Microneedle gastric retention for drug delivery

Abstract

Traditional drug delivery methods, such as injection and ingestion, are associated with many challenges, including patient needle-phobia and patient adherence to a medication regimen. Biologic molecules, in particular, must be injected due to degradation by enzymes in the GI tract. Previous scientists have developed a method with the potential to inject macromolecules in the GI tract using microneedles that can implant themselves in the stomach lining; however, they do not provide long-term drug delivery. To create a controlled release micro injection, I hypothesize that a hooked needle will latch onto the muscularis mucosae layer in the stomach and reside.upwards of a week to deliver drugs. A number of trials and simulations have been designed to test the efficacy of this retention mechanism. Coupled with work in the creation of new pharmaceutical formulations, these needles can be loaded with any drug to ensure uptake into the blood stream over the course of several days.