Bae Wongyu Professor of Soongsil University and Jeong Hunui Professor of Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology research team in South Korea developed an injection patch based on the ideas of poisonous snake's grinder. It is painless compared to the pre-existing syringe and takes a shorter time to inject the vaccine. Also, according to the research team, it is more effective and cheaper than syringe.

▲ Korean research team developed an injection patch instead of the syringe.

The research team got an idea from the rear-fanged poisonous snake of which its grinders are at the back of its mouth. There are some grooves on the surface of its grinder, and these can make some cracks on its prey's skin. Then, its poison can permeate its prey by a capillary phenomenon, not using its muscle to press its fang into its prey's skin.

▲ This patch is based on the ideas of poisonous snake`s grinder using a capillary phenomenon.

Using this principle, they made microneedles, imitated from the appearance of the snake's fang, which has helical form grooves. These microneedles' diameter is 0.2 mm which is thicker than the thickness of a hair strand, and its length is 0.6 mm. It is much smaller than a pre-existing syringe's needle, so it does not touch the nerve cells of the skin which feel the pain. They arranged a hundred of these needles on a patch made by hydrogel of which length and breadth are 1 cm. By putting this patch on the skin, the vaccine or other medicines will be delivered to the skin immediately without feeling any pain.

▲ The research team made micro needles imitated from the appearance of the snake`s fang, which have helical form grooves.

The research team proceeded on some experiments. They passed the liquid simulation by supercomputer and semiconductor processing simulation. By doing so, they confirmed that the microneedles do a role of a syringe. Also, they used this patch to mouses and guinea pigs, and they verified that the patch conveyed the vaccine to their skin for five seconds.

If the injection patch becomes successful, in the future, the fear of injection will disappear, and a lot of people will be able to be injected comfortably. According to the research team, this technology will be applied to also cosmetics. This research was introduced to Science Translational Medicine.

Sep. 8th, 2019

by Lee Ji-eun