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3. Polymer Microneedles
Drug delivery with a microneedle was first thought of by Alza’s research in 1971. However, due to some difficulties, the research was halted until the mid 1990s. It was after 2000 that many researches have been conducted.
The researches have taken advantage of integrated circuit processing technology which made compact electronic compartments.
The microneedle in its early stage are made of silicon, the same material as semiconductor chips.
However, silicon needles were not commercialized as the biocompatibility of silicon was not proven and it could be easily broken and stuck inside the body.
This led to other researches on manufacturing needles using biocompatible metals or polymer.
After all, the polymer molding process was found to be biocompatible and capable of mass production, making microneedle affordable.
