Recent advancements in the expedition of microneedles: from lab worktops to diagnostic care centers

Microneedle (MN) technology plays a significant role in bioengineering as it allows for minimally invasive exposure to the skin via the non-invasive procedure, increased drug permeability, and improved biological molecule detectability in the epidermal layers, all while improving therapeutic safety and effectiveness. However, MNs have several significant drawbacks, including difficulty scaling up, variability in drug delivery pattern regarding the skin's external environment, blockage of dermal tissues, induction of inflammatory response at the administration site, and limitation of dosing based on the molecular weight of drug and size. Despite these drawbacks, MNs have emerged as a special transdermal theranostics instrument in clinical research to assess physiological parameters. Bioimaging technology relies on microneedles that can measure particular analytes in the extracellular fluid effectively by crossing the stratum corneum, making them a unique tool in diagnostics detection and therapeutic application inside the body. This review article discusses the recent advances in the applications especially related to the diagnostics and toxicity challenges of microneedles. In addition, this review article discusses the clinical state and commercial accessibility of microneedle technology-based devices in order to provide new information to scientists and researchers.

Automated summary

Microneedle (MN) technology is important in bioengineering for minimally invasive exposure to the skin, increased drug permeability, and improved biological molecule detectability. However, MNs have drawbacks such as difficulty scaling up, variability in drug delivery pattern, tissue blockage, and inflammatory response. Despite these, MNs are a unique tool in diagnostics and therapeutics, crossing the stratum corneum to measure analytes. This review discusses recent advances, diagnostics challenges, clinical state, and commercial accessibility of MN technology-based devices.