Researchers find new way to mass produce microneedles

Bengaluru: Mass production of microneedles, similar to the ones used in insulin pens for diabetics, is not easy. They are manufactured using complex procedures like photolithography, which requires time as well as cleanrooms, limiting their mass production. Now, researchers from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine (inStem) have found a novel method to produce microneedles, without the complexities.The polymeric microneedle batter (a specific polymer mix) is poured on to a platform with needle-shaped moulds which have pyramidal tips that can be adjusted to any height “As the mix solidifies, a perfectly lined-up array of hollow microneedles can be peeled off immediately, and is ready to produce the next batch right away,” says an IISc statement. This eliminates the need for an expensive cleanroom, the statement adds.The team — Vivek Ghate, Anu Renjith, Kedar Badnikar, Shreyas N Jayadevi, Manjunath M Nayak, and Dinesh Subramanyam from IISc, and, Suman Pahal and Praveen K Vemula from inStem — then tested a microneedle patch produced using this method and found that it could precisely deliver the required volume of insulin to diabetic mice in the lab. TNN