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Jet injection through microneedles for large volume subcutaneous delivery.
James William McKeage1, Andrew Zheng Hao Tan1, Andrew James Taberner2
1Auckland Bioengineering Institute, the University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
International Journal of Pharmaceutics
|October 29, 2024
Summary
This study introduces microneedle-based jet injections for large-volume subcutaneous drug delivery, enabling nearly double the capacity of current devices. This innovation enhances patient self-administration options for greater drug volumes.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Drug Delivery Systems
- Microneedle Technology
Background:
- Subcutaneous (SC) drug delivery offers advantages like self-administration but is limited to ~2.25 mL.
- Intravenous (IV) administration is required for volumes exceeding SC limits, increasing costs and complexity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate a novel multi-jet microneedle system for large-volume SC drug delivery.
- To overcome the volume limitations of current SC injection methods.
Main Methods:
- A novel multi-jet prototype using shortened 30G needles (~1mm exposed length) was developed.
- Jet characteristics (speed, shape, volume) were measured.
- Ex vivo porcine tissue was used to test injections of up to 3.9 mL.
Main Results:
- Successful delivery (>95%) of 3.9 mL in 0.3 seconds was achieved using microneedle jet injections.
- Jet speeds below 70 m/s resulted in incomplete delivery of the 3.9 mL volume.
- Microneedle-assisted delivery showed more consistent results for large volumes compared to needle-free injections.
Conclusions:
- Multi-jet injection through microneedles effectively enables large-volume SC drug delivery, nearly doubling current autoinjector capacities.
- This technology holds promise for expanding patient self-administration to a wider range of therapeutic applications.
- Optimized jet speeds are crucial for complete large-volume delivery with this microneedle system.
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