Unlocking the exciting potential of microneedle arrays with Ask an Expert!
From a fear of heights to being scared of creepy-crawlies, a lot of us have something that makes us nervous. For many people, that might be needles – or more specifically – injections! No matter how important the injection is (or how kind the medic might be!) it’s not always the most fun experience! In some cases, the anxiety caused by the prospect of an injection can even stop people from getting the medical care they need.
But luckily, as with many things, when you reduce the size of the challenge, it gets easier. Most people who suffer from a fear of heights can climb stairs without a problem. Those who don’t like large bugs can often handle tiny ones. And injections are easy when you can barely see the needle – and don’t feel any pain!
Microneedles for maximum impact
This is just one reason why transdermal drug delivery via microneedle arrays is an exciting area of research. These arrays usually come in the form of a patch that can be applied to the skin, delivering the medication painlessly.
Another great reason? It takes medical training to give an injection safely, but microneedle patches don’t carry the same requirement – they’re much easier to administer without specific training, and patients may even choose to apply the patches themselves. This is particularly relevant for patients living in areas with restricted access to in-person medical care.
Of course, microneedles do bring their own challenges for the people who develop them! In order to perform perfectly, they need to be exactly the right size and shape – and this can change based on the form of the drug being delivered.
Optimal drug delivery to optimize health
This is the subject of Ramón Pineda’s recent research at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México – which was shortlisted for the Malvern Panalytical Scientific Award 2022! Ramón studied the development and characterization of biodegradable polymeric microneedle arrays, loaded with (i) losartan potassium powder and (ii) nanoparticles loaded with losartan potassium dispersed in a polymeric matrix (starch/gelatin), as innovative pharmaceutical forms intended to be used for blood pressure control.
Ramón’s research optimized the microneedle array itself, taking into account the fracture force, bioadhesion, and post-wetting bioadhesion variables, as well as particle morphology, drug release profiles, and in vitro losartan skin permeation. He also explored the optimal nanoparticle formulation, characterizing this in terms of particle size, PDI (polydispersity index), and entrapment efficiency, as well as ζ potential and morphology.
When you’re working at this tiny scale of nanoparticles, there’s no room for error – especially in pharmaceutical and biological applications. Ramón relied on the Zetasizer instrument for the accurate characterization of his formulation during his experiments, with great success!
Join our free webinar to hear from Ramón
We’re excited to welcome Ramón to guest-host our upcoming Ask an Expert! webinar on May 25! He’ll be explaining how he set up his experiments, how the Zetasizer can be used more broadly for nanoparticle research, and his approach to optimizing transdermal drug delivery via microneedle array. Register now and reserve your place!
Of course, he’ll also be answering your questions – which you can send in advance to askanexpert@malvernpanalytical.com to make sure they get answered! But no pressure, as there will be a chance to ask them on the day too.
For a full overview of Malvern Panalytical’s 2023 webinar program, click here.
To watch our webinars from previous years, take a look at our full program recordings here.