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Skin and Mucosal Delivery (Focus Group – SMD)

Multilayer nanofilms enhance microneedle mechanical strength and enable programmable drug release in skin

Junjira Tanum, Ph.D. – Postdoctoral Fellow, Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania
Introduction:

Polymeric microneedles (MNs) are promising for minimally invasive cutaneous drug delivery, but translation is limited by mechanical strength leading to inconsistent pharmacokinetics.1,2 Here we engineered MNs coated with alternating nanofilms of functionalized graphene oxide (fGO) and hyaluronic acid (HA).3 In addition to enhancing mechanical properties, fGO aromatic domains and amphiphilic surfaces further enabled drug loading via multivalent noncovalent interactions. As nanofilms swell, each layer releases its payload to enable dynamic tunability and co-delivery of multiple payloads from MNs, recapitulating complex biological processes in the skin (Figure 1A).

Learning Objectives:

  • Upon completion, participant will be able to describe how fGO nanofilms enhance mechanical strength of microneedles
  • Upon completion, participant will be able to explain how nanofilms are rationally designed for layer-by-layer films
  • Upon completion, participant will be able to interpret how drug and barrier layers control release kinetics