Graduate Student Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Introduction: Biologics are the fastest growing class of therapeutic molecules, but their injection-based administration routes constrain their widespread use. Microneedle patches (MNP) are a painless, self-administered, transdermal drug delivery alternative to injection, yet drug candidates for MNP are limited to those with robust solid-state stability and low doses. Powder-casting methods (1, 2) have been used to fabricate MNP with protein doses up to 4 mg per MNP. However, current powder-cast fabrication fails to deliver clinically relevant therapeutic protein doses by MNP, which range from 25 – 200 mg.
Learning Objectives:
Explain the benefits of powder-cast MNP fabrication method for high dose protein delivery
Evaluate the differences between the powder-laden MNP shell and solid powder MNP as powder-cast fabrication methods
Identify the process parameters that affect dose loading and stability of protein therapeutics in powder-cast MNP
