Microneedle‐Based Technology: Toward Minimally Invasive Disease Diagnostics

Abstract

biomarkers by extracting ISF and can also be used as electrodes to detect blood glucose, tumor biomarkers and pH value in body fluids in real time.MNs are composed of a series of microsized needles and are widely used in transdermal drug delivery systems (TDDS) due to the advantages of high efficiency, safety and convenience. In recent years, MNs have been frequently used to deliver drugs, genes, proteins, RNAs and vaccines, and have achieved amazing therapeutic effects. [5] Additionally, MNs are also widely studied for blood sampling, signal monitoring and biosensor. [6] The new coronavirus COVID-19 is raging around the world. Researchers had developed a fingertip-sized MNs to deliver the vaccine. The results showed that the vaccine could produce SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies in mice that could neutralize the virus. [7] Zhou et al. [8] loaded the anticancer drug curcumin into the MNs, and verified the antitumor effects of MNs in the melanoma model. In addition, MNs had also been used in clinical practice, and researchers had evaluated the efficacy and safety of MNs administration based on the effects of clinical trials. The results indicated that MNs showed similar or more efficient results compared with conventional treatment methods. [9] Interstitial fluid (ISF) is an alternative source to detect traditional biomarkers such as blood and urine. [10] Recently, a new method has emerged, that is, using MNs to extract ISF and analyze biomarkers in ISF. [11] The materials for preparing the MNs are usually metals or polymers. The tips length of MNs is about 50-900 µm, which can penetrate the skin stratum corneum to extract ISF. [12] However, ISF has received limited attentions from researchers due to the difficulty of extracting ISF. It is very necessary to develop a minimally invasive technique to sample ISF for clinical monitoring and diagnosis.ISF can be collected by techniques such as micro dialysis or open flow perfusion, these techniques not only require local anesthesia and professional operations but also take a certain amount of time, and there is a potential risk of infection. [13] It is a promising technique to extract ISF by inserting MNs into skin to form micropores. The average depth of the dermis is generally 500-2000 µm. [14] The tips of MNs are generally short, and they can penetrate the superficial layer of the skin but cannot reach the nerves and blood vessels in the dermis, which can painlessly extract ISF. [15] The biggest challenge of extracting ISF for analysis is insufficient sampling, which greatly limits The traditional way of disease diagnosis is to detect biomarkers in serum, blood, urine, and saliva, but it often faces wound infection and pain, and usually requires professional medical personnel to operate, which is unacceptable for most people. As a result, minimally invasive detection of biomarkers has attracted wide attention and is expected to become a new method for patient monitoring and disease diagnosis. Interstitial fluid (ISF) acts as a medium between cells and the circulatory ...

Continuous Glucose Monitoring Enabled by Fluorescent Nanodiamond Boronic Hydrogel

“…[79,80] Interstitial fluid is an extracellular liquid that accumulates inside the tissue and is implicated in the regulation of the local tissue environment, serving as a reservoir of biomolecules, nutrients, and metabolic products. [81,82] Although many new technologies for detecting the biomarkers in interstitial fluid have been proposed, most of them require enzymatic reaction or other special sample pro-cessing before testing, which greatly limits their applications in vivo. [83][84][85] In this regard, our optically responsive hydrogel in microneedle system can potentially translate different biochemical signals into fluorescence changes, making it an attractive platform for noninvasive biomedical monitoring system.…”

Wearable Electrochemical Microneedle Sensors Based on the Graphene-Silver-Chitosan Nanocomposite for Real-Time Continuous Monitoring of the Depression Biomarker Serotonin

“…ISF is an attractive fluid for biomarker and drug monitoring due to its proximity to cells and tissues and its potential to reflect changes in the extracellular microenvironment. ISF serves as a reservoir of biomolecules, nutrients, and metabolic products, acting as a medium between cells and the circulatory system . Collection of skin ISF using minimally invasive MN techniques provides a painless, simple, and patient-compliant approach for individualized and long-term treatments, opening up new avenues for disease diagnosis.…”

“…The microneedles can be biocompatible and biodegradable and can be designed to release drugs or other therapeutic agents over time. Recent studies have highlighted the potential of microneedles for ISF sampling and analysis. , Microneedles can be integrated into wearable devices for the continuous monitoring of ISF biomarkers. By enabling the continuous and noninvasive measurement of biomarkers and NTs, ISF monitoring using microneedles can provide valuable insights into disease progression and response to therapy.…”

Recent Advances in Multifunctional Microneedle Patches for Wound Healing and Health Monitoring

“…In addition, due to the short tips of MPs, they cannot reach the nerves and blood vessels deep in the dermis, so MPs are a painless method suitable for individualized and long‐term treatment. [ 10–12 ]…”

“…In addition, due to the short tips of MPs, they cannot reach the nerves and blood vessels deep in the dermis, so MPs are a painless method suitable for individualized and long-term treatment. [10][11][12] The concept of MPs, first proposed in 1976, is intended to penetrate and deliver drugs into the systemic circulation without causing pain or bleeding. [13,14] MPs are composed of hundreds of micrometer-sized needles (25-1500 μm) concentrated in a tiny patch.…”