A novel approach to the manufacture of dissolving microneedles arrays using aerosol jet printing

Ako, Hilkiah and O'Mahony, Joseph and Hughes, Helen and Mc Loughlin, Peter and O'Reilly, Niall (2023) A novel approach to the manufacture of dissolving microneedles arrays using aerosol jet printing. Applied Materials Today, 35. p. 101958.

Text (Ako et al. App Mat. Today, 2023, 35, 101958) Ako_et_al._App_Mat._Today_2023_35_101958.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (12MB)

Abstract

Despite much research over the last few decades, microneedle arrays for the transdermal delivery of drugs have failed to live up to their initial promise. This may be changing however as companies close in on the commercial delivery of vaccines via this technology. These breakthroughs will undoubtably increase the interest in the use of microneedles arrays for the delivery of biopharmaceuticals but will also drive research into the development of scalable manufacturing processes for their fabrication. While 3D printing is an exciting development in this field, conventional Additive Manufacturing (AM) techniques are unsuitable for biopharmaceuticals due to the harsh processing conditions which can cause degradation of the active ingredient. In this paper we report the first use of Aerosol Jet Printing (AJP) as an AM technique for the fabrication of dissolving microneedle arrays. A formulation of poly(vinyl pyrrolidone), trehalose and glycerol dissolved in water was prepared and characterised. The formulation was aerosolised using ultrasonication and deposited onto a silicon substrate. Critical process parameters such as Computer Aided Design (CAD) design, flow rate, temperature, print speed and focussing ratio were studied to determine their impact on the microneedle quality attributes. 4 × 4 microneedle arrays were printed, with needle heights > 500 µm achieved with print times of 30 mins or less. The resulting needles had sufficient strength and sharpness to penetrate porcine skin samples. Importantly, the microneedles can be fabricated under benign conditions which should be suitable for the processing and subsequent delivery of biopharmaceuticals across the skin.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Publisher Copyright: © 2023
Uncontrolled Keywords:	/dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/good_health_and_well_being
Departments or Groups:
Depositing User:	Admin SSL
Date Deposited:	09 Jan 2024 10:05
Last Modified:	23 Apr 2024 09:25
URI:	https://repository.wit.ie/id/eprint/7754

Actions (login required)

View Item