Development of vertical SU-8 microneedles for transdermal drug delivery by double drawing lithography technology

Polymer-based microneedles have drawn much attention in transdermal drug delivery resulting from their flexibility and biocompatibility. Traditional fabrication approaches are usually time-consuming and expensive. In this study, we developed a new double drawing lithography technology to make biocompatible SU-8 microneedles for transdermal drug delivery applications. These microneedles are strong enough to stand force from both vertical direction and planar direction during penetration. They can be used to penetrate into the skin easily and deliver drugs to the tissues under it. By controlling the delivery speed lower than 2 mu l/min per single microneedle, the delivery rate can be as high as 71%. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.