Bone Shield: Innovating Osteoporosis Treatment with Lactoferrin Microneedle Arrays
Mengyang (Marvin) Liu – Research Fellow, School of Pharmacy, The University of Auckland; Jenny Yan – Honor's Student, School of Pharmacy, The University of Auckland; Jessie Chau – Doctoral Student, School of Medicine, The University of Auckland; Eileen Hulambukie – Doctoral Student, School of Pharmacy, The University of Auckland; Cornelia Keck – Professor, Philipps Universität Marburg; Sara Hanning – Senior Lecturer, School of Pharmacy, The University of Auckland; Jillian Cornish – Professor, School of Medicine, The University of Auckland
Professor University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Introduction: Osteoporosis is a disease defined by decreased bone density and increased fracture risk. Lactoferrin (LF), a multifunctional glycoprotein with proven osteogenic and anti-inflammatory properties, has shown potential for osteoporosis management [1]. However, its clinical application is limited by its short half-life and low oral bioavailability. Microneedle (MN) technology offers a promising alternative by enabling painless, patient-friendly transdermal protein delivery while bypassing gastrointestinal degradation to achieve better therapeutic effects [2].
Learning Objectives:
To describe the rationale for using microneedles to deliver lactoferrin in osteoporosis.
To explain the optimisation of lactoferrin-loaded microneedles using central composite design.
To interpret ex vivo skin permeation results demonstrating enhanced transdermal lactoferrin delivery.
