On-demand transdermal drug delivery platform based on wearable acoustic microneedle array

Abstract

Both acute and chronic diseases require on-demand and convenient drug delivery, particularly for life-threatening acute conditions. Although emerging microneedle arrays (MNs) offer a promising therapeutic platform for painlessly administering drug payloads to patients, current dissolving or diffusion-based MNs encounter significant challenges in achieving programmable and on-demand liquid drug delivery. In this study, we develop active programmable MNs based on a wearable acoustic platform, which enables the smart management of diseases. The vortex effect near the tips excited by acoustics is utilized to actively extract drugs from MNs, that are manufactured through high precision 3D printing. By digitally controlling acoustic signals, we demonstrate user-requirement-based drug releasing, in tissue-mimicking agar gel phantoms and mouse models. The system achieves precise dosage control through three different modes: rapid single delivery mode, batch delivery mode, and long-term slow-release mode. This versatility makes the system suitable for various disease conditions. The in situ acoustic drug delivery strategy implemented on this platform offers advantages in terms of miniaturization, ease of operation and intelligence. This platform is anticipated to provide a novel personalized therapeutic approach for clinics and biomedicine.