Journal article 358 views 113 downloads
Novel stereo DIC characterisation of microneedle and hypodermic needle insertion
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Huma Ashraf,
Hari Arora
Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, Volume: 13
Swansea University Authors:
Megan McNamee, Tom Pritchard, Owen Guy , Hari Arora
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PDF | Version of Record
© 2025 McNamee, Pritchard, Mitchell, Bolton, Roberts, Guy, Ashraf and Arora. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY).
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DOI (Published version): 10.3389/fbioe.2025.1580464
Abstract
Microneedles are minimally invasive devices, designed for pain-free drug delivery. Until now, the degree of strain exerted on the skin during microneedle insertion, in comparison to gold standard hypodermic needles, has not been quantified. This paper presents experimental results from a novel digit...
| Published in: | Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology |
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| ISSN: | 2296-4185 |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media SA
2025
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| Online Access: |
Check full text
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa69546 |
| Abstract: |
Microneedles are minimally invasive devices, designed for pain-free drug delivery. Until now, the degree of strain exerted on the skin during microneedle insertion, in comparison to gold standard hypodermic needles, has not been quantified. This paper presents experimental results from a novel digital image correlation setup to quantify maximum normal strain exerted on a skin-mimicking membrane by hollow silicon microneedles and 25-gauge stainless steel hypodermic needles through contact, deformation, rupture, and device insertion. Findings here have shown 1x5 hollow silicon microneedle arrays exert significantly lower maximum normal strain compared to 25-gauge hypodermic needles. There is an average of 75% decrease in the maximum normal strain experienced by the membrane when using microneedle devices in comparison to that of the 25-gauge hypodermic needles. This quantification of strain has been discretised to each individual needle in the microneedle device, allowing for informed design choices for future device iterations. These findings suggest the hollow microneedle devices to be a gentler alternative for transdermal applications, potentially improving patient comfort and reducing tissue trauma when compared to the gold standard, traditional 25-gauge hypodermic needle. |
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| Keywords: |
microneedle (MN), DIC (digital image correlation), strain, skin phantom, needle insertion |
| College: |
Faculty of Science and Engineering |
| Funders: |
UKRI (EP/S02252X/1) |