This article comes from WeChat public account: FastCompany (ID: FCChinese) , translation: Li Meiyu
No one likes injections, after all, hypodermic needles really hurt. Studies have shown that a quarter of adults and half of children are afraid of injections, and 8% said they had intentionally not vaccinated to avoid pain. For others, injections are necessary, but there are also medical risks. People with diabetes can become infected with regular blood tests or insulin injections, and continuous needle sticks can also damage their skin.
A new study from Rutgers University proposes a more human needle, inspired by the wisdom of animals in nature.
This is a patch covered with so-called “microneedles”. Stick it on your skin and the needle will poke into your arm. These needles are barbed, like stings from bees or appendages from parasites. So, once they pierce the skin, they can be held in place until testing or other tasks are completed. Because the needles are hollow, they can also deliver drugs or draw blood, just like ordinary needles, but they do not cause any pain.
[Image source: Riddish Morde / Rutgers University]
Researchers refer to this needle making process as “4D printing.” Basically, these pins are 3D printed polymers, but the core structure is a programmable material that can change its shape after printing, just like self-folding origami (Massachusetts Institute of Technology has experimented with this material production method many times in the past) . It is this folding that produces round barbs.
These microneedles are 18 times more powerful than any microneedles previously studied, so they are more reliable in drug delivery. In the future, we may also use a patch to track changes in antibodies, DNA, or other biological indicators. Test studies have shown that the patch can be administered for 24 hours.
Will these microneedles replace drugs? Professor Li Haoyuan, who chaired the research, (Howon Lee, transliteration) Professor has applied for a patent for his technology, but how long does it take for commercialization? not sure. Behind this research is a larger-scale operation designed to advance the hypodermic needle revolution with the help of microneedles, and to prove this time-honored idea through a combination of technology and design. Li believes that this revolution “maybe in the next decade”.
In the 1990s, microneedle research officially began. For decades before, scientists have assumed that microneedles could one day be used for painless blood collection or drug delivery. Thirty years ago, with the rise of microchip manufacturing, the study of nanoscale materials and structures became possible, and these theories suddenly became feasible.
Today, there are countless transdermal patches on the market that can deliver different drugs and herbs through the skin, but most of them are needle-free designs, and chemicals can only penetrate your body. (Not as efficient and reliable as microneedles) . 3M currently has two patches that can deliver drugs and vaccines undergoing early testing. Other companies are working on simpler microneedle patches that leave small holes in the arm, remove them immediately,Cover the small holes with a traditional skin patch for more effective administration.
There are other studies that focus on the overall effect of microneedles, so there is the barb microneedles introduced above, and a system developed last year. The “payload” of the needle actively penetrates your skin. These alternatives are at different stages of development, but they all point to an important shift in the injection experience.
Hypodermic needles are frightening, and research into alternatives has just begun to bear fruit and will soon improve. Now, if the scientific community can eliminate the irrational fear of vaccines, we can make real progress.
This article comes from WeChat public account: FastCompany (ID: FCChinese) , translation: Li Meiyu