Needle Guard Tip Designs for Microneedle Holders Utilized for Interstitial Fluid Extraction

March 7, 2019

Needle Guard Tip Designs for Microneedle Holders Utilized for Interstitial Fluid Extraction

Technology description

An innovative microneedle guard tip for the extraction of interstitial fluid (ISF).

The guard utilizes an alternative configuration rather than flat surfaces to increase the efficiency of needle insertion. In addition, the alternative shape allows the skin to lift into the holder, decreasing constriction; resulting in increased flow of ISF into the needle. The extracted volumes from this novel microneedle guard tip can then be utilized for advanced analysis methods, including proteomics and transcriptomics.

Background

Microneedle technology has advanced dramatically over the last decade. Microneedle-based devices advantageous to use because they are minimally invasive and require little training. To efficiently utilize microneedles, holders are required to ensure accurate penetration and stabilization. Current holders utilize flat tip guards, allowing the surface to lay flat against the skin. This allows the needles to penetrate the skin and enter the dermis layer. The holder limits the needle protrusion to 300 - 3000 µm, overall eliminating any interaction with nerves and the blood supply. As a result, dermal interstitial fluid (ISF) can be extracted with microneedle-based devices and utilized in glucose monitoring, drug monitoring, and drug delivery analyses. Analytics on the ISF itself could also be beneficial to the medical field especially for monitoring, diagnosing and improving treatment methods for certain diseases. However, the current samples of ISF collected from flat tip guards are lacking in volume for extensive investigation. Thus, there is a need for microneedle holder designs capable of increasing ISF extraction volumes for further analyses.

Technology Description

Researchers at the University of New Mexico have developed an innovative microneedle guard tip for the extraction of interstitial fluid (ISF). The guard utilizes an alternative configuration rather than flat surfaces to increase the efficiency of needle insertion. In addition, the alternative shape allows the skin to lift into the holder, decreasing constriction; resulting in increased flow of ISF into the needle. The extracted volumes from this novel microneedle guard tip can then be utilized for advanced analysis methods, including proteomics and transcriptomics.

About STC.UNM

As the technology-transfer and economic-development organization for the University of New Mexico, STC.UNM protects and commercializes technologies developed at the University of New Mexico (UNM) by filing patents and copyrights and transferring the technologies to the marketplace. We connect the business community (companies, entrepreneurs and investors) to these UNM technologies for licensing opportunities and the creation of startup companies. Visit www.stc.unm.edu.