedles.
-
Citations
22 Claims
-
1. A method of delivering an active agent to a human being, comprising
selecting a site of skin for delivery of the active agent, pushing a plurality of microneedles attached to a substrate to the selected site, allowing the microneedles to pierce through the outer layer of the site of the skin, immediately removing the plurality of microneedles after piercing the site of skin to generate a plurality of microscale or nanoscale transdermal conduits lined with tissue displaced by the microneedles, applying a skin patch comprising the active agent to the site of skin, and causing the active agent dispersed in a medium on the skin patch to be delivered transdermally through the plurality of microscale or nanoscale conduits into the human being, wherein the microneedles are solid microneedles having an aspect ratio of about 10:
-
12. A method of delivering an active agent to a human being, comprising
selecting a site of skin for delivery of the active agent, slicing a plurality of microdevices on the skin surface of the selected site, allowing the microdevices to cut through the outer layer of the skin on the selected site, immediately removing the plurality of microdevices after piercing the selected skin site to generate a plurality of microscale or nanoscale transdermal conduits lined with tissue displaced by the microdevice, applying a skin patch comprising the active agent to the site of skin, and causing the active agent dispersed in a medium on the skin patch to be delivered transdermally through the plurality of microscale or nanoscale conduits into the human being, wherein the microdevices are solid microblades or solid microknives, or a combination thereof, and wherein the microdevices have an nanoscale edge.
Specification