Department of Chemistry - PhD Student Seminar - Recent Advances in Microneedle Technology for Drug Delivery and Biosensing

Student: Mr. Qizhi ZHOU

Department: Department of Chemistry, HKUST

Supervisor: Prof. Hongkai WU

Co-supervisors: Prof. TAN Wenchang (SZBL), Prof. ZHAO Dongliang (SZBL)
 

Abstract

Microneedle (MN) technologies have emerged as promising minimally invasive platforms for interfacing with biological tissues. By creating transient microchannels across the skin barrier, MNs enable transdermal drug delivery, biofluid sampling, and real-time biosensing with reduced pain and tissue damage compared with conventional hypodermic needles. With needle lengths typically ranging from tens to thousands of micrometers, MN devices provide a versatile route for controlled, localized, and on-demand delivery of bioactive molecules. Additionally, MN devices enable more frequent and continuous physiological monitoring than blood tests.

In this seminar, we will provide an overview of MN technologies, their applications for delivering bioactive molecules, and MN-assisted biosensing and diagnostic platforms. Finally, we will summarize representative clinical products and the major challenges facing clinical translation.