Development of a disposable and flexible microneedle-fluidic-system with finger driven drug loading and delivery functions

Patch-based transdermal drug delivery technology offers a convenient way to administer drugs without the drawbacks of standard hypodermic injections related to issues such as patient acceptability and injection safety. In this study, we developed a flexible and disposable microneedle-fluidic-system (MFS) which can achieve finger driven on-chip drug loading and delivery functions by integrating Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) based microfluidic dispensing networks, check valves, micro pump and SU-8 microneedles in a patch device. The control of particular loading or delivery volume for drugs is provided in terms of finger pressing to a micro pump with a given dimension. The in vitro mechanical testing, penetration testing and delivery testing prove the device functionalities. The local inflammation phenomenon of rats has been ameliorated with the aid of successful diclofenac deliver by our MFS patch.