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Needles are a key, and very common, component of modern medicine, used primarily for drug delivery and blood withdrawals. There are, however, many drawbacks to their use, such as insertion pain, tissue damage, and the development of fears and avoidance of medical care, especially in younger patients. Needle phobia (extreme fear of needles associated with avoidance) affects 1 in 10 people, who are then likely to avoid seeking any medical care. In addition, there are significant populations living with medical conditions, such as diabetes, that require multiple daily injections for effective management of their chronic health condition. Microneedles are small needles less than 1 mm in length that penetrate the skin with minimal or no pain. Microneedles can also reduce tissue damage that can lead to scarification and localized drug resistance in high frequency injection sites. By using high accuracy automated microfabrication techniques, we have developed a new method of quickly and effectively making microneedle arrays capable of interfacing with existing technologies, such as insulin pens and traditional syringes. This work shows a microneedle system which is inexpensive to mass fabricate and preliminary results point to minimal patient pain compared to other microneedle devices. The microneedle construction from a thin metal wire means there is minimal risk of fracture and deposition of material in the dermis that traditional polymeric or silicon microneedles face. This work presents the basis for a pain free injection system that will have significant impacts on patient health, both physical and mental, and healthcare system costs.
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