Microneedle Transdermal Drug Delivery System

Dr. Seajin Oh

Research Specialist, UC Irvine

October 8, 2010

Abstract 

A large number of new drugs continue to be developed by the pharmaceutical industry. The conventional oral or parenteral delivery is not appropriate for many of these new pharmaceuticals. For example protein drug, when taken orally, is destroyed by acid in the stomach. A network of blood capillaries in the human body spreads out into the skin and provides for an entry into the systemic circulation. Transdermal drug delivery patches take advantage of this pathway and constitute a convenient method that patients can easily use. Today microfabrication and microsystem engineering are catalyzing the development of novel transdermal drug delivery systems. In this seminar, I will review drug delivery systems (DDSs) with emphasis on transdermal DDSs, and will present the study on a drug-embedded, degradable microneedle patch system for skin vaccination.