Needle-free small-volume liquid injection system powered by a rotary actuator

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Drug Delivery Systems
• Medical Devices

Background:

• Accurate and repeatable delivery of small-volume, high-viscosity drugs to the dermis remains a challenge.
• Existing methods may lack speed, precision, or suitability for viscous formulations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a compact, lightweight jet injector for controlled dermal drug delivery.
• To demonstrate the device's capability for fast and repeatable injection of low-volume, high-viscosity fluids.

Main Methods:

• A novel jet injector was designed using a commercial rotary motor and differential screw mechanism.
• The device generates a high-velocity fluid jet through a narrow orifice (108 μm).
• Delivery performance was assessed using clear tissue analogue and ex vivo tissue models.

Main Results:

• The jet injector successfully demonstrated repeatable delivery of less than 10 μL of fluid.
• Fluid jets achieved velocities exceeding 250 m/s.
• Injection times were consistently below 3 milliseconds.

Conclusions:

• The developed jet injector offers a controllable, fast, and repeatable method for dermal drug administration.
• The device is suitable for precise delivery of small volumes of high-viscosity drugs.
• This technology has potential applications in various fields requiring targeted subcutaneous injections.