Microneedles

A novel microneedle patch may bring new hope to people who struggle to keep their acne under control. Instead of utilizing antibiotics, the device releases nanoparticles that kill acne-causing bacteria when triggered by exposure to ultrasound.

Skin-applied microneedle patches are already used to painlessly deliver medication and detect chemicals in a patient's bloodstream. A new one, however, reportedly stops wounds from bleeding much more effectively than traditional bandages.

There are many drugs which are very helpful in the right dosage, but quite harmful in larger amounts. A new microneedle patch is designed to help in that regard, by showing exactly how much medication is currently present in a patient's bloodstream.

Scientists have developed a microneedle patch that can be self-administered and painlessly deposit a tattoo onto skin in minutes. The technology is proposed for simple medical or animal uses but cosmetic uses are possible in the future.

While we've already seen skin-worn patches that can detect individual substances in the bloodstream, a new one goes considerably further. It simultaneously measures glucose, alcohol and lactate, and could have multiple applications.

Peanut allergies can be very serious, potentially resulting in life-threatening anaphylaxis. There could be new hope for eliminating such allergies, however, thanks to the use of peanut-packin' microneedles.

Although electroporation technology is very effective at delivering DNA-based vaccines, the required equipment is bulky, complex and expensive. Now, however, scientists have shown that a converted barbecue lighter is capable of doing the job.

Chronic wounds such as skin ulcers can be difficult to treat, partially because of antibiotic-resistant "biofilms" that form over the affected tissue. A new type of microneedle patch, however, has been shown to deliver medication through such films.

Researchers have developed a new vaccine candidate for dengue virus, a notoriously tricky pathogen to deal with. The new candidate has a number of advantages over existing treatments, with tests on mice using microneedle patches proving promising.

Microneedle patches already show a great deal of promise as a painless alternative to hypodermic needles. A new one, however, could find use as a more effective means of treating serious bacterial infections of the skin.

Nobody likes needles, but they’re a necessary evil. Microneedle patches are emerging as a painless alternative, and now researchers in Hong Kong have developed a new version of the tech that’s made of ice, for easier manufacture and use.

Nobody likes needles – at best they’re an unpleasant means to an important end. Microneedle patches could be a painless alternative, and now researchers have developed a way to use them to detect biomarkers at much lower levels without drawing blood.